A few years ago, I read a study that comes to mind any time that I step into the children’s section of a bookstore. The research all boiled down to one finding: girls will read books with either male or female protagonists, whereas boys generally won’t read books with female protagonists.

I’m not sure if or how that has changed in the last four years, but if girls are reading across the board in terms of gender, let’s decide to give them fictional girls who are as brave and kind as their fictional male counterparts. Here are five books that did that for me:

1. The Ramona Books

I was nine when I discovered “Ramona and Her Father” at a secondhand book sale. I felt as though I had found a kindred spirit in this spunky, emotional girl who always seemed to do the wrong thing and I collected the eight-book series over the next couple years. (I even wrote Beverly Cleary a letter and got an autographed “reply.” Fangirl.)
The books deal with real growing pains (sibling rivalries, family problems and anxieties, and being severely misunderstood) all safely fenced by the love and support of her family. Cleary captures the emotions that we forget about but feel so big to kids and crafts Ramona to work through them in a highly-relatable way. She’s adventurous, flawed and surprisingly empathetic to those around her.

2. My Louisiana Sky

This is a book that still hits me in the gut every time I read it. The main character, Tiger, is a preteen girl living with her mentally disabled parents and grandmother while dealing with mean girls at school and a crush on a childhood friend. This is so lyrical. It's a sober story told in a positive yet not overly-romanticized, way. The book deals with very deep emotions and realities, but never inappropriately. Tiger is head-strong and intelligent and curious.

2. Princess Academy

My childhood is made up of this book. It's a whimsical princess book with a lot of depth. Miri works in the quarry with her father, until all of the girls in the village are chosen to attend a sort of academy for girls to train to be princesses. At the end of the year at the academy, the prince will come down the mountain and pick one of them as his bride. Cute story, right? Except PLOT TWIST all of the girls are taken as a hostage for ransom, she is grieving complex family issues and Miri also discovers she has a magical power to convey messages through rocks. This one is beautiful, and ultimately displays a girl who is loyal to her family, as well as a strong message of girls championing for each other instead of competing with each other.

3. The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making

This one's a fairytale. A girl gets swept away to fairyland and is given impossible instructions, which she must learn to follow. She is the least likely girl to be chosen for such a task as this, but through it all shows bravery and intelligence. The words in this book will put you in a dreamlike state--it is whimsical and careful and playful.

4. Betsy-Tacy

When I hear the names of these books, I am instantly transported back to winter days when I would make myself a cup of hot chocolate (which I would call 'hot cocoa' because, you know, Betsy did) and sit in front of the fire that my dad built in the living room fireplace. To be technical, this book is a part of a series which follows a girl when she is five-years-old to about 23. I grew up with these books. So please believe me when I say that they are magnificent, exquisite pieces of literature that should be required reading for every girl. Betsy faces the first day of school, the sadness of losing a friend, high school heartbreaks, struggling with her dreams and setting sail for Europe all with her two best friends by her side. Read it, I know you'll love it.

5. A Wrinkle in Time

The childish love I have for this book knows no bounds. The storyline and fast-paced dialogue are so clever that you will find yourself spontaneously laughing. It is engaging and absorbing. Basically, a young girl and her younger brother get transported through time and space to find her scientist father who is being held captive by evil forces on another planet. If you think this sounds corny, I don't blame you, but you'll find a surprisingly intelligent story with science and poetry intermingled throughout. Meg learns a thing or two about loyalty, bravery and her own brains. Her character development is brilliant.

One thing I love about all of these books is that they display a very natural presentation of girls being strong, smart and brave. The girls in these stories don't doubt that they can have a wide spectrum of ability or emotion--the thought never even crosses their mind, and I love that message. It reminds me of this quote by Sarah Silverman: “Don’t tell girls they can be anything they want when they grow up. Because it would have never occurred to them that they couldn’t."