5 BFFs You Want Your Daughter To Have

By | September 20, 2012
Do you ever read a book and feel like you’re bff’s with the protagonist? I have many childhood besties that reside between the dog-eared and tattered pages of my favorite books. Oh, my beloved books.
My mom is responsible for passing passed down this obsessive love for reading. We’ve always loved discussing books and sharing the thrill of an excellent plot and a beloved character. Mom is the number-one person I go to for book recommendations. I want to be the number one book recommender for my daughter, too.
Formulating a list of favorite books is like drafting a list of my favorite people. These are my BFFs we’re talking about–my Best Fictional Friends. Isn’t that cute? And a tad cheesy? Yes. But I don’t care.
I cannot wait to introduce my BFFs to my daughter. I hope she loves them as much as I do! I want to share five of my favorites and tell you why we’re friends.
5 BFFs You Want Your Daughter To Have
1. Nancy Drew by Carolyn Keene
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 The summer before sixth grade I pretty much devoured the entire series of Nancy Drew. I dodged phonecalls and invitations to friends’ houses. My best friends were in those yellow hardback books.

 I connected with Bess, Nancy’s “pleasantly plump” side-kick because she was funny and always in the mood for sweets (kind of like me). While Nancy was awesome, she kind of annoyed me because she was so perfect. I like George, too, but she was always so intense and serious.
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5 BFFs You Want Your Daughter To Have

 Even though Bess was my unsung favorite, I loved the dynamic between these gals. They found clues, solved mysteries and caught bad guys together. They taught me to look for adventure and be a go-to-gal for problem solving. Also, always carry a bobby-pin.

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2. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
5 BFFs You Want Your Daughter To Have
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Little Women is somehow embedded in my sentiments on siblings, Christmas, weddings, and definitely writing.

Of course I loved Jo. I never forgave her for bypassing Laurie, but look at me–I’m married to a professor, too. Jo was my friend because she made mistakes but figured out a way to laugh about them. She was not the prettiest or even the nicest sister, but she had the most fun. Jo taught me to be creative and gutsy. Oh, and she was a writer. Duh.

3. Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell
5 BFFs You Want Your Daughter To Have
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Island of the Blue Dolphins? Well, Karana (the protagonist) made being stranded on an island seem like so much fun. Karana was my friend because she didn’t sit around and feel sorry for herself. Even though her brother was eaten by wolves she found a way to keep moving and even tame one of those animals! She was resourceful–I’ve always wanted a house made out of whalebones because of her. Karana taught me to be clever with what I have. If it means making a house out of whalebones, so be it.

4. The Betsy Tacy Series by Maud Hart Lovelace
Have you heard about Betsy Tacy? They were written in the 1940’s but are set in the midwest at the turn of the century. The fabulous feature of this series is that these books GROW WITH the reader! I started with Betsy Tacy when I was maybe five or six years old. This introductory book is about how Betsy meets her best friend, Tacy, and the adventures they have as little girls.
5 BFFs You Want Your Daughter To Have
I followed Betsy through childhood, high school, young adulthood and marriage. Betsy was my best friend because she never stopped using her imagination, she valued her friendships, and she was dedicated to writing. That’s right, another writer! I journeyed with her in her journals, her drafts, her rejections, and her first publication. You could say she influenced me a lot.
5 BFFs You Want Your Daughter To Have
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I’m the same little book-worm today that I was back then. I do not just read my books. I live them until they are over, and I stop dreaming about them. No joke, I hung out in the arena during my REM cycles for like two months after reading the Hunger Games.

5. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
5 BFFs You Want Your Daughter To Have
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And that brings me to the Hunger Games. Oh wait, I was already there. So obviously I didn’t read these books when I was a child or teen (because they weren’t yet written). But Katniss and I are friends now. My only negative feeling towards this series is that I didn’t get into it sooner. I had to wait until two-hundred and forty-two people told me to read it, before I actually did.

