Great Inspirational Fiction for Girls Struggling with Accepting Themselves ...

You may have seen the movie version that came out a few years ago, but The DUFF is still a relevant novel today. DUFF stands for “Designated Ugly Fat Friend” and in the novel, 17-year-old Bianca Piper finds out that she is the “DUFF of her friend group. In spite of her best efforts, Bianca ends up falling for the rude jock, Wesley Rush, he named her the “DUFF.” In the end, Bianca learns that labels don’t always tell us as much about a person as we think they do.
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Like many young girls, Deenie wants to be popular and beautiful. She ends up being special, but in an unexpected way. Her plans of being a cheerleader and her mother’s plans for her to be a model get interrupted by a diagnosis of scoliosis. For girls who have a physical disability that makes them feel othered, this book is a great one to read!
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"Only Ever Yours" has such an interesting and creative premise that all sci-fi fans should read it, but especially if you struggle accepting yourself. In O'Neil's fictional world, women (called "eves"are manufactured and bred to be ideal spouses for men. The prettiest girls graduate from School to become "companions" to men in the outside world. Those less fortunate must become either concubines or celibate teachers for the next generation of eves. O'Neil artfully depicts the pressure women feel to be perfect in this dystopian world that may not be so different from our own.
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Virginia Shreves is the irreverent heroine in Carolyn Mackler's "The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things." The Shreves family is similar to many in that it looks perfect on the outside but something rotten is inside. One of the less-than-perfect aspects of the Shreves family is Virginia's insecurity. Being bigger than all of the other members of her family makes her Virginia feel like an outsider in her own home. This tale is all too familiar for a lot of girls with body image issues, and is well-worth the read.
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Vee couldn't be more excited to start her new life in Hollywood, especially after her father decided to remarry and things at home became awkward. But while she may have been a big hit in local theater at home in Arizona, Los Angeles won't be as kind to this plus-sized talent.
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Simone Elkeles depicts the unique relationship between victim and criminal in "Leaving Paradise." A year after Caleb hits Maggie with his car, both of their lives are forever changed. Maggie walks with a limp and feels like she can't fit in anymore, while Caleb feels rejected by his family and friends after leaving Juvie. Girls whose bodies don't function "perfectly" might relate to Maggie, and any reader an enjoy the mystery of the car crash unfolding in "Leaving Paradise."
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Unlike many other characters in the books mentioned on this list, Ashley Perkins doesn't buy into society's beauty standards. Unfortunately, her controlling and manipulative grandmother does. Every year on her birthday, Ashley's grandmother offers her some grand reward in exchange for losing weight. Ashley never budges—until her grandmother promises to make Ashley's dream of attending Harvard a reality in exchange for Ashley getting weight-loss surgery.
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Each of these books tackles the issue of self-acceptance in a creative and effective manner. There are many more issues that girls deal with, in addition to insecurities about being plain, overweight, and differently-abled. What books do you love that deal with your personal insecurities?