New middle grade with strong girls - April 2026
Strong female characters are one of the things I love about middle grade fiction. Girls trying to find their way as they grow and mature. These two are a perfect example of those young women. The first one is "The Queen's Granddaughter" by Diane Zahler. I loved her books "The Blackwood Magicians" and "Baker's Magic" so I was excited to read this new one. This is the story of Blanca, the granddaughter of Eleanor of Aquitaine. Blanca has been living a happy life with her sister, Uraca, her loving parents, and her new baby sister Eleanor. Blanca understands that her job is to marry well but at 12, she hopes that it's going to be awhile until she gets married. Her oldest sister is already married and so when her grandmother shows up at the castle, ready to announce the latest arranged marriage, Blanca doesn't want Uraca to go, so she badmouths her sister to her grandmother. When her grandmother makes her announcement, it's Blanca,...