"Through careful research that draws on recent scholarship about female adolescent development, Declarations of Independence situates this shift to a stronger female protagonist within a larger cultural context. The empowered girls in this book are defined through stories of historical and multicultural fiction, social realism, romance and adventure, fantasy, and memoir - with emphasis on books published after 1990.

The result is a collection of modern literature about adolescent girls who have real feelings, passions, and sometimes rebellious attitudes, and who act on those feelings to take control of their lives."--BOOK JACKET.