As a character and a friend, Katniss rocks. She has the resourcefulness of Karana, the sarcastic wit of Jo, the cunning of Nancy, and the awkward foibles of Betsy. She gets into some really tricky situations but somehow manages to remain moral throughout. She’s got it all. I loved reading this series and I think I’ll read it aloud to my kids just so we can get to it a little faster.

Well, there you have it. That went by way too fast and there are so many other friends that are now left out. Boo. Guess we’ll just have to make another list! By the way, I am sorry that I did not specify the age to read the above books. To be quite honest, and with the exception of the last book, everything sort of blends together as my favorites from middle school to high school. I’d be curious to know when people usually introduce books like Little Women and Hunger Games

Do you have some BFFs {Best Fictional Friends}? I would love to know who they are and what you love about them. Use the comments below to dsiscover some potential BFF candidates. I can’t wait to see what you all say.

Just putting this out there–I need some book recommendations for ME. This weekend is just begging to have a lazy book day. The weather’s getting cool, and not to rub it in or anything but I’m gonna drink a pumpkin lattee. So. Yes. I need a really phenomenal book to do it justice!!

504 Main Mama’s Losin’ It

 
 

Poofy Cheeks

18 thoughts on “5 BFFs You Want Your Daughter To Have

  1. hilljean

    What a great list! I never read Nancy Drew (can you believe it!) but I loved Island of the Blue Dolphins!

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  2. hilljean

    You totally should! I could talk about this all day ???? So hard to narrow it down!

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  3. hilljean

    Oh, Jennie. Yes I totally forgot! I remember I was so into horses because of those books!

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  4. hilljean

    Ramona Quimby, Age 8. One of my most favorite books ever. Ramona was a bad influence on me lol! We were too much alike!

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  5. hilljean

    I think you should do another blog on favorite books… you’ve just got to let everyone know about the Madeline Brett books, and then there’s Anne Perry, etc.

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  6. hilljean

    Well, crazy-ly enough, I feel like you’ve made it into my top five..even though you’re a real person out there somewhere! I just found your blog and have loved reading.
    I would add Meg Wallace from Madeline l’Engle’s “Wrinkle in Time” series to my own list…I still think about her today AND “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn” had a huge impact on me even though I can’t remember the heroine’s name. Thanks for introducing me to Betsy, I’m looking forward to exploring with my daughter…
    Thanks so much for sharing…God bless you!

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  7. hilljean

    Wait, how did you make it through adolescence? Hahah. Kidding. But yes, Island of the Blue Dolphins—one of my absolute favorite books ever ????

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  8. hilljean

    Great list. I totally understand what you are saying about the BFFs. I have always felt this way. When I read a book, I get totally lost in the world. I read non-stop, and can’t get enough until suddenly I realize I’m at the end, and then I slow down, realizing that it’s about to end.

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  9. hilljean

    Katniss almost made my list! I love the spin you put on this, I think I may do a series of book friends, TV friends, movie friends. ????

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  10. hilljean

    I seriously have to pace myself when I find a really good book. The last book I read that was just painfully delicious was The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. OMG. It is just magical. You don’t want it to end.

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  11. hilljean

    Hmmmm. Scout from To Kill A Mockingbird is a great choice too, but too easy. I would probably pick Ramona Quimby. Saaaaassy. Or The Giving Tree. That b*&ch would do anything for you!

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  12. hilljean

    Well, gee, thanks so much! That is the sweetest thing I heard all day ???? I loved Wrinkle in TIme and I totally forgot about A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. I hope your daughter loves the Betsy series as much as I. Everyone that’s read them adores them, so just jump on in!

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  13. hilljean

    What about Jennie McGrady? Ha. I still want to be like Gram when I grow up.

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    1. hillary

      Oooh. Love book recommendations! Never heard of these–I will be checking them out for sure! Thanks so much!

      Reply

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