12 Teen Books With Strong Female Leads You’ll Love Rooting For
There is something incredibly satisfying about reading a book with a female character you can’t help but root for.
But a strong female character doesn’t have to wield a sword.
She doesn’t have to save the world.
And she definitely doesn’t have to be fearless.
Sometimes strength looks like standing up for yourself when everyone expects you to stay quiet.
Sometimes it’s surviving something incredibly difficult.
Sometimes it’s chasing an impossible dream, protecting the people you love, solving a mystery or refusing to become the person everyone else expects you to be.
And sometimes?
It actually does involve wielding a sword and saving the world.
If you’re looking for books featuring smart, brave, complicated and unforgettable teenage girls, start with these.
1. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
It’s almost impossible to talk about strong female characters in YA without talking about Katniss Everdeen.
Katniss isn’t trying to become a hero.
She’s trying to keep her family alive.
When her younger sister Prim is selected to compete in the Hunger Games—a televised fight to the death—Katniss volunteers to take her place.
That single decision changes everything.
Katniss enters an arena with 23 other teenagers knowing only one person is supposed to come out alive.
But survival isn’t the only battle she’s about to face.
Why we love Katniss: She’s protective, resourceful, stubborn and incredibly brave—even when she’s terrified.
You’ll find:
Dystopian world
Survival
Rebellion
Family loyalty
Romance
High stakes
Perfect for: Teens who want an addictive series with a heroine who refuses to give up.
2. Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
Zélie Adebola remembers when magic existed.
She also remembers what happened when it disappeared.
Under the rule of a ruthless king, people with magical ancestry have been persecuted and oppressed.
Then Zélie discovers there may be a way to bring magic back.
With the help of her brother and an unexpected ally, she sets out on a dangerous mission that could completely change their world.
Why we love Zélie: She’s passionate, powerful and willing to fight for people who have been stripped of their power.
You’ll find:
Magic
Adventure
Rebellion
Dangerous quests
Family
Romance
Perfect for: Teens who want an epic fantasy with a fierce heroine at its center.
3. Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley
Daunis Fontaine has never felt like she completely fits anywhere.
Then tragedy strikes and she witnesses a shocking murder.
Suddenly, Daunis finds herself helping with an FBI investigation involving a dangerous drug spreading through her community.
But the deeper she gets into the investigation, the more complicated everything becomes.
Daunis has to decide who she can trust while protecting the people and community she loves.
Why we love Daunis: She’s intelligent, observant, compassionate and determined to uncover the truth even when doing so is incredibly difficult.
You’ll find:
Mystery
FBI investigation
Indigenous culture
Community
Romance
Crime
Perfect for: Older teens who want a powerful mystery with a smart and complex protagonist.
Content note: This book contains mature themes including violence, drugs and sexual assault.
4. A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro
What if Sherlock Holmes and John Watson had teenage descendants?
Meet Charlotte Holmes.
Jamie Watson and Charlotte end up attending the same Connecticut boarding school, where their famous family histories quickly bring them together.
Then a student dies.
And Charlotte and Jamie become suspects.
The two have to use the skills that apparently run in their families to solve the mystery and clear their names.
Why we love Charlotte: She’s brilliant, difficult, complicated and unapologetically herself.
You’ll find:
Boarding school
Murder mystery
Sherlock Holmes inspiration
Crime solving
Friendship
Suspense
Perfect for: Teens who love clever female characters and complicated mysteries.
5. Dread Nation by Justina Ireland
Jane McKeene lives in an alternate version of America where the dead began rising during the Civil War.
Now girls like Jane are trained to fight them.
Jane is supposed to learn the skills necessary to protect wealthy families from the undead.
But when people begin disappearing, Jane discovers something much bigger—and much more dangerous—is happening.
And she’s not about to ignore it.
Why we love Jane: She’s clever, sarcastic, resourceful and incredibly difficult to intimidate.
You’ll find:
Zombies
Alternate history
Action
Mystery
Survival
Social commentary
Perfect for: Teens who want a heroine who can absolutely handle herself in a fight.
6. The Grace Year by Kim Liggett
In Garner County, girls are taught that they possess a dangerous power over men.
When they turn 16, they’re banished for an entire year.
It’s called the Grace Year.
Not every girl comes home.
Tierney James has never been particularly good at accepting the rules she’s been given.
Once the Grace Year begins, she realizes the greatest danger may not be what everyone has warned her about.
It may be the system itself.
Why we love Tierney: She questions the world around her instead of blindly accepting that something is right simply because it’s tradition.
You’ll find:
Dystopian society
Survival
Female friendships
Rebellion
Mystery
Romance
Perfect for: Older teens who like darker dystopian stories with something to say.
7. A Magic Steeped in Poison by Judy I. Lin
Ning knows she is responsible for the poisoned tea that killed her mother.
The same poison is now threatening her sister.
Then Ning hears about a competition searching for the kingdom’s greatest shennong-shi—a master of the ancient art of magical tea-making.
The winner will receive a favor from the princess.
And that favor might be Ning’s only chance to save her sister.
She travels to the imperial city and enters a world filled with competition, politics, danger and secrets.
Why we love Ning: She refuses to give up on her sister and discovers her own abilities along the way.
You’ll find:
Magical tea
Competition
Palace intrigue
Sisterhood
Fantasy
Romance
Perfect for: Teens who want a beautifully atmospheric fantasy with a unique magical system.
8. Iron Widow by Xiran Jay Zhao
In Huaxia, boys and girls pair up to pilot enormous transforming machines used to fight the creatures threatening humanity.
