By Katherine Handcock, A Mighty Girl Communications Specialist

Halloween is coming fast, and most kids’ eyes gleam at the thought: the costumes, the candy, the fun... and, of course, the chance to enjoy some really spooky stories! So that you can stock your bookshelf with some great Mighty Girl books to enjoy this Halloween, we’ve highlighted a few of our seasonal favorites.

To see even more, as well as films for a Halloween movie night, check out our special feature on the Top Halloween Mighty Girl Books and Films. And, if you're on the lookout for a costume for your Mighty Girl, check out our girl-empowering Halloween Costume Guide.

Good Witches: Mighty Girl Witch Stories

Not all witches fit the wicked mold — after all, historically, many witches were wise women and healers who ended up on the wrong side of the established political order. Many of the books in our Halloween collection feature witch characters that show off the best of what a witch can be: brave, curious, adventurous, and determined to protect people with every trick she knows. They are a great way to get your child thinking beyond the witchy stereotype!

The main character in A Very Brave Witch by Alison McGhee and illustrated by Henry Bliss (age 3 - 6) is a curious witch who’s heard lots about scary humans and their Halloween holiday, but never seen any of it... until one Halloween when she finally gets to meet a human girl and realizes that they’re not so scary after all! McGhee tells her story completely in dialogue balloons, making it a fun read — and perfect for a young Mighty Girl who’s slightly nervous about this spooky holiday! Continue reading → Continue reading

By Lili Sandler, A Mighty Girl Senior Research Intern

Amelia Earhart, the aviation pioneer, equal rights activist, and all around courageous heroine for generations of girls and women was born on this day in 1897. An icon of twentieth century bravery — but also that of mystery — Earhart is most well-known as the first woman to fly solo across the Atlantic Ocean, and to disappear during her attempted flight around the world.

As a child, Amelia Earhart had little to no interest in airplanes, but filled her days by exploring her neighborhood with her younger sister, reading voraciously, or following and collecting various critters found in her explorations. As a teen, Amelia kept a scrapbook filled with stories of women who were successful in careers dominated by men at the time.

After working as a nurse’s aide during World War I, Earhart went for her first ride in an airplane in 1920. It was that very flight — only ten minutes long, but that was all it took to change her life — that made Amelia Earhart say: “By the time I got two or three hundred feet off the ground, I knew I had to fly.”

On January 3, 1921, Amelia Earhart started flying lessons, and six months later, she owned her very own airplane, nicknamed “The Canary”. It was with that plane that she set a world record for female pilots in 1922, being the first to reach an altitude of 14,000 feet. On May 15, 1923, she became the 16th woman to receive a pilot’s license from the Fédération Aèronatique Internationale.

In April of 1928, Earhart received a phone call asking her if she’d like to be the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean. While she was a passenger and not the the pilot of this June 1928 flight, its news coverage helped to promote her to a level of celebrity, leading to her nicknames of “Lady Lindy” or the “Queen of the Air”. Continue reading → Continue reading

By Jennifer de Beer, A Mighty Girl Senior Research Intern

Around the world, Women’s History Month is a time to recognize the achievements of women over the course of history. In the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom, the celebration occurs in March, to coincide with International Women’s Day on March 8. In Canada, it corresponds with Persons Day on October 18.

Here at A Mighty Girl, we take pride in highlighting women, girls, and their remarkable accomplishments year-round and feature over 350 youth-oriented biographies of girls and women on our site. This month’s special focus, however, provides us with an opportunity to share their stories with gusto and Mighty Girl flair.

In that spirit, we are pleased to announce "Mighty Girl Heroes: Inspiring the Next Generation of History Makers" -- our month-long campaign to showcase the stories of female trailblazers from around the world and to provide you with resources to share this important history with the children and young people in your lives.

Children, girls and boys both, need to grow up with an intrinsic understanding of what is possible for women. They need to see examples, in real life as well as in their history books, of positive role models demonstrating a wide variety of skills and abilities. Continue reading → Continue reading

A Mighty Girl's top picks of books, toys, and clothing for dino-loving girls of all ages!

