150+ Classic Books for Girls

This list is pulled from One Thousand Books for Children by Penrhyn Wingfield Coussens (1911). I liked this book in particular because it has a good range of genres, and the author includes small summaries of each book which makes it easy to decide on what to read. I thought it might be useful to create a link index based on this book, for readers who are interested in such things (like me!).

So for this post, I’ve pulled lists of books from One Thousand Books for Children‘s “girl books” sections, as well as some from the non-fiction lists. I’ll do separate posts for the “boy books” and “boys and girls” book lists soon, no worries. Anyway, the links go to digital editions of that book if one is available. Some are on Project Gutenberg as nice EPUB format, and some are scanned PDFs on Hathi Trust, Archive.org, Library of Congress or other library archive sites. Shoutout to the Online Books Page website for their great list of book links which helped a lot!

I’ve kept the book tiles sorted in age order and then alphabetically, because for the most part I agree with the organization and it makes it a little easier to look through the huge list of books anyway. If you’d like to see the book summaries for the books, just head to the book’s HTML page on Project Gutenberg; it has title and author indexes as well as the regular grouped lists. Just no links to those books, hence this post!

Now, before we dive in, a note:

Because these are OLD books, 100+ years old in fact, they may have some things in them that we wouldn’t necessarily be okay with kids reading today. The “boy books” list (in particular) is very heavy on historical wars/battles, colonialism, racist depictions of Native Americans, etc. which was somewhat typical of boys adventure books of the time. Be sure to read the summaries and check out the book yourself before handing a book over to a kid, please.

Okay, onward!

🌟 More Book Lists / All Children’s Stuff / All Literature

Note: Some links here are affiliate links, which means if you click on it and buy something, I get a small percentage. This money goes towards running the blog. Thank you for your support!

Fiction Books

For Ages Eight to Ten

1. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by C. L. Dodgson (Lewis Carroll)
2. Christmas Every Day by William Dean Howells
3. Dolly’s Double by Ethel Wood
4. Grandpa’s Little Girls by Alice T. Curtis
5. Grandpa’s Little Girls and Their Friends by Alice T. Curtis
6. Grandpa’s Little Girls at School by Alice T. Curtis
7. Grandpa’s Little Girls’ Houseboat Party by Alice T. Curtis
8. Little Girl of Long Ago, A by Eliza Orne White
9. Little Girl Next Door, The by Nina Rhoades
10. Little Miss Rosamond by Nina Rhoades
11. Little Queen of Hearts, A by Ruth Ogden (Mrs. C. W. Ide)
12. Little Rosebud by Beatrice Harraden
13. Meg and Others by Harriet T. Comstock
14. New-Year’s Bargain, A by Sarah C. Woolsey (Susan Coolidge)
15. Only Child, An by Eliza Orne White
16. Other Sylvia, The by Nina Rhoades
17. Polly Cologne by Mrs. A. M. Diaz
18. Princess Idleways by Helen Hays
19. Story of Little Jane and Me by Mary E. Blatchford
20. Things Will Take a Turn by Beatrice Harraden
21. Through the Looking-Glass by C. L. Dodgson (Lewis M. Carroll)
22. Wee Winkles and Snowball by Gabrielle E. Jackson
23. Wee Winkles and Wideawake by Gabrielle E. Jackson

For Ages Ten to Twelve

1. Anne Nelson, a Little Maid of Province Town by Alice Turner Curtis
2. Borrowed Sister, A by Eliza Orne White
3. Captain January by Laura E. Richards
4. Carrots by Mary L. Molesworth
5. Dear Daughter Dorothy, and Dorothy and Anton by A. G. Plympton
6. Editha’s Burglar by Frances Hodgson Burnett
7. Eyebright by Sarah C. Woolsey (Susan Coolidge)
8. Felicia by Elizabeth Lincoln Gould
9. Felicia’s Friends by Elizabeth Lincoln Gould
10. Felicia Visits by Elizabeth Lincoln Gould
11. Janet and Her Dear Phebe by Clarissa Dixon
12. Little Colonial Dame, A by Agnes C. Sage
13. Little Daughter of the Revolution, A by Agnes C. Sage
14. Little Heroine of Illinois, A by Alice T. Curtis
15. Little Princess, A by Frances Hodgson Burnett
16. Little Princess of Tonopah, A by Aileen C. Higgins
17. Little Princess of the Pines, A by Aileen C. Higgins
18. Maida’s Little Shop by Inez H. Gillmore
19. Margot, the Court Shoemaker’s Daughter by Millicent E. Mann
20. Mayken by Jessie Anderson Chase
21. Patricia by Emilia Elliott
22. Sara Crewe; Little Saint Elizabeth, and Other Stories by Frances Hodgson Burnett
23. Saturday Mornings by Caroline F. Benton
24. “Us,” and the Rectory Children by Mary L. Molesworth
25. What Katy Did by Sarah C. Woolsey (Susan Coolidge)
26. What Katy Did at School by Sarah C. Woolsey (Susan Coolidge)
27. When Sarah Saved the Day by Elsie Singmaster
28. When Sarah Went to School by Elsie Singmaster
29. Youngest Girl in the School, The by Evelyn Sharp

