I was at my desk collecting writing assignments when Hannah, one of my sixth graders, walked over. “Mrs. Blok,” she said, “when are we going to read a book that has a girl as the main character?”

So far we had read The Phantom Tollbooth and King Arthur and His Knights of the Round Table—both books I’d inherited when I took the sixth-grade English and history position. My heart sank when I heard her question because I had to face it: I had neglected to choose any new books featuring a female protagonist.

Books give us a wonderful opportunity both to see ourselves better and to enter into another’s world. I had given Hannah and the other girls opportunities to enter other worlds, but I had not given them an opportunity to see themselves. I had also taken away the boys’ opportunity to enter into another’s world—the world lived in by over half their classmates.

Hannah’s question has stayed with me, and now I often read middle-grade fiction with her in mind. I wanted to help my students connect with themselves and with others, to develop empathy and the ability to imagine what it’s like in someone else’s shoes. As Hannah pointed out, this would require broader reading. Her question led me to some fantastic novels with female main characters that have the potential to help her and her classmates relate to one another with more bravery and kindness. [This is only part of the article. Want to read more? Subscribe to the website by choosing "Register" from the menu above. It's free!]

Melisa Blok is an editor at Baker Publishing Group. She taught sixth grade for one year and promptly moved on to editing and reading copious amounts of YA literature.