Five Faves: Girl Power Intermediate Books

There are so many strong girl protagonists in the Intermediate section. Some are little entrepreneurs who are building businesses while others are doing their best to help their community. Here are five of my favorite girl power intermediates to spark that confidence in your young reader.

Awesome Orange Birthday
Written by Mitali Banerjee Ruths
Illustrated by Aaliya Jaleel
New York: Scholastic Inc., 2023. Intermediate. 71 pgs.

This girl boss has her first client for her party planning business. Priya plans every thing about the party to be in the birthday girl's favorite color: orange! But as the big event approaches, Priya is nervous that something might go wrong!

Catalina Incognito
Written by Jennifer Torres
Illustrated by Gladys Jose
New York: Aladdin, 2022. Intermediate. 106 pgs.
Eight-year-old Catalina wants to help her local library find the rhinestones on display from her Tia Abuela's famous costume. She uses her magic sewing kit to create incredible disguises to get to the bottom of the mystery.

The Astronomically Grand Plan
Written by Rie Neal
Illustrated by Talitha Shipman
New York: Aladdin, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Division, 2022. Intermediate. 97 pgs

Astrid and her friend Hallie are joining the Shooting Stars, a space club. At the end of the year, one lucky club member will get to go to a real space camp! Astrid is determined to be the first astronaut with hearing aids, but her friends seems a little less interested in space.

The Case of the Missing Cheetah
By Veronica Mang
New York: Viking, an imprint of Penguin Random House LL, 2021. Intermediate. 95 pgs.

Three girls find themselves in a secret society for some of the most famous female spies in the world. One of those spies, Josephine Baker, recruits the girls to help find her kidnapped cheetah. The girls rise to the challenge to help a new friend.

Home Sweet Forever Home
Written by Rachel Aline
Illustrated by Addy Rivera Sonda
New York: Aladdin, an imprint of Simon & Schuster Children's Division, 2021. Intermediate. 140 pgs.

Lauren, Ruby, Myka and Emelyn love to help others. When volunteering at the dog shelter, they see a need and work to meet it! The girls plan a cupcake adoption event to do what they can for these sweet dogs without a home.

Comments

Review: Fowl Play

Fowl Play By Kristin O'Donnell Tubb New York: Katherine Tegen Books, 2024. Fiction 277 pages. Still reeling from her beloved uncle's death, Chloe Alvarez is comforted and confused when at his last will and testament reading, Uncle Will gifts her his African Grey parrot, Charlie. Charlie has a robust vocabulary and loves to make Alexa requests for her favorite songs, but when she starts saying things like, "homicide," and "cyanide," Chloe becomes convinced that Uncle Will may have met his demise by murder instead of a genetic disease, as was previously thought. Ultimately, bringing in her brother, Grammy, and Uncle Frank (and of course Charlie,) Chloe's ragtag and adoring family support her search for answers ---going on stakeouts, engaging in fast pursuits, and searching for clues. But as the suspects stack up and the mystery grows, Chole will learn that the process of death and grieving is complicated, and in the end her Uncle Will's words that, ...

Review: Alice with a Why

Alice with a Why By Anna James New York: Penguin, 2026. Fiction. 240 pgs. In 1919, in the aftermath of the first World War, Alyce is living with her grandmother in the English countryside. Her grandmother, also named Alice, tells Alyce (with a y) stories from her childhood adventures in a wonderful land filled with white rabbits and mad hatters. Alyce doesn't really believe the silly stories, she just misses her father who was killed in the war. One day, Alyce receives a mysterious invitation to tea, and subsequently falls into a pond where she is transported to Wonderland. Her grandmother, of course, is that Alice. Alyce is prompted by the Mad Hatter, Dormouse, and March Hare to seek out the Time Being and put an end to the war between the Sun King and the Queen of the Moon. Thus begins Alyce's adventure through Wonderland. I have a certain soft spot for the original story of Alice in Wonderland. It is one of my particular favorites and I often have a hard time reading new int...

Review: Blood in the Water

Blood in the Water By Tiffany D. Jackson New York: Scholastic, 2025. Fiction. 255 pages. 12-year-old Kaylani McKinnon can't help but feel like a fish out of water. She's a Brooklyn girl spending her summer on Martha's Vineyard surrounded by wealthy family friends in their mansion. All she really wants is to stay home all summer where she her incarcerated father can easily reach her, and she can keep working to find ways to prove him innocent of fraud and embezzlement. Despite her protests, she finds herself on the island with the snooty granddaughters of her host. Soon after Kaylani's arrival, a popular teen boy is found murdered and she decides to conduct her own investigation. As she tries to discover what happened to Chadwick Cooper, Kaylani finds that not everything on Martha's Vineyard is as perfect as it appears. Thrillers for middle grade readers can be hard to find, but Tiffany D. Jackson succeeds in her first middle grade novel. A quick moving plot, tight d...

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