Katniss, Katsa and Thirrin the Queen:

Teen Fiction Featuring Strong Young Women

Alanna: the First Adventure Tamora Pierce (1983) YAFICT PIERCE TAMORA Alanna: Eleven-year-old Alanna, who aspires to be a knight even though she is a girl, disguises herself as a boy to become a royal page, a learning many hard lessons along her path to high adventure. Sequels are In the Hand of the Goddess (1984), The Woman Who Rides Like a Man (1986), and Lioness Rampant (1988).
Bloody Jack : Being an Account of the Curious Adventures of Mary "Jacky" Faber, Ship's Boy L.A. Meyer. (2002) YAFICT MEYER L A Bloody: Reduced to begging and thievery in the streets of London , a thirteen-year-old orphan disguises herself as a boy and connives her way onto a British warship set for high sea adventure in search of pirates. Sequels are Curse of the Blue Tattoo (2004), Under the Jolly Roger (2005), and others.
The Case of the Gypsy Good-bye Nancy Springer (2010) YAFICT SPRINGER NANCY Case: After fourteen-year-old Enola Holmes seeks the missing Duquessa Del Campo in the seedy underbelly of nineteenth-century London, she finally reaches an understanding with her brothers Sherlock and Mycroft.
Cry of the Icemark Stuart Hill (2005) YPBK H: Princess Thirrin, a teenager, becomes the queen of Icemark after her father is killed and must take over the country's defense against the Polypontian Empire, relying on help from Oskan, a witch's son, in order to save her people. Sequels are Blade of Fire (2007) and Last Battle of the Icemark (2009).
The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things Carolyn Mackler (2003) YPBK M: Feeling like she does not fit in with her family, who are all thin, brilliant, and good-looking, Virginia tries to deal with her self-image, her first physical relationship, and her disillusionment with some of the people closest to her.
Faithful Janet Fox (2010) YPBK F: Devastated when her missing mother is presumed dead, 16-year-old Maggie is dragged from her elegant Newport home to live in Montana 's Yellowstone region, where she is unexpectedly drawn to the stubborn son of a park geologist.
Flipped Wendelin Van Draanen (2001) YAFICT VANDRAAN WENDELIN Flipped: Julianna pursues her sweetheart from their first meeting in second grade through seventh grade, but everything turns upside down the following year, when Bryce becomes the pursuer and she finally starts losing interest.
For the Win Cory Doctorow (2010) YAFICT DOCTOROW CORY For: In a future where poor children and teenagers work for corrupt bosses as gold farmers, finding valuable items inside massively-multiplayer online games, a small group of teenagers work to unionize and escape this near-slavery.
Girl in the Arena Lise Haines (2009) YAFICT HAINES LISE Girl in: Lyn, who has grown up in the public eye as the daughter of seven gladiators, wants to follow her mother's path, but her only way of avoiding marriage to the warrior who killed her last stepfather may be to face him in the arena.
Graceling Kristin Cashore (2008) YAFICT CASHORE KRISTIN Gracelin: In a world where some people are born with extreme and often-feared skills called Graces, Katsa struggles for redemption from her own horrifying Grace, the Grace of killing, and teams up with another young fighter to save their land from a corrupt king. Sequel is Fire (2009).
Homecoming Cynthia Voigt (1981) YPBK V: Abandoned by their mother, four children begin a search for a home and an identity. Sequel is Dicey's Song.
The Hunger Games Suzanne Collins (2008). YAFICT COLLINS SUZANNE Hunger: In a future North America, where the rulers of Panem maintain control through an annual televised survival competition pitting young people from each of the twelve districts against one another, sixteen-year-old Katniss's skills are put to the test when she voluntarily takes her younger sister's place. Sequels are Catching Fire (2009) and Mockingjay (2010).
Keep Sweet Michele Dominguez Greene (2010) YAFICT GREENE MICHELE Keep: Fourteen-year-old Alva is content with the strict rules of Pineridge, the walled community where she lives with her large family, until she is caught kissing her long-time crush and forced to marry a violent fifty-year-old man.
Libyrinth Pearl North (2009) YAFICT NORTH PEARL Libyrint: Haly and her companions from the Libyrinth race to save the magical Book of the Night from the illiterate, book-burning Eradicants.
The Moon Riders Theresa Tomlinson (2006) YAFICT TOMLINSO THERESA Moon: When thirteen-year-old Myrina of the Mazagardi tribe joins the Moon Riders, a revered band of warrior women, she becomes caught up in the life of the Trojan princess Cassandra and the epic, ten-year Trojan War.
Sabriel Garth Nix (1995) YPBK N: Having lived safely outside the walls of the Old Kingdom her entire life, Sabriel must now enter into the world of the Dead and the land of Free Magic in order to save her missing father from a horrible fate. Sequels are Lirael (2001) and Abhorsen (2003).
Sources of Light Margaret McMullan (2010) YAFICT MCMULLAN MARGARET Sources: Moving to the 1962 Mississippi hometown of her late war hero father, Sam and her mother are targeted by conservative locals who consider them liberal agitators, prompting Sam to use her photography skills to capture reflections of social and racial injustices.
The Summoning Kelley Armstrong (2008) YAFICT ARMSTRON KELLEY Summonin: After fifteen-year-old Chloe starts seeing ghosts and is sent to Lyle House, a mysterious group home for mentally disturbed teenagers, she soon discovers that neither Lyle House nor its inhabitants are exactly what they seem, and that she and her new friends are in danger. Sequels are The Awakening (2009) and The Reckoning (2010).
Toning the Sweep Angela Johnson (1993) YPBK J: The stories of three generations of African-American women combine their individual experiences and sets of truths, while they struggle to find common ground upon which to share their love, friendships, and hardships.

updated : March 1, 2012