I mentioned in a previous post how a certain book (Fablehaven) would have been a better example of a Girls Underground story if the girl had been the main protagonist, instead of sharing that with her brother. In fact, there are several stories which would be GU if only the girl in them were the primary protagonist. Here are just a few, briefly:
Peter Pan. When looked at from Wendy’s perspective, it really fits. She is whisked away to another world because she chooses to follow a mysterious boy for the sake of adventure. She confronts an evil pirate king and his minions. Her companions are the lost boys. There is even an interesting side note that correlates with the “returns to home or encounters things from home” aspect – in the stage play, it is traditional for the same actor to play Wendy’s father as plays Captain Hook.
Hansel and Gretel. Like Fablehaven, the spotlight is shared by both a brother and sister. But it is Gretel who eventually faces off against the witch adversary and defeats her, alone. If she were the star, one could view Hansel as her companion.
The Chronicles of Narnia. Lucy is the first one to discover the portal to the otherworld in the first book, and she is just about the right age too. She befriends the faun immediately. Her siblings become her companions, as well as other creatures of Narnia. The White Witch is the adversary (although Lucy does not defeat her alone). Her goal, along with the others, is to save the whole land.
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December 25, 2010 at 5:17 PM
shadowandstar
I really like this. . . I liked the most recent Peter Pan movie, because it seemed to me to put more emphasis on Wendy and really gave her a heroine's journey. – Janet
December 26, 2010 at 5:01 PM
Kate Winter
@shadowandstar:I agree about the movie. I also like that they made Captain Hook sexy, and he was kind of seductive toward Wendy, even though it was in an overtly non-sexual way. Made him more of a classic GU adversary.
January 18, 2012 at 3:49 PM
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[...] she’s a part of, the mythical journey she’s on. She often refers to books like Narnia and Wrinkle in Time and Coraline. In fact, she even notices that unlike most girls on such an [...]