If I wanted to write an instant YA bestseller, a book that the big New York publishers would be almost guaranteed to not just pick up but have a bidding war over, and if I had no scruples, I'd write something like this.
Seventeen-year-old Seraphina Darkmoon has never fit in — not with her boring, small-minded parents, not with her shallow classmates, not even with her so-called best friend (who, of course, secretly envies her beauty and power). But everything changes when three mysterious young men arrive at school: brooding vampire Kael, dangerous fae prince Draven, and snarky rebel-wizard Jax. All of them are instantly obsessed with Seraphina, who discovers she’s not only the most desirable girl alive but also the Chosen One destined to destroy the ancient order of men who’ve “ruined the world.”
Naturally, every adult authority figure is corrupt or clueless, every boy outside the love-triangle-plus-one is weak, and every girl besides Seraphina is either catty, slutty, or irrelevant. Between trysts in candlelit crypts and whispered prophecies about her unparalleled greatness, Seraphina must decide whether to embrace her dark hunger for power — or surrender to her equally dark hunger for Kael’s kiss.
By the last chapter, nothing has been built, no virtue gained, and no love matured. But Seraphina has conquered her “haters,” punished the men who dared oppose her, and fully embraced her destiny: eternal adoration on her own terms.
Tragically, this isn’t much of an exaggeration. This is girls’ “empowerment,” according to the big publishers: narcissism dressed up as strength, boy-hatred disguised as independence, premature sexualization masquerading as freedom. Today’s publishing industry relentlessly feeds girls this poison, not just in fringe titles but in the very books topping bestseller lists and getting streaming adaptations.
The toxic recipe shows up again and again:
It’s no wonder so many girls emerge not stronger, but more fragile.
For boys, the problem is absence: the publishing world has stripped their shelves bare. For girls, the problem is worse: what is being published teaches them how not to become whole women.
Instead of encouraging girls to grow into resilient, virtuous young women, today’s books too often train them in narcissism, boy-hatred, and premature sexualization. They are handed heroines who are flawless “girlbosses,” or worse, empty Mary Sues — characters adored for their power but never asked to learn humility, courage, or love. Male characters are reduced to punchlines or disposable foils, undermining any preparation for marriage, family, or real community. And over it all lies the steady drumbeat of sexual messaging, presented as empowerment but really teaching girls that their value lies in being wanted rather than becoming worthy.
That’s the hardest part of this whole project: finding modern books for girls that don’t fall into these traps. The publishing industry has been relentless about pushing those tropes since the late ’90s. Still, there are some bright spots if you dig carefully — alongside the classics that once shaped generations of strong women. The following list mixes a few good contemporary titles with great classics most women will remember fondly.
Younger Girls (5–10)
Tweens (10–13)
Teens (13–18)
It isn’t only books that shape girls. Movies, television, and even video games leave strong impressions, and thankfully, there are still stories that give us heroines worth emulating:
Girls can also benefit from reading books written with boys in mind. The list above highlights strong heroines and positive messaging for girls, but dipping into boys’ literature helps them understand the other half of humanity—their brothers, classmates, and future husbands. Learning how good men think and act through story may help them recognize one when they meet him in real life.
The battle over boys’ literature is about giving them something to read at all. The battle over girls’ literature is about rescuing them from poison. If we want resilient women in the next generation — wives, mothers, builders, and leaders of communities — we have to give girls better stories than what the market is serving them now.
That means parents and teachers can’t just trust the bestseller lists or glossy “empowerment” labels. We have to dig, choose deliberately, and hand our daughters books that teach them courage, humility, loyalty, and love. If we don’t, the culture will hand them Seraphina Darkmoon instead — and tell them it’s liberation.
We don’t have to just accept what the Big Five publishers are selling to us, either. There’s a growing tide of conservative-leaning fiction writers who are creating healthy, positive books for young women. My own publishing company, Conservatarian Press, recently published Spotless by Marina Fontaine and Daniella Bova, about a teenage boy haunted by a mysterious ghost who claims he "took her spot" — clean, positive messages, and a twist that may shock. Other writers are creating similar good fiction, and I’d like to invite them to post links in the comments below. Together, we can stem the tide of sparkly vampire fiction and replace it with good, wholesome, positive stories our daughters will love.
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