Take 5: YA Lit for Rose Tyler fans (Doctor Who), a guest post by Amy Diegelman

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Rose Tyler.

Companion, friend, comforter, badass.

I love a character like Rose. A girl who leads a disadvantage life, who is simply following the path set out for her when a door to something better opens up. Once given the chance, Rose proves that she is more than up to snuff. Through the new life of adventuring she is able to show everyone, including herself, that she is brave and smart and compassionate. She saves herself, strangers, friends, and the Doctor more than once. She becomes the Bad Wolf and puts her mark on time itself. So I’ve made up a small list of characters who are pulled from low circumstances to extraordinary ones, and prove that they themselves are extraordinary.

Cinder by Marissa Meyer – Cinder is a retelling of Cinderella in the future. I tend to think any characterization of Rose Tyler as Cinderella to somewhat miss the mark. But Cinder isn’t the classic Cinderella either. Cinder is a cyborg, and that makes her, like Rose, a second class citizen to most people. And though her family lives in a certain level of luxury, Cinder herself earns most of the wages as a mechanic and sees few of the benefits. Regardless of all that, when trouble turns up, Cinder rises to the occasion. She throws herself into danger when she doesn’t have to, because it is the right thing to do. What is perhaps most Rose Tyler-esque, is the fact that Cinder doesn’t question it. She doesn’t stand around and agonize over things. She sees what needs to be done – often who needs to be helped – and she finds a way to do it. Neither she nor Rose have fairy godmothers. They prove themselves all on their own.

Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers – Raised by a man who never wanted her, sold off to an abusive husband. These are the only things we really know about Ismae’s life before she is taken in by the nuns of St. Mortain- better known as Death himself – to be trained as an assassin. Its not often you can say a girl raised by assassin nuns is similar to, well, anyone – but Ismae came to mind right away when I started this list. She is taken from a life of being beaten and neglected, to one where she is shown how truly amazing she can be. Its Ismae’s faith and fidelity (along with a fair amount of badassery, of course) that really connect her with Rose. Ismae is firmly dedicated to what she feels is right, and to Death, who she has sworn to serve, even though she has every reason to believe only in the terrible things and people in the world.. It makes me think of the scene in the Satan Pit episodes when everyone believes the doctor is dead but Rose stands firm, “You don’t know him. Cause he’s not. I’m telling you he’s not. And even if he was, how could I leave him?”

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld – In this alternate, steampunk, bioengineered version of World War I Deryn is a commoner girl disguised as a boy so she can serve in the British Air Service. And boy is she good at it. Oh man, how much do I love Deryn Sharp? So much. Smart, funny, brave – Deryn goes after what she wants and takes it. The best part? What she wants isn’t power or wealth or fame, she just wants to do what she loves – flying. Deryn doesn’t hesitate, and she doesn’t give up. She’d do anything for her friends, she doesn’t blink before tossing herself into danger to save another. She and Rose would be fast friends, I have no doubt.


Shadow and Bone by Leigh Bardugo – Alina is an orphan serving in the military with her best friend Mal. Her life is truly average. But when a unique ability manifests in her, she is swept up into the elite, majestic world of the Grisha and their leader, the Darkling. I agonized a bit over this one, but in the end I decided that Alina deserved a spot on this list. Don’t get me wrong, I love Alina and adore this book (Epic fantasy with a Russian twist? Yes, please!) but I wasn’t sure she was Rose Tyler material. Alina is a bit of a Rose in training. She struggles with a woe-is-me attitude for quite some time, but to be fair the Darkling, while powerful and mysterious, isn’t quite the inspirational figure the Doctor usually is. But at the end of the day she is much like the Bad Wolf – an immense power just waiting to find her way.

Color of Rain by Cori McCarthy – Rain’s story is much darker than Rose’s. She and her little brother are the only surviving members of their family, living in an abandoned pool and scrounging for a life in the crime and grime of Earth City. When Rain’s brother’s life is at risk she gives up everything to save him. She trades herself to a man named Johnny in exchange for passage on his ship to The Edge, where there may be a cure for her brother, whole will have to make the trip cryogenically frozen. But Johnny’s ship, a city all its own, proves to be almost as dangerous as Johnny himself. Rain is one of my favorite YA heroines of the last couple of years. Her life is ugly and often awful, but she never gives up. NEVER. There were so many moments when I couldn’t imagine even having the will to continue, but Rain finds a way. And she does her best not to trample anyone in the process. Rain shares with Rose the ability I love most in them both – a refusal to be beaten, without a loss of compassion.

Amy Diegelman is a Young Adult Librarian in Massachusetts, with an MLS and Specialization in Youth Services from Indiana University. She lives on an island, and Batman is her one true love.

Filed under: Cinder, Collection Development, Color of Rain, Cori McCarthy, Doctor Who, Grave Mercy, Leigh Bardugo, Leviathan, Marissa Meyer, Reader's Advisory, Robin LaFevers, Rose Tyler, Scott Westerfeld, Shadow and Bone