Top Ten Tuesday!

It's Top Ten Tuesday again over at the Broke and the Bookish. This week's list is of our Top Ten Heroines. This was a hard one but I did manage to come up with 10.

1. Hermione Granger (Harry Potter series)- what can I say about Hermione? She always worked incredibly hard to be the best, plus she was the female sidekick to the greatest wizard of all time. Even in the first few books when she was so young she was an awesome role model for the rest of us ladies.
2. Gemma Doyle (Gemma Doyle Trilogy)- *possible spoilers* it's been awhile since I've read this series but I remember loving Gemma's character. She was such a strong, young woman. She witnessed her mother's death and is then sent away to boarding school where she has a tough time at first being accepted. She learns she is responsible for rebuilding "the order" and thus kicks off this action packed series.
3. Lisbeth Salander (Millenium Trilogy)- Lisbeth is just a kickass female character. She's been through so much pain in her young life and has learned how to fight back. I don't think I've ever read a book or series with such a strong female lead.
4. Liesel Meminger (The Book Thief)- One of my favorite books. Liesel is a kindhearted young girl with a great love of reading. Her relationships with Max and Rudy make me love her so much more. She's just a very well-written and developed character.
5. Nancy Drew- it's been a long time since I've read any Nancy Drew, and I have to admit, I didn't read very many growing up. I was more of a BSC fan. However, Nancy Drew was a young super-sleuth which is totally cool. What young girl did not want to be like Nancy at some point in their life?
6. Jane Eyre- quite possibly the original heroine. A strong woman from a different social class than the man she loved, Jane managed to become his equal. When she received some disturbing news about him, she denies her heart and leaves him. It takes a strong woman to do something so difficult.
7. Stargirl Caraway (Stargirl)- Stargirl is one of the most fun loving characters of any book I've read. I wish I was more like her growing up. People thought she was weird and still she acted like it didn't bother her.
8. Janice Erlbaum (Have You Found Her)- The only real heroine on my list, Janice's memoir revolves around her time volunteering at the homeless shelter for teens that she spent time in as teen herself. She has beat her drug addiction and was ready to help someone like herself. The story follows her connection with the smart 19 yr old, Sam. It's a roller coaster ride with some unbelievable twists that made me really respect Janice.
9. Stephanie Plum- certainly not a perfect woman, Stephanie Plum is still a hilarious heroine who manages to get herself in some ridiculous situations and still do her job (with a little bit of help). I've only read the first few books of the series but I really love Stephanie so far.
10. Francie Nolan (A Tree Grows in Brooklyn)- another book that I haven't read in awhile but it's one of my favorites. Francie was a girl after my own heart. Her love of reading was so refreshing. She grew up in a poor neighborhood and went through some rough times but she managed to come out a lovely young woman.