Self Rescuing Princesses

General Kid resources: Resources For Kids


Here are some places to locate self rescuing princesses (girls who do fun/cool stuff and don't need saving)

note watch out some are for older children!

Books

  • Contact your local children's librarian

  • "Shop focusing on diverse comics & picture books. Aggressively inclusive." https://campsite.bio/bookswpictures & https://twitter.com/bookswpictures

  • Paper bag princess

  • Dealing With Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede.

  • The Hero and the Crown, by Robin McKinley.

  • The Blue Sword

  • Everything by Tamora Pierce. (Alainna the lionees series in there i love)

  • protector of the small series. Not actual royalty but a lot of her stuff is girls kicking butt

  • the historical fiction about the girl who pretended to be a boy pirate

  • McKinley's "Beauty" is an amazing retelling of "Beauty and the Beast," with a far more empowered Beauty.

  • Fearless Girls http://www.amazon.com/Fearless-Girls-Women-Beloved-Sisters/dp/0393320464

  • princess Ben

  • http://www.buildingalibrary.com/picture-books/six-princess-books-for-parents-who-really-really-hate-princess-books/212

  • Mercedes Lackey http://www.amazon.com/Black-Swan-Mercedes-Lackey-ebook/dp/B002IPZJ88/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8 The Black Swan (and many others)

  • Lili from Psychonauts barely needs rescuing, and figures everything out far before the MC. I may have named a daughter after her.

  • Pratchett's Magrat is a queen, and self-rescues.

  • Sophie from Dahl's BFG rescues the world.

  • Ella, Ella Enchanted, Gail Carson Levine.

  • Hermione Granger.

  • add Sarah Rees Brennan and Malinda Lo (YA, also have PoC and GLBT).

  • Catherine Called Birdy.

  • The Privilege of the Sword by Ellen Kushner.

  • Pippi Longstocking

  • Madeline

  • a lot of Roald Dahl characters,

  • Ramona Quimby,

  • Anne of Green Gables,

  • Little House on the Prairie

  • Another picture book - Not All Princesses Wear Pink by Jane Yolen, and for that matter, this author's Sister Light, Sister Dark.

  • His Dark Materials series

  • Abhorsen Trilogy.

  • http://www.housewifeeclectic.com/2015/03/10-books-to-read-aloud-to-your-kids.html#_a5y_p=3586024

    • Princess Academy by Shannon Hale- Miri has grown up on Mount Eskel, it is a quiet life until the King's Priests chose the mountain as the home of the next princess. Each village girl is required to attend a strict princess academy, for when the prince comes in a year to pick his bride. Although Miri is small and feels like she doesn't contribute much to her family's work in the quarry, she finds that she can contribute in much bigger ways. This is one of my favorite princess reads, the main character is endearing and for once you aren't rooting for her to end up with the prince.

    • Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine. This is hands down my favorite Cinderella story. If you have seen the movie, don't let it keep you from reading this book to your kids. It is clever and funny. There is still the same basic cast of characters, Ella, the evil stepmother and stepsisters but in this version you add in some crazy fairies, ogres and giants too. Ella was cursed by a fairy when she was a baby with obedience. She has to follow any direct command that she is given, which could including hurting herself. Ella must figure out how to break the curse before she does something truly dreadful.

    • Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede (The Enchanted Forest Chronicles). This fun series is about a princess who likes to fence and practice magic and doesn't want to marry a boring prince, instead she runs off to live with the dragons instead. She becomes a dragon's princess and actually talks the knights who come out of rescuing her. At first Cimorene finds herself doing household tasks for her dragon, Kazul, but eventually she finds herself doing magic and saving the entire Enchanted Forest.

    • Dragon Slippers by Jessica Day George- When Creel's aunt offers her to a local dragon in hopes that somebody wealthy will rescue her and bring money to the family, Creel decides not to stick around and rescues herself. She strikes a bargain with a dragon, that includes her freedom and an odd pair of slippers. The slipper cause trouble all over the place until the put the fate of the whole nation at risk. Creel must figure out what the slippers do and how to save the country before it is too late.

    • Goose Girl by Shannon Hale- When Ani is sent to a foreign land to marry a foreign prince, she thinks life couldn't get much worse. Then her lady in waiting leads a mutiny and takes her place. Ani becomes a Goose Girl to the queen and must figure out a way to save herself and the country from the pretend princess.

    • The Frog Princess by ED Baker- Princess Emeralda is nothing like a stereotypical princesses and she does not want to marry Prince Jorge at all. When Emma is convinced to kiss a frog to help him turn back into a prince, she is turned into a frog instead. In a story for unlike the Disney version, Emma must fend for herself on her adventures.

    • Tuesdays at the Castle by Jessica Day George- Castle Glower isn't like your typical castle. It adds rooms and secret paths and Princess Celie loves to take the time to map out the magical castle. When the king and queen are ambushed and her beloved living castle is put to sleep, it is up to Celie to protect her home.

    • The Two Princesses of Bamarre by Gail Carson Levine - Princess Meryl is very brave. She plans to rid the kingdom of ogres and all manner of unpleasantness. Princess Addie is timid and fearful of everything. When Meryl contracts the Gray Death, Addie must put aside her fears and set out on her own to find the cure.

    • Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale - Lady Saren is to be locked in a tower for seven years because she refuses to marry Lord Khashar. She brings a maid, Dashti along to be her companion during this time. Dashti surprisingly doesn't seem to mind the arrangement, she is grateful that she knows she will be fed for seven years, but whens he finds rats in the flour and mold on the cheese, Dashti must find a way for them to survive.

    • Fairest by Gail Carson Levine- Aza isn't a dainty princess, in fact she is a plain peasant and in a land that prizes beautiful faces and voices more than anything else, she sometimes feels out of place. Aza does have a gorgeous voice and the talent of being able to throw her voice to sound as if it is coming from anywhere in the room. A passing duchess invites her to court and then the queen who has a plains singing voice insists she stays so that she can use Aza's voice as her own. Aza must learn to stand on her own feet and use her voice for good instead of allowing it to be used by the evil queen.

I do have to include a shout out to The Paper Bag Princess, although it is a picture book instead of a chapter book, I think it is one of the best princess stories of all time. Can you think of any other books featuring strong princesses?

Movies / TV Shows

Games

  • Monument valley http://www.monumentvalleygame.com/ What I was trying to say on Twitter is that Monument Valley is an AMAZING little game where the heroine is Princess Ida, and she's on a quest. She does everything herself. And it's WONDERFUL. Also beautiful.

  • Mario World 2

  • elaine marley in monkey island 1-2

  • Garnet, Final Fantasy 9

  • Marle/Princess Nadia, Chrono Trigger

  • The Princess from Braid

  • Princess Aurora, Child of Light

  • Farah, Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time

  • Sun Lian, Jade Empire

Resource Links

https://www.facebook.com/gracebunny197/posts/10203810720936547?comment_id=10203810833459360

https://www.facebook.com/amazonv/posts/801188275327?pnref=story

TBD

princess hyathis (sp)?

anything by Jane Yolen?

Rapunzel's Revenge

http://ccb.lis.illinois.edu/bibliographies.html

From what I recall the Ugly series by Scott westerfield(?) Is prettu good with a girl in charge. There might be a boy rescuing but its pretty back and forth. I know I have more but what age grade school? I.e. the higher end? (I have some books that are good but not sure age appropriate)