What Feisty Little Girls Teach Us in Children’s Literature

There’s this girl. Her name is Molly Bright. She’s 10 years old, and she wants to be a comic book artist when she grows up. But after a freak accident, she goes blind in one eye, and the bullying, self-consciousness, and unfairness she feels post-accident drives her to the brink of villainy. Resolved to remain a hero after coming to terms with her new reality, Molly draws on the morality tales of her beloved comics to stay on the side of good.

Molly is the hero of the middle grade trilogy that I am in the process of writing. She was inspired by loads of feisty little girl literary heroes who came before her.

Any story worth telling has to be made up of interesting, relatable, or sympathetic characters.  There are many ways to make a character likeable, but they also have to serve the story in some way. In children’s literature, young girls are the heroes of many stories. Sometimes they are shy. Sometimes they are curious. But the ones that make the biggest mark are the feisty ones. They might not always be the lead character, but they are often the most memorable.

From spunky little sisters to self-sufficient orphans, this type of classic character not only makes a story more entertaining but has a lot to teach us as well.  Here is what feisty little girls teach us in children’s literature.

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How to be heard

Whether it’s D.W. Read telling off her older brother, Arthur, or The Great Gilly Hopkins teaching her foster brother how to defend himself from bullies, these girls are usually big mouths who stand their ground and demand to be heard. They have no filter, as many feisty readers can relate. They say inappropriate things but also very truthful statements that make a lot of sense. Sometimes they are put in check by their parents or other characters, but it never dampens their spirit. After all, they are who they are, flaws and all.

How to be leaders

Feisty girls have real “Type A” personalities. They are driven, organized and tenacious. Karen Brewer was a supporting character in The Babysitters Club series who ended up a protagonist of the spinoff Little Sisters series. She’s always up for trying new things, she’s competitive, and she has a lot to say.

Then, there is Mary Lennox in The Secret Garden who took it upon herself to restore her reclusive uncle’s locked garden. She decided who knew about it. She put the work into planting the seeds and weeding the earth. With nothing to lose, she fixed her own grim situation, making life better for her cousin, her uncle, and herself.

How to be curious

Feisty girls may be outspoken, but they can also be sneaky and secretive, especially when their ideas are unconventional and even illegal. Harriet M. Welsch is the name she likes to print on her byline, She’s an aspiring writer who uses spy tactics to collect material for her future career. When her spying career is compromised, it not only jeopardizes her career but her friendships, as her peers don’t appreciate the candid remarks that she’s written about them.

Then, there is Claudia Kincaid in From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler. She’s the mastermind behind a plan to run away from home and live in the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City with her little brother, Jamie. While there, she and Jamie look into solving a mystery surrounding an angel sculpture which may or may not have been the work of Michelangelo.

Claudia understands that running away from home is not enough. There has to be some purpose behind it. The purpose is one she cannot clearly explain. But it hints at her wanting to be seen and heard by her family and wanting to know her capabilities in this world.

How to be funny

Feistiness and humor go hand-in-hand.  Little Junie B. Jones is the literary embodiment of this mix. Her books are truly laugh-out-loud funny. She has a “you can’t make me attitude,” a way of misunderstanding new experiences, and an authentic form of speech that is not only age appropriate but also makes her stand out from the somewhat veiled third-person accounts of her literary peers. She gets to shine by telling her story from her point of view and letting the readers laugh at her sassiness.

Another character who is funny more for her shock-value than anything is Pippi Longstocking, a self-sufficient orphan who owns a pet horse, hangs from the rafters, and doesn’t care if her socks match. She’s a kid with no rules and no supervision, and she takes advantage of that, especially when she has a suitcase full of gold coins to spend on anything she wants. Still, her favorite pastime is doing what all kids like to do, play with her friends, and their shock and awe at her no-rules lifestyle makes for a very funny character.

How to be creative

Feisty girls don’t let anything get in their way, not even reality. Young Alice Liddel would fall down a rabbit hole before learning her school lessons. Matilda Wormwood uses her magic powers to trick her abusive school principal into running away. They find creative ways to get themselves out of trouble and save the day. They don’t let their youth or size get in the way. And they use their strengths to their advantage: imagination and tenacity.

Heroes for everyone

Molly Bright is nothing like the author who created her. Molly is so much more fearless and determined than I am. But one thing we do share is a love of comic books and the way they teach us to be better people.

Our early reading inspires the type of people that we want to be by presenting us with young characters who we can emulate and learn from. And while we cannot, and should not, try to mimic them exactly, they give us a lot to learn through their accomplishments and their mistakes.

If nothing else, these characters teach both boys and girls to embrace their feistiness, in whatever form that feistiness takes. Be a big mouth, a leader, a wanderer, a comedian, or a dreamer. Just as long as you’re being you.

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