YA Historical Novels with Clever Female Leads

Try these books if you’re looking for:
• YA Reads
• Female, teenage protagonists
• Stories set in the past
• Adventure

What I Saw and How I Lied
Judy Blundell
YA F BLUNDELL
In 1947, with her jovial stepfather Joe back from the war and family life returning to normal, teenage Evie, smitten by the handsome young ex-GI who seems to have a secret hold on Joe, finds herself caught in a complicated web of lies whose devastating outcome change her life and that of her family forever. 

Sophia’s War
Avi
JF AVI
In 1776, after witnessing the execution of Nathan Hale in New York City, newly occupied by the British army, young Sophia Calderwood resolves to do all she can to help the American cause, including becoming a spy.

Scarlet 
A.C. Gaughen
YA F GAUGHEN Scarlet #1
Will Scarlet shadows Robin Hood, with an unerring eye for finding treasures to steal and throwing daggers with deadly accuracy, but when Gisbourne, a ruthless bounty hunter, is hired by the sheriff to capture Robin and his band of thieves, Robin must become Will's protector risking his own life in the process.

The Midwife’s Apprentice 
Karen Cushman
YA F CUSHMAN
In medieval England, a nameless, homeless girl is taken in by a sharp-tempered midwife, and in spite of obstacles and hardship, eventually gains the three things she most wants: a full belly, a contented heart, and a place in this world. 

Ruby in the Smoke 
Philip Pullman
YAF PULLMAN Sally Lo #1
In nineteenth-century London, sixteen-year-old Sally Lockhart, a recent orphan, becomes involved in a deadly search for a mysterious ruby.

Uplifting Reads

Try these books if you're looking for:
•    Inspiring stories
•    Uplifting information
•    History
•    Feel-good reads
•    Nonfiction or Fiction

Outliers: The Story of Success

Malcolm Gladwell

302 GLA 2008

Identifies the qualities of successful people, posing theories about the cultural, family, and idiosyncratic factors that shape high achievers, in a resource that covers such topics as the secrets of software billionaires and why the Beatles earned their fame.

The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and their Quest for Gold at the1936 Berlin Olympics

Daniel Brown

797.123 BRO 2013

Daniel James Brown’s robust book tells the story of the University of Washington’s 1936 eight-oar crew and their epic quest for an Olympic gold medal, a team that transformed the sport and grabbed the attention of millions of Americans.

All the Light We Cannot See

Anthony Doerr

F DOERR

A blind French girl and a German boy whose paths collide in occupied France both try to survive the devastation of World War II.

The Invention of Wings

Sue Monk Kidd

Fiction KIDD

Traces more than three decades in the lives of a wealthy Charleston debutante who longs to break free from the strictures of her household and pursue a meaningful life; and the urban slave, Handful, who is placed in her charge as a child before finding courage and a sense of self.

The Happiness Project, or, Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning,Clean my Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun

Gretchen Rubin

158 RUB 2009

A thoughtful and prescriptive work on happiness filled with practical advice, sharp insight, charm, and humor.

The Anatomy of Hope: How People Prevail in the Face of Illness

Jerome E. Groopman

616.0019 GRO 2004

Explores the diverse ways in which hope and other positive emotions influence the healing process, drawing on real-life experiences to analyze the biology of hope, as well as its benefits and limits.