For Ages Twelve to Fourteen

1. Betty Leicester by Sarah Orne Jewett
2. Betty Leicester’s Christmas by Sarah Orne Jewett
3. Captain Polly by Sophie Swett
4. Clover by Sarah C. Woolsey (Susan Coolidge)
5. Cock-a-Doodle Hill by Alice C. Haines
6. Dandelion Cottage by Carroll W. Rankin
7. Elizabeth’s Charm-String by Cora Bell Forbes
8. “Four Corners” Series, The by Amy E. Blanchard
   1. Four Corners, The
   2. Four Corners in California, The
   3. Four Corners at School, The
   4. Four Corners Abroad, The
   5. Four Corners in Camp, The
   6. Four Corners at College, The
9. Girl of ’76 by Amy E. Blanchard
10. Girls of Gardenville, The by Carroll W. Rankin
11. Girls Who Became Famous by Sarah K. Bolton
12. Glenloch Girls by Grace M. Remick
13. Glenloch Girls Abroad by Grace M. Remick
14. Heidi by Johanna Spyri
15. Historic Girlhoods by Rupert S. Holland
16. Home-Comers, The by Winifred Kirkland
17. In the High Valley by Sarah C. Woolsey (Susan Coolidge)
18. Jacqueline of the Carrier Pigeons by Augusta H. Seaman
19. Judy by Temple Bailey
20. Lass of the Silver Sword, The by Mary Constance Du Bois
21. League of the Signet-Ring, The by Mary Constance Du Bois
22. Little Colonel Series, The by Annie Fellows Johnston
    1. Little Colonel Stories, The
    2. Little Colonel’s House-Party, The
    3. Little Colonel’s Holidays, The
    4. Little Colonel’s Hero, The
    5. Little Colonel at Boarding-School, The
    6. Little Colonel in Arizona, The
    7. Little Colonel’s Christmas Vacation, The
    8. Little Colonel, Maid of Honor, The
    9. Little Colonel’s Knight Comes Riding, The
    10. Mary Ware, the Little Colonel’s Chum
    11. Mary Ware in Texas
23. Little Country Girl, A by Sarah C. Woolsey (Susan Coolidge)
24. Little Lady at the Fall of Quebec by Annie M. Barnes
25. Little Women by Louisa M. Alcott
26. Luck of the Dudley Grahams, The by Alice C. Haines
27. Merrylips by Beulah Marie Dix
28. Nelly’s Silver Mine by Helen Hunt Jackson
29. Old-Fashioned Girl, An by Louisa M. Alcott
30. Orcutt Girls, The by Charlotte M. Vaile
31. Owls of St. Ursula’s, The by Jane Brewster Reid
32. Peggy Owen by Lucy Foster Madison
33. Peggy Owen, Patriot by Lucy Foster Madison
34. Pretty Polly Perkins by Gabrielle E. Jackson
35. Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm by Kate Douglas Wiggin
36. “Six Girls” Series, The by Marion Ames Taggart
    1. Six Girls and Bob
    2. Six Girls and the Tea Room
    3. Six Girls Growing Older
    4. Six Girls and the Seventh One
    5. Betty Gaston—the Seventh Girl
37. “Spinning-Wheel” Series, The by Louisa M. Alcott
    1. Spinning-Wheel Stories
    2. Silver Pitchers: and Independence
    3. Proverb Stories
    4. Garland for Girls, A
38. Sue Orcutt by Charlotte M. Vaile
39. Three Little Daughters of the Revolution by Nora Perry
40. What Katy Did Next by Sarah C. Woolsey (Susan Coolidge)
41. Young Lucretia, and Other Stories by Mrs. C. M. Freeman (Mary E. Wilkins)

