March isn’t just a month to pay tribute to important women in history. It is also a time to celebrate all girls and women, even those strong characters portrayed in literature. Gathered below is a collection of historical fiction novels with female protagonists struggling with loss, hunger, displacement, discrimination, conflict, and despair. Will they survive? Read to find out.
Iceberg by Jennifer Nielsen, 352 pp. 
Hazel Rothbury is traveling all alone from her home in England aboard the celebrated ship Titanic. Following the untimely death of her father, Hazel’s mother is sending her to the US to work in a factory. But Hazel harbors a secret dream: She wants to be a journalist, and if she can write and sell a story about the Titanic’s maiden voyage, she could earn enough money to support her family and not have to go to a sweatshop. When Hazel discovers that her mother didn’t send enough money for a ticket, she decides she must stow away onboard the storied ship.
With the help of a porter named Charlie and a sweet first-class passenger named Sylvia, Hazel explores the opulent ship in secret, but a haunting mystery quickly finds her. The danger only intensifies when calamity strikes, and Hazel fights to save her friends and herself.
By the Light of Fireflies: A Novel of War Hero Sybil Ludington by Jenni L. Walsh, 188 pp.
Sybil Ludington believes in the legend of fireflies–they appear when you need them most. But it’s not until her family is thrust into the dangers of the Revolutionary War and George Washington’s spy ring, that Sybil fully experiences firefly magic for herself–guiding her through the darkness, empowering her to figure out who she’s supposed to be and how strong she is–as she delivers her imperative message and warns against a British attack.
By the Light of Fireflies is the captivating tale of a young girl’s journey as a daughter, a sister, a friend, a spy, and eventually a war hero, completing a midnight ride that cements her place in history as the “female Paul Revere.”
With the Might of Angels by Andrea Davis Pinkney (Dear America series), 336 pp. 
Twelve-year-old Dawnie Rae Johnson’s life turns upside down after the Supreme Court rules in favor of desegregation in the landmark case Brown v. Board of Education. Her parents decide that Dawnie will attend Prettyman Coburn, a previously all-white school — but she’ll be the only one of her friends to enroll in this new school. Not everyone in Dawnie’s town supports integration, though, and much of the community is outraged. As she starts school, Dawnie encounters the harsh realities of racism. But the backlash against her arrival at Prettyman Coburn is more than she’s prepared for, and she begins to wonder if the hardship is worth it.
Orphan Eleven by Gennifer Choldenko, 305 pp.
Four orphans have escaped from the Home for Friendless Children. One is Lucy, who used to talk and sing. No one knows why she doesn’t speak anymore; silence is her protection. The orphans find work and new friends at a traveling circus. Lucy loves caring for the elephants, but she must be able to speak to them and warn others of danger. If Lucy doesn’t find her voice, she’ll be left behind when the circus goes on the rails. Meanwhile, people are searching for Lucy, and her puzzling past is about to catch up with her.
Show Me a Sign by Ann Clare LeZotte, 304 pp. 
Mary Lambert has always felt safe and protected on her beloved island of Martha’s Vineyard. Her great-great-grandfather was an early English settler and the first deaf islander. Now, over a hundred years later, many people there — including Mary — are deaf, and nearly everyone can communicate in sign language. Mary has never felt isolated. She is proud of her lineage.
But recent events have delivered winds of change. Mary’s brother died. Tensions over land disputes are mounting. And a cunning young scientist has arrived, hoping to discover the origin of the island’s prevalent deafness. His maniacal drive to find answers soon renders Mary a “live specimen” in a cruel experiment. Her struggle to save herself is at the core of this penetrating and poignant novel that probes our perceptions of ability and disability.
Echo Mountain by Lauren Wolk, 368 pp.
After losing almost everything in the Great Depression, Ellie’s family is forced to leave their home in town and start over in the untamed wilderness of nearby Echo Mountain. Ellie has found a welcome freedom, and a love of the natural world, in her new life on the mountain. But there is little joy after a terrible accident leaves her father in a coma. An accident unfairly blamed on Ellie. But Ellie is a girl who takes matters into her own hands, and determined to help her father she will make her way to the top of the mountain in search of the healing secrets of a woman known only as “the hag.” But the hag, and the mountain, still have many untold stories left to reveal.
A Slip of a Girl by Patricia Reilly Giff, 240 pp. 
Anna’s mother has died, and her older siblings have emigrated, leaving Anna and her father to care for a young sister with special needs. Although the family has worked their land in the Irish countryside for years, they’re in danger of losing it as poor crops leave them without money to pay their rent.
When a violent encounter with the Lord’s rent collector results in Anna and her father’s arrest, all seems lost. But Anna sees her chance and bolts from the jailhouse. On the run, Anna must rely on her inner strength to protect her sister–and try to find a way to save her family.
Catherine’s War by Julia Billet (Graphic Novel), 176 pp.
At the Sèvres Children’s Home outside Paris, Rachel Cohen has discovered her passion—photography. Although she hasn’t heard from her parents in months, she loves the people at her school, adores capturing what she sees in pictures, and tries not to worry too much about Hitler’s war. But as France buckles under the Nazi regime, danger closes in, and Rachel must change her name and go into hiding. Now known as Catherine Colin, Rachel is faced with leaving the Sèvres Home and her friends behind. But using her camera, Catherine possesses the power to remember. For the rest of the war, she bears witness to her own journey, and to the countless heroes whose courage and generosity saved the lives of many.
Farewell Cuba, Mi Isla by Alexandra Diaz, 336 pp. 
