Enjoy This Collection Of Book Suggestions For Tween Girls Along With Their Best Film Adaptations

When you are looking for book suggestions for tween girls, we know what you want. You want books--true stories or fictional--that will present your girls with the virtues sweetest when found in young women.

"If you dear little girls would only learn what real beauty is, and not pinch and starve and bleach yourselves out so, you'd save an immense deal of time, money and pain. A happy soul in a healthy body makes the best sort of beauty." -Uncle Alec, Eight Cousins by Louisa May Alcott

This list of book suggestions for tween girls are books that suggest thoughts to young girls that make happy souls.

As young women, we have read and treasured many books that could go on this list. But here is our top five.

1.Grisly Grisell Tops The List Of Our Book Suggestions For Tween Girls

A Tale of the Wars of the Roses Book

Grisly Grisell Movie

A Tale of the Wars of the Roses, the novel that inspired our Grisly Grisell movie, is the top book on our list of book suggestions for tween girls.

Overflowing with virtuous examples, this novel will keep you eagerly turning the pages. It is a touching ugly duckling tale that holds the imagination from start to finish.

Fifteen-year-old Leonard Copeland and ten-year-old Grisell are on opposite sides of the English civil war. They are betrothed to mend a family feud and placed in the same castle to be raised together in the hope of them growing to love one another. 

Nothing could suit little Grisell better and she enjoys following the good-looking older boy around and dreaming of the day when they will happily be married.

The last thing teenage Leonard wants is a little girl following him around. As a joke and to spook her from following him around any more, he throws a lighted stick in a barrel of gunpowder while she is leaning over it. 

Far from being funny, the explosion badly burns Grisell, leaving her marred for the rest of her life. The contract is broken on account of her no longer being marriageable and Grisell is left to a life bereft of affection, spurned always because of her looks.

Beloved for its chivalry, innocent romance and excitement, A Tale of the Wars of the Roses: Grisly Grisell teaches young readers that patience and true virtue can make even a person who is not physically attractive beautiful in the eyes of those around her, but more importantly, in the eyes of God. "Beauty is more than skin deep." 

Our love of A Tale of the Wars of the Roses finds its fulfillment in making the film Grisly Grisell

2. Coming Soon To The Screen - Fabiola: The Church In The Catacombs

Another one of our book suggestions for tween girls is none other than Cardinal Nicholas Patrick Wiseman's Fabiola. This novel sweeps the reader to the early Roman persecutions where martyrs shed their blood for the prosperity of the Church and for the conversion of sinners.

Fabiola may be the smartest and richest woman in Rome, but her Christian friends find that there is one thing lacking: her soul does not reflect the light of truth. Fabiola is amazed to find that somehow there is a great division in the behavior of those around her.

Little does she know that all those she most admires are of the Faith she most despises: Christianity.

Looking around herself, Fabiola sees them each fall, one by one, into the traps laid by the pagan Roman state and face death. Their examples are outstanding and, though they do not know it, the conversion of the proud and haughty Fabiola will someday be the fruit of their sufferings.

Join the adventure of this timely tale of the catacombs as it comes to life on screen.

3. Heidi The Sweet Tale Of A Little Girl Living In The Alps

Heidi Book

Heidi Movie

Next up on our book suggestions for tween girls is Heidi. Heidi is about...well, Heidi, a virtuous little girl and her many adventures. This is one of the most enduring stories ever written.

Taking place in the nineteenth century, young Heidi movies to the rural Swiss Alps to live with her grandfather shortly after the death of both her parents. Her aunt finds her a burden and thinks that it's the old man's turn to care for Heidi. 

Just when Heidi gets comfortable with her reclusive grandfather, her aunt returns to bring Heidi to the urban city of Frankfort, Germany, to be the companion of a young invalid girl, Clara.

Heidi misses her life in the free Alps but finds that here, too, are people who need her and can teach her useful things for life, including how to read.

Heidi looks forward to the day when Clara can experience the freedom of going to the Alps that she loves so well. This book shows that Christian virtues can be evident anywhere and in anyone, as seen in the actions of Heidi, and the other characters.

A must-read on our book suggestions for tween girls!

This Heidi book summary shares the tale of a heartwarming childhood passed in the Swiss Alps

4. Jane Austen's Timeless Classic For Young Women Pride and Prejudice

Pride and Prejudice Book

Pride and Prejudice Movie

Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen is a story about the Bennet sisters and the romantic lives of three of them. Jane Austen does a perfect job of setting up her characters, making the reader feel like they can actually crack into the characters' minds and think the way they think and feel the way they feel.

When Elizabeth Bennet is slighted by Mr. Darcy at their first meeting, she resolves to never forgive him and becomes seriously prejudiced against him. Mr. Darcy himself is too proud to even so much as look at a girl so beneath him as Elizabeth. 

Yet, they both find that they love the other in spite of themselves. They must decide if they can overcome their respective prides and prejudices and live happily or keep to first impressions and forever part.

This book made it to our list of book suggestions for tween girls because Jane Austen does a great job of showing young girls that people are not always the way they appear to be when you first meet them and it's okay to change your mind about someone.

Continue Reading the Pride and Prejudice Book Review Here...

5. Little Women A Tale Of Maturing Into Womanhood 

Little Women Book

Little Women Movie

Little Women is the endearing story of the struggles of the March sisters: Meg, Jo, Beth and Amy. Having known better times before the American Civil War broke out, the older girls find it hard to be now in relative poverty. 

But their mother, whom they affectionately call "Marmee", shows them the way, always thinking of those with less than they and sharing the little goods they do possess with those around them, including the wealthy neighbor boy, Laurie, who has no mother or sisters to care for him.

The girls realize that money and possessions are not the most valuable things in the world, but love, virtue and faith are truly the greatest gifts.

This is their story from their little girl "frolics" up to becoming little women with husbands and children of their own. 

Little Women is filled with lessons in self-worth, self-discipline, self-sacrifice and barricading against vanity.

Two Of Our Book Suggestions For Tween Girls Have Inspired Our Film

We had so much fun making one of our favorite book suggestions for tween girls into a film. Filled with chivalrous knights, picture-book castles, and an undercurrent of innocent romance, Grisly Grisell is a Catholic film the entire family will enjoy and be pleased to add to their good family movies collection.

Be sure to watch the film and let us know how you liked it! And the book should certainly find its place among your favorite book suggestions for tween girls.

During our Grisly Grisell premiere, we announced that we will be making Fabiola into a film. This is a story especially timely now as we are surrounded by corruption in our world similar to what the characters of this book faced in pagan Rome.

Stay tuned for this story to be created into a full-length film!