STEM Girls: Books with girls rocking science and math
3:59 by Gretchen McNeil
Since it sparked the list, it deserves a place on the list. Two girls who are incredibly intelligent in physics use that knowledge to save 2 parallel worlds. Lots of science talk, scary tension, and a dash of romance.
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Adaptation by Malinda Lo
While on her way back from an academic competition, Reese is in an accident and wakes up in a secret government lab really quite different. Can she find out what happened to her and what it means? Inheritance, book 2, comes out later this year.
Bad Taste in Boys by Carrie Harris
The coach is feeding the football team steroids that turn them into zombies, can Kate find an antidote before the entire high school eats itself?
Catalyst by Laurie Halse Anderson
Straight A student Kate Malone is waiting to hear from MIT when her perfectly organized world starts to spiral out of control. Then, something happens that truly blows it apart.
Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan
Willow is a genius obsessed with nature and diagnosing medical conditions. When her adopted parents die suddenly in a car accident, she uses her knowledge of nature to help build the perfect garden and rejuvenate both a neighborhood and the spirits of those around her. Truly moving and inspiring, this new release is a must read for all. One of my favorite books of 2013. (August 29th from Dial)
The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly
Calpurnia Tate uses science to help her understand why yellow grasshoppers grow so much bigger than the green grasshoppers in her back yard. Along the way, she bonds with her grandfather and learns just what it means to be a girl at the turn of the century. Historical fiction, MG lit.
Find Me by Romily Bernard
Wick Tate is a superb computer hacker, skills she’ll need to use when Tessa Waye’s diary shows up at her house with a simple request: Find Me. (Coming in September from Harper Teen)
In the Shadow of the Blackbirds by Cat Winters
The Spanish flu is sweeping across the land. It is 1918. Mary Shelley Black is forced to rethink everything she knows, or thinks she knows, about life and death.
The Opposite of Hallelujah by Anna Jarzad
When Caro’s older sister Hannah returns, she is having a hard time adjusting. Hannah is the spiritual sister while Caro uses science to help her understand the world around her. But secrets about Hannah’s past lead Caro to better understand the both of them.
The Way We Fall by Megan Crewe
It starts with an itch. Then the fever comes. Soon after, you are dead. Kaelyn uses what she knows to try to keep herself alive when a virus sweeps over the island that she lives on.
Have some more titles that showcase intelligent girls that love science and math? Please add them to the list in the comments.
Filed under: Collection Development, Math, Reader's Advisory, Science, STEM Education, Strong Heroines

About Karen Jensen, MLS
Karen Jensen has been a Teen Services Librarian for almost 30 years. She created TLT in 2011 and is the co-editor of The Whole Library Handbook: Teen Services with Heather Booth (ALA Editions, 2014).
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ONE by Leigh Ann Kopans is another great example. Love this list!
The Apprentices (sequel to The Apothecary) by Maile Meloy
Deadly by Julie Chibbaro
Thanks for this addition to the list 🙂
Thanks for this addition to the list 🙂
This is a great addition to the list! I can't believe I forgot about it. Also, what is it about yellow covers for books that deal with science? Very interesting.
Deadly can be found here http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7939963-deadly
Any of these by Robin Brande:
Evolution, Me, and Other Freaks of Nature
Fat Cat
Parallelogram Series (Into the Parallel and sequel Trapped in the Parallel)
The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson has a secondary female character who is a STEM girl.
I can't wait to read 3:59. I adore Gretchen McNeil. Hmmm. What about THE MADMAN'S DAUGHTER? The heroine's far better educated than most Victorian women (even though she's had to hide it) and she understands the ramifications of her father's terrible experiments.
Thanks for picking FIND ME!!
Girl Named Digit
Jekel Loves Hyde
Partials and Fragments by Dan Wells feature a strong female protagonist who is using the scientific method to solve the problem of why babies in her dystopic world are not living longer than a week.
A Girl Named Digit and Double Digit by Annabel Monaghan features a high school protagonist who is brilliant at math.
The Running Dream, by Wendelin Van Draanen features a student with Cerebral Palsy who tutors the main character in math.
Tutored by Allison Whittenburg tangentially deals with math. The Friday Society by Adrienne Kress also has a little bit less to do with math, but is definitely a steam punk novel that features three strong, intelligent young women. If I recall, there may be some science associated with it.
Happy compiling and Cheers to Smart Girls!
sent to me via email from JK
I just bought the ebook of Adaptation the other day and hope to start it soon!
Counting by 7s sounds beautiful! I'm going to have to check it out.
This is a great list! I haven't read it but I'm assuming Kathy Reichs' YA series VIRALS would have girls interested in science. I love her adult books and the BONES show — Temperance Brennan is an awesome forensic anthropologist!
Great list!
The main character of The Testing, Cia, survives primarily through her intelligence, knowledge of machines and engineering, and inventiveness. Very STEM friendly.
(In fact, minus mutants and deadly competitors, The Testing is kind of like a super serious, kind of deadly Science Olympiad.)
“Glass Houses” by Rachel Caine has a science whiz main character Claire Danvers. Also, in “Cinder” by Marissa Meyer the main character is a female cyborg mechanic.
The Walking Fish by Rachelle Burk is a great YA/children’s book that has a female scientist protagonist.
Thank you for this recommendation,
Karen
Thanks!