Victoria loves everything about her home in Cuba. The beautiful land, the delicious food, her best friend and cousin, Jackie, and her big, loving family. But it’s 1960 and as the political situation grows more and more dangerous, Victoria, her parents, and her two younger siblings are forced to seek refuge in America with nothing more than two changes of clothes and five dollars. In Miami, everything is different. Victoria must step up and help her family settle into this new world.
Back in Cuba, Jackie watches as friends and family flee, or worse, disappear. So, when she’s given a chance to escape to America, she takes it—even though she has to go alone. Reunited in Miami, can Victoria and Jackie find a way to bring the rest of their family to safety?
A Sky Full of Song by Susan Lynn Meyer, 272 pp.
After fleeing persecution in the Russian Empire, eleven-year-old Shoshana and her family, Jewish immigrants, start a new life on the prairie. Shoshana takes fierce joy in the wild beauty of the plains and the thrill of forging a new, American identity. But it’s not as simple for her older sister, Libke, who misses their Ukrainian village and doesn’t pick up English as quickly or make new friends as easily. Desperate to fit in, Shoshana finds herself hiding her Jewish identity in the face of prejudice, just as Libke insists they preserve it. For the first time, Shoshana is at odds with her beloved sister and has to look deep inside herself to realize that her family’s difference is their greatest strength.
Wild Bird by Diane Zahler, 320 pp. 
Her name was Rype. That wasn’t really her name. It was what the strangers called her. She didn’t remember her real name. She didn’t remember anything at all.
In fourteenth-century Norway, a plague has destroyed the entire village of Skeviga. Rype was hiding in the hollow of a tree trunk when they found her. She was hungry, small, cold, alone. She did not speak their language or understand their mannerisms. But she knew this: To survive, she would have to go with them. To stay alive, Rype would have to embark on a sweeping adventure across Europe with the son of an English ship captain and a band of troubadours in search of a brighter future and a new home.
Millie and the Great Drought: A Dust Bowl Survival Story by Natasha Deen (Girls Survive series), 112 pp.
In 1935, dust storms are sweeping across the southern plains of the United States, including Oklahoma. Twelve-year-old Millie Horn is worried about her family’s survival. The Dust Bowl is getting worse, and her family is running out of food and money. Despite the hardships, Pa doesn’t want to abandon the farm, which has been in the family for generations. But when the worst black blizzard yet hits, they have no choice. The family decides to make the journey west. But life in California isn’t without struggle. Can Millie and her family survive the Dust Bowl and the hardships of the Great Depression?
The Windeby Puzzle by Lois Lowry, 224 pp. 
Estrild is not like the other girls in her village; she wants to be a warrior. Varick, the orphan boy who helps her train in spite of his twisted back, also stands apart. In a world where differences are poorly tolerated, just how much danger are they in?
Inspired by the true discovery of the 2,000-year-old Windeby bog body in Northern Germany, master storyteller Lois Lowry transports readers to an Iron Age world as she breathes life back into the Windeby child, left in the bog to drown with a woolen blindfold over its eyes.
Hope’s Path to Glory: The Story of a Family’s Journey on the Overland Trail by Jerdine Nolen, 240 pp.
In Alexandria, Virginia, in the mid-19th century, a slave-owning family is facing financial trouble. The eldest son, Jason, thinks going to California to mine for gold might be the best way to protect his father’s legacy. He’ll need a cook, a laundress, and a hostler for the journey, and one of them is twelve-year-old Clementine, whose mother calls her Hope. From Independence, Missouri—the “Gateway to the West”—she and the others join a wagon train on the Emigrant Overland Trail. But what Jason didn’t consider is taking the three enslaved people west will give them an opportunity to free themselves—manifesting their destiny.
Alice Atherton’s Grand Tour by Lesley M.M. Blume, 208 pp. 
The heartwarming story of a young girl sent to live with the extraordinary Murphy Family in southern France. Ten-year-old Alice Atherton is sent by her father to spend the summer with his dear friends the Murphys who live with their three children and pet monkey in the French Riveria. There, Alice will meet and learn from some of the most extraordinary luminaries of the time. She visits a junkyard with Pablo Picasso looking for objects to make into art, performs a dance inspired by celestial bodies with the renowned Ballet Russes, and imagines magical adventures with Zelda and F. Scott Fitzgerald.
Hoops: A Graphic Novel by Matt Tavares, 224 pp.
It is 1975 in Indiana, and the Wilkins Regional High School girls’ basketball team is in their rookie season. Despite being undefeated, they practice at night in the elementary school and play to empty bleachers. Unlike the boys’ team, the Lady Bears have no buses to deliver them to away games and no uniforms, much less a laundry service. They make their uniforms out of T-shirts and electrical tape. And with help from a committed female coach, they push through to improbable victory after improbable victory. Illustrated in full color, this story about the ongoing battle of women striving for equality in sports rings with honesty, bravery, and heart.
When Clouds Touch Us by Thanhhà Lai, 256 pp. 
Hà and her family have worked hard to make a life for themselves in the US, but it hasn’t been easy. Hà has only just started to feel settled when Mother decides that the family will move to Texas for a new job. Hà knows how hard starting over is and doesn’t want to have to do it again. But sometimes even an unwanted change can bring opportunity, new friends, and a place to call home.
This lyrical and compelling sequel to Inside Out and Back Again follows Hà and her family through another year of upheaval, growth, and love.
Even more titles to explore during Women’s History Month:
