Recommendations based on Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beastby Robin McKinley

* statistically, based on millions of data-points provided by fellow humans

  1. The Blue Sword

    by Robin McKinley
    A young girl embarks on an epic adventure, discovering courage, strength, and her true identity.

    This is the story of Harry Crewe, the Homelander orphan girl who becomes Harimad-sol, King's Rider, and heir to the Blue Sword, Gonturan, which no woman had wielded since the legendary Lady Aerin ... (Wikipedia)

  2. The Hero and the Crown

    by Robin McKinley
    A young girl's quest to prove her worth, culminating in a battle to save her kingdom.

    Aerin is the only child of Arlbeth, king of Damar, and his second wife. Aerin inherits her mother's pale skin and fiery red hair, setting her apart from all other Damarians and causing her to be ... (Wikipedia)

  3. Rose Daughter

    by Robin McKinley
    A retelling of the classic fairy tale "Beauty and the Beast" with a modern twist.

    A merchant loses all his money when his ships are lost at sea, and is forced to move his three daughters to a lonely countryside house called Rose Cottage which was left to his youngest, Beauty, in a ... (Wikipedia)

  4. The Goose Girl

    by Shannon Hale
    A young princess must overcome great obstacles to reclaim her rightful throne.

    When crown princess Anidori-Kiladra Talianna Isilee was born, she did not open her eyes until her aunt held her. The woman became her nursemaid and constant companion, nicknaming her Ani and telling ... (Wikipedia)

  5. Howl’s Moving Castle

    by Diana Wynne Jones
    A young woman embarks on an adventure to break a curse and reclaim her identity in a magical world.

    18-year-old Sophie Hatter is the eldest of three sisters living in Market Chipping, a town in the magical kingdom of Ingary, where fairytale tropes are accepted ways of life, including that the ... (Wikipedia)

  6. Princess Academy

    by Shannon Hale
    A young girl's journey of self-discovery and empowerment, finding her own strength and potential.

    Miri is a fourteen-year-old girl from Mount Eskel, an isolated territory of Danland, who has never been allowed to work with the rest of the villagers in the quarry that keeps the community alive. ... (Wikipedia)

  7. The Blue Castle

    by L.M. Montgomery
    A young woman's journey of self-discovery, learning to take control of her life and find true happiness.

    Valancy Stirling is twenty-nine, unmarried (and thus considered an " old maid "), and has lived her entire life with her nagging mother and gossip-minded extended family who actively discourage ... (Wikipedia)

  8. Enna Burning

    by Shannon Hale
    A young girl's journey of self-discovery, unlocking the secrets to mastering her magical powers.

    Enna has returned to the forest to live with her elder brother, Leifer. After finding a vellum scroll, Leifer learns the secret of 'fire-speaking', the ability to control the element of fire. ... (Wikipedia)

  9. Wildwood Dancing

    by Juliet Marillier
    A young woman's adventure in a magical world of fairies, where she discovers true love and her own power.

    One winter, Jena's father sets out to the coast of Constanța to recover from a serious illness that would kill him if he remained home for the winter. In his absence, he leaves his house, his younger ... (Wikipedia)

  10. Fairest

    by Gail Carson Levine
    A tale of self-discovery, as a young girl learns to embrace her true beauty.

    In the kingdom of Ayortha, who is the fairest of them all? Certainly not Aza. She is thoroughly convinced that she is ugly. What she may lack in looks, though, she makes up for with a kind heart, and ... (Goodreads)

  11. Dealing with Dragons

    by Patricia C. Wrede
    A young princess embarks on a journey of self-discovery, learning to stand up for herself and others.

    Princess Cimorene is frustrated by her life and persuades the castle staff to teach her fencing, magic, cooking, Latin, and other interesting subjects that are considered very "improper" for ... (Wikipedia)

  12. The Graveyard Book

    by Neil Gaiman
    A young boy's journey through a graveyard, learning the secrets of the dead.

    The story begins as the man Jack murders most of the members of a family (later revealed to be the Dorian family) except for the toddler upstairs. Unknown to him, the toddler has climbed out of his ... (Wikipedia)

  13. Uprooted

    by Naomi Novik
    A young woman's battle to save her home from a magical force, while uncovering secrets of her past.

    “Our Dragon doesn’t eat the girls he takes, no matter what stories they tell outside our valley. We hear them sometimes, from travelers passing through. They talk as though we were doing human ... (Goodreads)

  14. The Ordinary Princess

    by M.M. Kaye
    A young princess who rejects her royal identity and embarks on an adventure to find her own special destiny.

    Along with Wit, Charm, Health, and Courage, Princess Amy of Phantasmorania receives a special fairy christening gift: Ordinariness. Unlike her six beautiful sisters, she has brown hair and freckles, ... (Goodreads)

  15. Calling on Dragons

    by Patricia C. Wrede
    An adventurous girl's mission to save an enchanted kingdom from the dangers of dark magic.