All too often, books, toys, and clothing featuring dinosaurs exclusively feature boys — but what about the countless dino-loving girls out there? There are plenty of girls who know a plesiosaur from a pachycephalosaurus, or who can talk for hours about the plant life of the Jurassic versus Triassic periods! And if you've got a dino-crazy Mighty Girl in your house, you may want to stock her bookshelves, toy box, and closet with things that remind her that dinos are definitely for girls. Continue reading → Continue reading

A Mighty Girl's top picks of unicorn-themed books, toys, and clothing!

For hundreds of years, there has been a mythical creature that has inspired wonder in generations: unicorns! It's hard to pinpoint why the appeal of unicorns has stood the test of time, but even today, there are plenty of unicorn-loving kids (and adults) in the world. And where there are unicorns, there are often Mighty Girls who dare to dream of mystical lands, believe in magic, and strike out in search of the extraordinary in our day-to-day world! Continue reading → Continue reading

In celebration of International Women's Day, we're featuring a collection of 50 books about global girls and women from Afghanistan, Chile, the Philippines, China, and many other countries around the world!

When we highlight children's books about real-life Mighty Girls and women, they often focus on individuals from Western countries such as the US, Canada, UK, and Australia. While kids' books about remarkable women from elsewhere around the world are often harder to find, there are fortunately growing numbers of titles celebrating the accomplishments of girls and women worldwide. Continue reading → Continue reading

A Mighty Girl's top picks of empathy-building picture books for kids!

Small acts of kindness happen around us every day — and anyone, no matter how young, can help make the world a better place through their thoughtful actions. In fact, when children are encouraged to see things from another's point of view, and shown how their actions can help lift others up, they are often the most compassionate of all. So if you want a more empathetic world in the future, the best way to achieve it is by teaching our kids how much you value being kind! Continue reading → Continue reading

A Mighty Girl's top picks of girl-empowering books for celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month!

"The Latina in me is an ember that blazes forever." — Sonia Sotomayor, first United States Supreme Court Justice of Hispanic heritage

Happy Hispanic Heritage Month! Every year, from September 15 to October 15, Americans celebrate the histories, cultures and contributions of American citizens whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America. To recognize this special month, we've put together a selection of our favorite books for children and teens starring Latina Mighty Girls! Continue reading → Continue reading

A Mighty Girl's top picks of stories starring Mighty Girl witches for children and teens.

On Halloween night, don't be surprised if you see a broomstick in the sky! Witches are a fixture of the Halloween tradition — and since most witches are depicted as female, there are plenty of stories out there starring Mighty Girl witches. From funny picture books to quirky and suspenseful middle grade novels to creepy young adult titles, there's something here to suit every witch-loving reader. Continue reading → Continue reading

Mighty Girl classics beloved by generations of young readers!

While hundreds of wonderful new Mighty Girl books are published every year, there are also many girl-empowering stories that have been passed down for decades! Times may have changed, but these classic characters still speak to the girls of today just as they did to their mothers, grandmothers, and great-grandmothers! With that in mind, we're showcasing our favorite classic Mighty Girl stories in this blog post. These are books that you’re likely to remember from your own childhood — in fact, you may have even been first introduced to them because an adult you know loved them as as child!

In the first section, we've highlighted classic stories written before 1950, many of which remain immensely popular decades after their publication. In the second section, we've featured modern classics written between 1950 and 1990. These modern classics show the changes in the way Western culture viewed girls and women with the Mighty Girls in these pages tackling difficult social issues, going on hitherto unimagined adventures, and daring to define themselves in daring ways. And, more and more, girls being portrayed in strong leadership roles is no longer considered unusual — that's just the way Mighty Girls are!

So take a look at our collection and see if your favorite Mighty Girl book from your own childhood is on here. One way or another, it’s sure to spur you to share a few with the Mighty Girls in your life. After all, one of the great joys of a beloved book is having the opportunity to share it with a new generation!

Of course, the books featured in this post are only a handful of the many Mighty Girl books available. To browse our collection of over 3,000 girl-empowering books for children and teens, sortable by recommended reading age and theme, visit our Books section.

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