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Who's your favorite fictional heroine? I have so many that I couldn't narrow it down to a reasonable number for a blog post. To save my own sanity, I decided to choose characters from modern classic literature. (Modern classic means "popular and published after WWII.") So, here are my 10 favorite modern classic heroines.

⚔  Best Modern Classic Heroines  👩

Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones

Middle Grade Fantasy

Sophie has the great misfortune of being the eldest of three daughters, destined to fail miserably should she ever leave home to seek her fate. But when she unwittingly attracts the ire of the Witch of the Waste, Sophie finds herself under a horrid spell that transforms her into an old lady. Her only chance at breaking it lies in the ever-moving castle in the hills: the Wizard Howl's castle. To untangle the enchantment, Sophie must handle the heartless Howl, strike a bargain with a fire demon, and meet the Witch of the Waste head-on. Along the way, she discovers that there's far more to Howl—and herself—than first meets the eye.

Why I love it: Sophie Hatter doesn't quit. When a witch puts a curse on her, she finds a wizard who can help and worms her way into his castle. She faces every problem with calm confidence and a sense of humor. I want to be Sophie when I grow up.

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A Game Of Thrones by George R.R. Martin

Adult Fantasy

Summers span decades. Winter can last a lifetime. And the struggle for the Iron Throne has begun.

As Warden of the north, Lord Eddard Stark counts it a curse when King Robert bestows on him the office of the Hand. His honor weighs him down at court where a true man does what he will, not what he must . . . and a dead enemy is a thing of beauty.

The old gods have no power in the south, Stark’s family is split and there is treachery at court. Worse, the vengeance-mad heir of the deposed Dragon King has grown to maturity in exile in the Free Cities. He claims the Iron Throne.

Why I love it: I'm going to cheat and choose every female character from this book as my favorite. They're all so complicated! If you love morally gray characters, you need to read this series. The characters are fierce fighters and fierce mothers.

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The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman

Middle Grade Fantasy

Lyra is rushing to the cold, far North, where witch clans and armored bears rule. North, where the Gobblers take the children they steal—including her friend Roger. North, where her fearsome uncle Asriel is trying to build a bridge to a parallel world.

Can one small girl make a difference in such great and terrible endeavors? This is Lyra: a savage, a schemer, a liar, and as fierce and true a champion as Roger or Asriel could want—but what Lyra doesn't know is that to help one of them will be to betray the other.

Why I love it: Lyra was my favorite fictional character when I was a kid. I admired her creativity and ability to think quickly. She never passes up the chance to have an adventure.

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The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Young Adult Dystopia

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV.

Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before—and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that weight survival against humanity and life against love.

Why I love it: Who doesn't love Katniss? She's a complete badass who out-manipulates the manipulators and refuses to let herself be used as propaganda.

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Coraline by Neil Gaiman

Middle Grade Fantasy

In Coraline's family's new flat are twenty-one windows and fourteen doors. Thirteen of the doors open and close.

The fourteenth is locked, and on the other side is only a brick wall, until the day Coraline unlocks the door to find a passage to another flat in another house just like her own.

Only it's different.

At first, things seem marvelous in the other flat. The food is better. The toy box is filled with wind-up angels that flutter around the bedroom, books whose pictures writhe and crawl and shimmer, little dinosaur skulls that chatter their teeth. But there's another mother, and another father, and they want Coraline to stay with them and be their little girl. They want to change her and never let her go.

Other children are trapped there as well, lost souls behind the mirrors. Coraline is their only hope of rescue. She will have to fight with all her wits and all the tools she can find if she is to save the lost children, her ordinary life, and herself.

Why I love it: Nobody is braver than Coraline. She opens a door into a parallel universe and faces all the monsters inside. She does what's right, even though it's scary.

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The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood

Adult Dystopia

Offred is a Handmaid in the Republic of Gilead. She may leave the home of the Commander and his wife once a day to walk to food markets whose signs are now pictures instead of words because women are no longer allowed to read. She must lie on her back once a month and pray that the Commander makes her pregnant, because in an age of declining births, Offred and the other Handmaids are valued only if their ovaries are viable. Offred can remember the years before, when she lived and made love with her husband, Luke; when she played with and protected her daughter; when she had a job, money of her own, and access to knowledge. But all of that is gone now.

Why I love it: Offred has lost her family, her freedom, and even her name. It would be easy for her to stop fighting and just try to survive in her dystopian hellscape. She doesn't give up. She keeps searching for a way out.

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Matilda by Roald Dahl

Middle Grade Fantasy

Matilda is a little girl who is far too good to be true. At age five-and-a-half she's knocking off double-digit multiplication problems and blitz-reading Dickens. Even more remarkably, her classmates love her even though she's a super-nerd and the teacher's pet. But everything is not perfect in Matilda's world.

For starters she has two of the most idiotic, self-centered parents who ever lived. Then there's the large, busty nightmare of a school principal, Miss ("The") Trunchbull, a former hammer-throwing champion who flings children at will, and is approximately as sympathetic as a bulldozer. Fortunately for Matilda, she has the inner resources to deal with such annoyances: astonishing intelligence, saintly patience, and an innate predilection for revenge.

Why I love it: All children dream about getting revenge on their bullies, right? No? Maybe that was just me. Matilda is your classic overachiever. Then she turns her brain power in more devious directions. I love that she stands up for herself and her classmates.

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Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli

Young Adult Contemporary

Leo Borlock follows the unspoken rule at Mica Area High School: don't stand out—under any circumstances! Then Stargirl arrives at Mica High and everything changes—for Leo and for the entire school. After 15 years of home schooling, Stargirl bursts into tenth grade in an explosion of color and a clatter of ukulele music, enchanting the Mica student body.

But the delicate scales of popularity suddenly shift, and Stargirl is shunned for everything that makes her different. Somewhere in the midst of Stargirl's arrival and rise and fall, normal Leo Borlock has tumbled into love with her.

Why I love it: Nowadays, people would probably whine about Stargirl being a manic pixie dream girl, but I found her relatable when I was a young teen. She was the confident weirdo I wished I could be.

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Bridge To Terabithia by Katherine Paterson

Middle Grade Contemporary

Jess Aarons has been practicing all summer so he can be the fastest runner in the fifth grade. And he almost is, until the new girl in school, Leslie Burke, outpaces him. The two become fast friends and spend most days in the woods behind Leslie's house, where they invent an enchanted land called Terabithia. One morning, Leslie goes to Terabithia without Jess and a tragedy occurs. It will take the love of his family and the strength that Leslie has given him for Jess to be able to deal with his grief.

Why I love it: Leslie doesn't care what anybody thinks of her. She befriends unpopular kids and plays with the boys at recess. Her imagination and empathy are admirable.

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Island Of The Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell

Middle Grade Historical Fiction

In the Pacific there is an island that looks like a big fish sunning itself in the sea. Around it, blue dolphins swim, otters play, and sea elephants and sea birds abound. Once, Indians also lived on the island. And when they left and sailed to the east, one young girl was left behind. This is the story of Karana, the Indian girl who lived alone for years on the Island of the Blue Dolphins. Year after year, she watched one season pass into another and waited for a ship to take her away. But while she waited, she kept herself alive by building shelter, making weapons, finding food, and fighting her enemies, the wild dogs.

Why I love it: I was a bizarre kid who thought it would be awesome to be abandoned on a deserted island. The main character, Karana, probably didn't find it awesome. In order to survive, she has to make peace with her enemies and learn how to take care of herself in the wilderness.

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Who is your favorite fictional heroine?