Cool Girls of Children's Literature

Two weeks ago on her blog, Jen Robinson suggested the creation of a list of “cool girls of children’s literature.” Which girls count as cool? Those who are “smart and strong and independent, people who would make good role-models for girls today.” Jen got the ball rolling by naming twelve characters who fit this description then invited input from fellow bloggers aiming for a final list of twenty. In no time she was swamped with suggestions, such is the richness of children’s literature in this respect. She has now posted a final compilation of 200 cool girls of kidlit, with a top twenty based on a bit of informal voting. I didn’t participate in the vote for the top twenty, but I did contribute a number of names to the overall list, including my beloved Betsy Ray of course. Go check out the list! Jen’s done us a real service in putting it together.