For Ages Fourteen to Sixteen

1. Across the Campus by Caroline M. Fuller
2. Anne of Avonlea by Lucy M. Montgomery
3. Anne of Green Gables by Lucy M. Montgomery
4. Biography of a Prairie Girl, The by Eleanor Gates
5. Captain’s Daughter, The by Gwendolen Overton
6. Captain Polly of Annapolis by Gabrielle E. Jackson
7. Confidences—Talks with a Young Girl Concerning Herself by E. B. Lowry, M.D.
8. Dale Girls, The by Frances Weston Carruth
9. Daughter of Freedom, A by Amy E. Blanchard
10. Dorothy Brooke’s School Days by Frances C. Sparhawk
11. Dorothy Brooke’s Vacation by Frances C. Sparhawk
12. Elinor’s College Career by Julia A. Schwartz
13. Faith Gartney’s Girlhood by Mrs. A. D. T. Whitney
14. Frolics at Fairmount by Etta A. Baker
15. From Sioux to Susan by Agnes McClelland Daulton
16. Girl Wanted, The by Nixon Waterman
17. Girls of Fairmount, The by Etta A. Baker
18. Hearts and Coronets by Alice Wilson Fox
19. Hitherto by Mrs. A. D. T. Whitney
20. Janet’s College Career by Amy E. Blanchard
21. Katrina by Ellen Douglas Deland
22. Land of Pluck, The by Mary Mapes Dodge
23. New Chronicles of Rebecca by Kate Douglas Wiggin
24. Oh! Christina! By J. J. Bell
25. Other Girls, The by Mrs. A. D. T. Whitney
26. Philippa at Halcyon by Katharine Holland Brown
27. Polly Page Ranch Club, The by Izola L. Forrester
28. Polly Page Yacht Club, The by Izola L. Forrester
29. Prairie Rose, A by Bertha E. Bush
30. Real Folks by Mrs. A. D. T. Whitney
31. Revolutionary Maid, A by Amy E. Blanchard
32. The “Sidney” Books by Anna Chapin Ray
    1. Sidney: Her Summer on the St. Lawrence
    2. Janet: Her Winter in Quebec
    3. Day: Her Year in New York
    4. Sidney at College
    5. Janet at Odds
    6. Sidney: Her Senior Year
33. Sister’s Vocation, and Other Stories by Josephine Daskam Bacon
34. Summer in Leslie Goldthwaite’s Life, A by Mrs. A. D. T. Whitney
35. “Teddy Books,” The by Anna Chapin Ray
    1. Teddy: Her Book
    2. Phebe: Her Profession
    3. Teddy: Her Daughter
    4. Nathalie’s Chum
    5. Ursula’s Freshman.
    6. Nathalie’s Sister
36. That Freshman by Christina Catrevas
37. Two College Girls by Helen Dawes Brown
38. Two Maryland Girls by Amy E. Blanchard
39. Two Wyoming Girls by Carrie L. Marshall
40. We Girls by Mrs. A. D. T. Whitney
41. “Wide Awake Girls” Series, The by Ruth K. Ellis (aka Katherine Ellis Barrett/Katharine Ruth Ellis)
    1. Wide Awake Girls, The
    2. Wide Awake Girls in Winsted, The
    3. Wide Awake Girls at College, The

Non-Fiction Books

1. American Girl’s Handy Book, The; or, How to Amuse Yourself and Others by Lina and Adelia B. Beard
2. The Chemical History of a Candle by Michael Faraday
3. Children’s Book of Stars, The by Edith G. Mitton
4. Harper’s Handy Book for Girls. Edited by Anna Parmly Paret
5. Indoor and Outdoor Recreations for Girls by Lina and Adelia B. Beard
6. Lady Hollyhock by Margaret C. Walker
7. Things Worth Doing and How to do Them by Lina and Adelia B. Beard
8. What a Girl Can Make and Do; or, New Ideas for Work and Play by Lina and Adelia B. Beard
9. Wonder Book of the Atmosphere, The by Professor Edwin James Houston
10. Wonder Book of Volcanoes and Earthquakes, The by Professor Edwin James Houston

Source

Wingfield Coussens, Penrhyn. One thousand books for children (Chicago: A. C. McClurg & Co., 1911). Digital edition from Project Gutenberg: https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/74556