It has to be 12-year old Makenna Gold. The Virago!

Most of these seem to be written more for girls, but The Golden Goblet, The Wind in the Door, Johnny Tremain, and The Bronze Bow are all good for boys. Plus the the Time Warp Trio books are a sort of skewed historical fiction that is really funny for kids.

Carry On, Mr. Bowditch would probably also be good for boys, now that you mention it, Cindy.

The Midwife's Apprentice

Thanks to everyone for voting on this list. I started it to tout my favorite characters, but I found some new characters in the process. My favorite so far is Phedre from the Kushiel's Dart series.

Good list, but some should be removed because they aren't historical fiction: The Secret Garden, Huck Finn, Tom Sawyer, A Little Princess. Also I think Anne of Green Gables, Mary Poppins, Heidi... I'm pretty sure they are all set in the time they were written.

allthough most of them (who I know) are great my favorite heroine must be Snake from Dreamsnake by Vonda Mcintyre!

#24 Pride and Prejudice???? Great novel, yes, great female protagonist, yes, but on a list of best fantasy heroines????

Not enough people have read Elizabeth Moon's fantastic "The Deed of Paksenarrion" clearly, or it would be higher on the list. There is a kick-ass female protagonist making it in a man's world (although she is certainly not the only female mercenary).

Heh, everyone recommended The Deed of Paksenarrion to me. I was really disappointed to find it to be wish-fullfillment drek--like Mercedes Lackey or Tamora Pierce, a lot of fun as a tween, not so much later. There's no depth or danger to the protagonist--I never worried if she'd make the right choice or if she'd die. It was a little too clear that Moon thought her main character was the bestest. This the same reason I dislike the Honor Harrington series.

Wealhtheow, I suppose it is true that fiction with exceptional main characters could be considered "wish-fulfillment drek", and you could certainly make the point that, including the grandfather of all such novels ("Lord of the Rings"), they present an unrealistic view of the world and the characters lack depth and complexity... But hey, this is a list of "best fantasy heroines", and as a genre fantasy tends to be exactly "wish-fulfillment drek". You're certainly entitled to your opinion, but you must find something to appreciate in fantasy or you wouldn't have even looked at this list.

I think there's a huge difference between being a fantasy with a talented or exceptional main character and something I would term "drek." Most of it's writing ability on the part of the author. I mean, I love Alanna of Trebond (from Tamora Pierce), even though she has purple eyes, extra powerful Gift, psychic bond with her cat, relationship with The Goddess, ancient magical sword, prophecies about her...all very wish-fullfillment-y. Yet the author makes her a well-rounded character, with flaws and quirks and her own personality, as opposed to an Authorial Insert.

I guess Elizabeth Moon just rubbed you the wrong way! I thought she made Paks quite an interesting character, and I did not find her to be "perfect". She has a quick temper, and for the first two books of the series she struggles with a tendency to trust too readily. I will grant you that I found her a lot less interesting in the second half of the third book - I felt that Moon lost her edge and Paks was suddenly too wise, too knowing.
I too enjoyed the Alanna books, but I gotta say that I found Alanna less interesting in the end because of all her special attributes. As Pierce's characters go I loved Keladry of the "Protector of the Small" quartet - precisely because she has no magical talent she seems much more like an average person who makes good on the basis of hard work and honorable character.

I'll always love Alanna best of all Pierce's heroines, because I started the series when I was 10 or 11, Alanna's age. But I agree that Keladry was a refreshing change, and I'm really glad there are fantasy books out there with main characters with no special powers and nothing to rely on beyond their own wits and honor.

These Books Are Amazing!

i love the adventures of tom sawyer

SAD NOT TO SEE THE SACRIFICE OR QUEST
ON THIS LIST

It's easy to add books to lists; at the top of the list, at the tab next to "All Votes."

Please look up the definition of historical fiction, some of tis stuff is not even CLOSE to historical fiction. I mean what historical event is "To kill a mockingbird" about?? You guys are completely useless

To Kill a Mockingbird is about the way people lived in the American Deep South in the 1930s, and therefore is a historical novel. It is also based on a true event, a trial of a black man in 1936.

On the other hand, is it really for children?

Not really - it just has main characters who are children. Though I read it when I was about eleven.

Janna, I don't know about all of the ones you listed, but the Anne of Green Gables series and the Tom Sawyer and Huckleberry Finn books (yes, there were more than the two) were set in the time period of the author's childhood, so yes they were written as historical fiction.
Pickles, historical fiction means the books take place in an historical time period. Not that they tell about a specific event.

My daughter saw the movie To Kill A Mockingbird when she was 12 and enjoyed it so much that she read the book. It's actually sold as a young adult book. It's also been read by high schoolers so I guess those are teens/kids. However, I'd agree it's not a book for the elementary and middle school reader.

Pickles wrote: "Please look up the definition of historical fiction, some of tis stuff is not even CLOSE to historical fiction. I mean what historical event is "To kill a mockingbird" about?? You guys are complete..."

I agree not all of them are great picks...but I have looked up the definition of historical fiction (after all I'm a librarian) and there are several types of historical fiction. It doesn't have to be based on a specific event.