    This novel is the third in the Enchanted Forest series, told from the witch Morwen's perspective. Morwen, a witch who lives in the Enchanted Forest, is having trouble with people who believe that ... (Wikipedia)

  16. East

    by Edith Pattou
    A young girl's journey to find a magical cure for her cursed prince, learning life lessons along the way.

    When Arne married the superstitious Eugenia, he agreed to have seven children with her—one for each point of the compass, excluding north. According to the birth-direction superstition held by ... (Wikipedia)

  17. Rilla of Ingleside

    by L.M. Montgomery
    A coming-of-age story of a young woman during World War I, learning about life and love.

    Set almost a decade after, Rainbow Valley, , Europe is on the brink of the First World War, and Anne's youngest daughter Rilla is an irrepressible almost-15-year-old, excited about her first adult ... (Wikipedia)

  18. Sabriel

    by Garth Nix
    A young woman embarks on a quest to save her kingdom from an ancient evil, confronting her own mortality.

    The book opens with Sabriel raising a freshly killed rabbit from death. She is a young girl attending Wyverly College, an all-female boarding school in Ancelstierre. An undead creature enters the ... (Wikipedia)

  19. House of Many Ways

    by Diana Wynne Jones
    An orphan girl's magical adventure to restore order to her uncle's chaotic house.

    Charmain Baker is in over her head. Looking after Great-Uncle William's tiny cottage while he's ill should have been easy. But Great-Uncle William is better known as the Royal Wizard Norland, and his ... (Goodreads)

  20. These Is My Words: The Diary of Sarah Agnes Prine, 1881-1901

    by Nancy E. Turner
    A young woman's struggle for independence, chronicles her journey through the American Southwest.

    “Belongs on your must-read list. This novel is a gem.” — Omaha World-Herald Nancy E. Turner's unforgettable, These Is My Words, melds the sweeping adventures and dramatic landscapes of, Lonesome ... (Barnes & Noble)

  21. The Thief

    by Megan Whalen Turner
    A thief with a hidden agenda sets off on a journey to reclaim an ancient relic.
  22. Crocodile on the Sandbank

    by Elizabeth Peters
    An intrepid female archaeologist uses her wits to solve a mysterious murder in the Nile Valley.

    Amelia Peabody is left a wealthy orphan after the death of her studious father, who has left her everything in his will because she is the only one of his children who shared his interests, namely ... (Wikipedia)

  23. Alanna: The First Adventure

    by Tamora Pierce
    A young girl disguises herself as a boy to achieve her dreams of becoming a knight.

    Alanna of Trebond and her twin brother Thom may be twins , but are very different; Alanna is a tomboy who dreams of being a knight, and Thom wishes to become a sorcerer. Unfortunately, Alanna is ... (Wikipedia)

  24. Graceling

    by Kristin Cashore
    Adventure story of a young girl who discovers her extraordinary abilities and the risks she must take to protect her kingdom.

    This book tells the story of Katsa, a young woman with a "Grace", or power, which enhances her survival skills and makes her a highly efficient killer. It takes place in a world where Gracelings, or ... (Wikipedia)

  25. Much Ado About Nothing

    by William Shakespeare
    A comedic romance of misunderstandings and eventual triumph of love over deception.

    In Much Ado About Nothing, Shakespeare includes two quite different stories of romantic love. Hero and Claudio fall in love almost at first sight, but an outsider, Don John, strikes out at their ... (Goodreads)

  26. The Voyage of the Dawn Treader

    by C.S. Lewis
    An epic fantasy adventure across the seas, encountering magical creatures and lands.

    The two youngest Pevensie children, Lucy and Edmund , are staying with their odious cousin Eustace Scrubb while their older brother, Peter , is studying for an exam with Professor Kirke , and their ... (Wikipedia)

  27. The Hero of Ages

    by Brandon Sanderson
    A hero's quest to save the world from destruction, discovering secrets of the past.

    The Hero of Ages is the prophesied savior of the Terris people, foretold to find and give up the power at the Well of Ascension , in a selfless act to save the world from the Deepness. However, the ... (Wikipedia)

  28. The Fire Rose

    by Mercedes Lackey
    A woman's quest to fulfill her destiny, aided by magical powers and a daring prince.

    Beauty Meets Beast in San Francisco Accepting employment as a governess after hard times hit her family, medieval scholar Rosalind Hawkins is surprised when she learns that her mysterious employer ... (Goodreads)

  29. The Fairy Godmother

    by Mercedes Lackey
    A young girl's journey to uncover her mysterious past and the magical power that lies within.

    It is about a young woman named Elena, the daughter of a wealthy gentleman. After the death of her mother, her father married a devious social climber with two daughters of her own. Not long after ... (Wikipedia)

  30. The Forgotten Beasts of Eld

    by Patricia A. McKillip
    An enchanting tale of a young woman's journey to save an ancient kingdom from an evil sorcerer.

    World Fantasy Award-Winner,Newly available in print and e-book editions,"Rich and regal.",—, The New York Times,, Young Sybel, the heiress of powerful wizards, needs the company of no-one outside her ... (Barnes & Noble)