Children can be divided into two camps: those who like to read, and those who really don't. And in my admittedly anecdotal experience, the following generalizations can also be made: More girls like to read than boys; most girls don't care if the characters are male or female, which is good, because children's literature features more male protagonists than female; most boys between the ages of eight and fourteen won't read a book with a female protagonist. So here is my soapbox moment. Parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles, teachers, friends: encourage reading in kids. Teach them to read a lot of different things. Show them how to identify good writing and that even poor writing can have something to offer. Help them discover what appeals to them and why. But for the love of Harry Potter, do not discourage a particular title because it's a "boy" book or a "girl" book, okay? Books are books, and books are good.
Soapbox over. This was one of my favorite books as a kid, and still one I recommend all the time. Historical fiction, a female protagonist who was roughly my age when I first read it, and a villain who is completely unhinged to boot. It's still great.
Author: Avi
Potentially objectionable content: Has some rather scary moments.
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