There’s just one problem.
The girls often die.
When Zetian’s sister is killed after becoming a pilot, Zetian volunteers for the same program.
But she’s not there for honor.
She’s there for revenge.
And when Zetian proves far more powerful than anyone expected, the entire system suddenly has a problem on its hands.
Her.
Why we love Zetian: She’s furious, ambitious and completely unwilling to quietly accept a system that considers girls disposable.
You’ll find:
Science fiction
Revenge
Giant machines
Battles
Romance
Rebellion
Perfect for: Older teens looking for a heroine who is allowed to be angry.
9. Sorcery of Thorns by Margaret Rogerson
Elisabeth has grown up surrounded by magical books.
But these aren’t ordinary library books.
Grimoires can whisper, rattle their chains and even transform into dangerous monsters.
Elisabeth hopes to become a warden who protects the kingdom from their power.
Then she’s accused of a crime she didn’t commit.
Her only possible ally is sorcerer Nathaniel Thorn—a person Elisabeth has been taught her entire life not to trust.
Why we love Elisabeth: She’s curious, brave and willing to reconsider everything she’s been taught when the evidence tells her something different.
You’ll find:
Magical libraries
Sorcerers
Dangerous books
Mystery
Adventure
Romance
Perfect for: Teens whose dream fantasy world includes an enormous magical library.
10. Skyward by Brandon Sanderson
Spensa has dreamed about becoming a pilot her entire life.
Unfortunately, everyone remembers what her father supposedly did.
He was a pilot too—and he’s remembered as a coward.
Spensa refuses to let his reputation determine her future.
When she finally gets the opportunity to attend flight school, she’s determined to prove she belongs there.
But becoming a pilot is much harder—and much more dangerous—than she imagined.
Why we love Spensa: She’s ridiculously determined, wonderfully dramatic and refuses to let other people’s opinions decide what she’s capable of.
You’ll find:
Space battles
Flight school
Science fiction
Friendship
Mystery
Adventure
Perfect for: Teens who want a break from romance-heavy YA and would rather fly spaceships.
11. The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
Starr Carter moves between two different worlds.
There’s the neighborhood where she lives.
And there’s the wealthy private school she attends.
Then Starr witnesses her childhood friend Khalil being shot and killed by a police officer.
As the shooting becomes national news, everyone seems to have an opinion about what happened.
But Starr knows what she saw.
Now she has to decide whether she’s ready to use her voice.
Why we love Starr: Her strength isn’t about being fearless. It’s about finding the courage to speak when staying silent would be easier.
You’ll find:
Coming-of-age
Family
Friendship
Activism
Identity
Finding your voice
Perfect for: Older teens who want realistic fiction that can lead to meaningful conversations.
Content note: This novel deals with police violence, racism, grief and other mature subjects.
12. I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter by Erika L. Sánchez
Julia has never been the perfect daughter.
Her older sister Olga was.
Then Olga suddenly dies, leaving Julia and her family devastated.
But as Julia struggles with grief and the expectations placed upon her, she begins to realize her supposedly perfect sister may have had secrets.
Julia starts searching for answers while also trying to figure out who she wants to become.
Why we love Julia: She’s messy, outspoken, funny, frustrated and wonderfully human. Her strength comes from continuing to search for her own identity even when the people around her have very different expectations.
You’ll find:
Family relationships
Sisterhood
Grief
Identity
Family secrets
Coming-of-age
Perfect for: Older teens who prefer realistic, complicated characters over perfect heroines.
Which Strong Female Lead Should You Meet First?
Not sure which book belongs at the top of your TBR?
Want an iconic heroine?
Start with The Hunger Games.
Want epic fantasy?
Try Children of Blood and Bone.
Love crime and investigations?
Pick up Firekeeper’s Daughter.
Want a clever mystery?
Try A Study in Charlotte.
Want zombies and action?
Read Dread Nation.
Want dystopian fiction?
Choose The Grace Year.
Want beautiful fantasy?
Try A Magic Steeped in Poison.
Want an angry, unapologetic heroine?
Pick Iron Widow.
Love books and libraries?
Read Sorcery of Thorns.
Want space battles instead of romance?
Try Skyward.
Prefer contemporary fiction?
Choose The Hate U Give or I Am Not Your Perfect Mexican Daughter.
What Actually Makes a Female Character Strong?
Here’s something worth remembering:
A “strong female character” doesn’t have to be physically strong.
She doesn’t have to win every fight.
She doesn’t have to be the smartest person in the room.
And she certainly doesn’t have to be perfect.
Some of the best female characters in YA literature make terrible decisions.
They get scared.
They cry.
They fall in love.
They need help.
They fail.
And none of those things make them weak.
Strength can mean getting back up after something goes wrong.
It can mean asking for help.
It can mean protecting someone else, speaking up, admitting you were wrong or deciding that the life other people planned for you isn’t the life you want.
That’s what makes these characters interesting.
They’re not strong because nothing can hurt them.
They’re strong because we get to watch what they do next.
Give Teen Girls More Stories Where They Get to Be Everything
Teen girls deserve books where female characters aren’t limited to being someone’s girlfriend, crush or sidekick.
Let them be detectives.
Pilots.
Athletes.
Scientists.
Queens.
Criminal masterminds.
Journalists.
Warriors.
Artists.
Quiet girls.
Angry girls.
Funny girls.
Girls who have absolutely no idea what they’re doing yet.
Because there isn’t one correct way to be a strong girl.
And sometimes seeing a character figure that out on the page can help a teenager realize the same thing about herself.
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