The spring issue of New Moon Girls magazine is all about blossoming — growing up, becoming who you are, and beautifully transforming. When you’re done reading the issue, keep the magic going with these blossoming books for girls.
The Road to After
Lacey has been a prisoner most of her life. Her abusive father rarely lets her, her mother, or her little sister out of his sight. But one night, her grandparents arrive to help Lacey and her family escape. At first, it’s hard for Lacey to believe she no longer has to live by her dad’s rules. But as time passes, his hold on her eases, and she begins finding solace and joy in nature. As she sketches what she sees in her journal, she feels her world opening up in this novel in verse.
Miracle Season
Thirteen-year-old Persephone has a talent for making things grow. Or, at least, she did before the accident that left her brother Levi with a brain injury. So when she finds a half-finished application Levi started to submit their hometown to a makeover reality show, she completes it. Maybe the large cash prize will help with the unpaid medical bills. But when Persephone’s lies start growing like weeds, she needs help from a strange old woman and a possibly magical cat to sow the seeds of truth again.
Dear Student
Autumn’s social anxiety has worsened since her dad left to join the Peace Corps. When she gets the chance to be the voice of “student,” the secret giver of advice in the school newspaper, she discovers her writing can make a difference. But then she gets caught between helping two of her best friends, who both want very different things. Can she keep her identity a secret and be true to herself? And will she lose her friends if she can’t?
This is Our Rainbow: 16 Stories of Her, Him, Them, and Us
Exploring your sexual, romantic, and gender identity is an important, fun, sometimes-complicated part of growing up. This collection of short stories and comics features proud, joyful queer characters coming out, enjoying first crushes, and dreaming big. Whether you like realistic, historical, or fantastical stories, this collection has something for you.
Puberty is Gross But Also Really Awesome
I know, I know, it’s such a cliche to refer to puberty as “blossoming.” But I had to include this book somewhere because, well, it is really awesome. It covers the changes happening in your brain and body in all their glory. Read it cover to cover, or skip to the parts you’re most curious about — periods, hair, gender and sexuality, even the details about what happens with boys when they grow up. Puberty is amazing and sometimes hard, but with this book, it doesn’t have to be confusing.
More Blossoming Books for Girls
In How to Solve a Problem: The Rise (and Falls) of a Rock Climbing Champion, rock climber Ashima Shirais shares her story to help readers reach new heights in their own lives.
In the midst of so much growth and change, you can take a deep breath and calm your mind with Find Your Happy Place: A Book of Mindful Activities.
With a big pile of dirt delivered to the neighbors’ backyard, Nina Soni and her sister Kavita are ready to tackle a new spring break project in Nina Soni, Sister Fixer by Kashmira Sheth. (If you haven’t already read them, make sure to check out the first Nina Soni book, Nina Soni, Former Best Friend, and book three, Nina Soni, Master Gardener.)
In book 4 of the Acadia Files by Katie Coppens, Acadia tackles spring science, including plants and pollen, the work of environmentalist Rachel Carson, and more. (You can read Acadia’s science adventures in summer, autumn, and winter, too!)
In the final Unicorn Quest book, Fire in the Star by Kamilla Benko, younger sister Claire gets her chance to shine when she seeks the secrets of the unicorns to keep her big sister safe. (Make sure to read Unicorn Quest and Secret in the Stone first!)
What about you? Have you read any of the books above? Do you have favorite blossoming books for girls? Tell us about them in the comments below!