When I was a little girl, I wasn't very mischievous - my mom wouldn't have dealt with that well, haha. I did love to read about them. While being a public school teacher with gifted and talented students, I was always on the lookout for strong, feisty, mischievous fictional girls. And, you know what? There aren't enough of them. Little girls can learn a lot from reading about different personalities in different situations from their own, so, search for them, and read them. (and share them with me!)
Here are some of my favorite and I have to start with Junie B Jones because I actually used to read aloud over the elementary school intercom Junie B Jones books, with different voices and accents! Usually the second grade classes would study the book while I was going through one, and other classes could just turn it off, or listen, and laugh.
5 Mischievous Fictional Girls
1. Junie B Jones and Some Sneaky Peek Spying Girls and boys alike get a kick out of this children's literature icon. I have a lot of favorites and there are 28 books in this series. This one cracks me up. Maybe it's because Junie is SO interested in her teacher's life, you know? I've had students a bit like that, too! Runner up has to be:
Jingle Bells, Batman Smells! (P.S. So Does May) or maybe Cheater Pants!
2. Fancy Nancy and the Wedding of the Century There are a ton of books in this series, too, and no wonder. Fancy Nancy is quite a creative little character! If you haven't read this one with your little girls, especially if you have a wedding coming up in the family, you should put this one your list!
3. OMG, Olivia Marie! "OMG, Olivia Marie!" Lots of people in Olivia Marie's family say this to her. Sometimes she even says it to herself. She wonders why people say her initials so often! Jump in to this story and also enjoy a song and a quiz. Your child's imagination will want to add to the adventure! (Olivia is a real girl and her mom calls her a firecracker)
4. Ramona the Pest Ramona Quimby has quite a time starting kindergarten. I never tire of this book - what a classic character. There's so much for children to enjoy and learn here, without being preachy.
5. Matilda Matilda is a higher-level vocabulary book than many people expect but it has such a captivating prankster as a main character, children tend to READ UP to this level. It's a great chapter book to read aloud with your child, a chapter a night from your iPad or Kindle, or iPhone. Many different types of children connect with Matilda - bookworms, pranksters, brainiacs, and children with a big heart emotionally. It's also fun to watch the movie afterwards, and compare/contrast the movie with the book.
So, who else do you think should be on this list of Mischievous Fictional Girls? From picture books like "OMG, Olivia Marie" to Matilda's higher reading level, feisty is lots of fun!
