“The Girl” In The Title

No one denies that “The Girl” or “A Girl” or “The Girls” in book titles are a thing and have been a thing for a while. But what hasn’t been done, at least not that I’ve seen, is a big list of those particular titles.

In honor of a trend I am hoping goes away because it offers no insight to a story. While it’s not the authorial intent when such a title is selected (and note, often, especially in YA, authors don’t choose their titles), such a bland word makes girls’ stories all blend together to the point they’re indistinguishable. To the point the individuality of female characters are denied, sometimes, entirely.

It’s time to make a list.

Here are the parameters: the titles need to include “the girl” or “a girl” or “girls” in some capacity. I pulled the titles from Goodreads YA book lists starting with this year’s 2017 titles and working back to 2014, when the trend really began picking up steam. I’ve left out book titles where “girl” is an extension in a subtitle, so, Gabi, A Girl in Pieces doesn’t count because we know exactly who the girl in question is.

And I’m putting them in a straight list by title and without author. Without descriptions, how many of books call out to you? How many would you race to pick up if you knew nothing about them? How many would you pick up without an author name attached? How many would confuse you to no end?

It’s my hope that by seeing how abundant this is, it also becomes clear how and why it’s a problematic trend and one that many of us are eager to see go away. In isolation and by individual titles, there’s not really anything worth noting. But just reading down this list of titles, well, it’s hard not to have a long pause.

Girls are objects.

Enjoy!

 

2017:

A Map for Wrecked Girls
A Psalm for Lost Girls
Brave New Girl
Girl Out of Water
The November Girl
Lost Girls
The Gallery of Unfinished Girls
Fat Girl on a Plane
The Girl With The Red Balloon
Girls Made of Snow and Glass
Who’s That Girl?
Nowhere Girls
Girl On The Verge
Just Another Girl
Just A Girl
The Hollow Girl
The Girl Who Wouldn’t Die
Beautiful Broken Girls
A Short History of the Girl Next Door
Dead Little Mean Girl
What Girls Are Made Of
Lucky Girl
Such A Good Girl
Neighborhood Girls
Factory Girl
Rosie Girl
The Football Girl
The Hanging Girl
Girls Can’t Hit
The Girl Between
Things A Bright Girl Can Do

 

 

2016:

Girl Against The Universe
The Girl From Everywhere
The Girl Who Fell
Dead Girls Society
If I Was Your Girl
I’m Not Your Manic Pixie Dream Girl
The Last Boy and Girl In The World
Girl Last Seen
Genesis Girl
Girl in Pieces
Shattered Girls
Girl in the Blue Coat
Beware That Girl
Girl Mans Up
American Girls
The Marked Girl
Nice Girls Endure
Any Other Girl
Scar Girl
Good Girls Don’t Lie
The Girl I Used To Be
Girls Like Me
The Girl In The Picture
Girl About Town
The Girl in a Coma
Girls In The Moon
Local Girl Swept Away
Tragedy Girl
Songs About A Girl
The Art of Picking Up Girls

 

 

2015:

Vanishing Girls
The Girl at Midnight
Jesse’s Girl
Slasher Girls & Monster Boys
Suicide Notes from Beautiful Girls
Conspiracy Girl
A School for Unusual Girls
The Good Girls
Weird Girl and What’s His Name
Honey Girl
Othergirl
The Girl at the Center of the World
Material Girls
Girl of Shadow
The Lost Girls
A Girl’s Story
The Dead Girls of Hysteria Hall
Girl Online On Tour
Those Girls
About A Girl
Gypsy Girl
Red Girl, Blue Boy
The Guy, The Girl, The Artist, and His Ex
Girl Online
Strange Girl
Boarding School Girls
A Girl Undone
Burn Girl
The Hired Girl
Girl At The Bottom of the Sea
Girl On A Plane
Hollowgirl

 

 

2014

The Girl From The Well
The Almost Girl
The Girl With The Windup Heart
A Girl Called Fearless
The Girl Who Never Was
Girl In Reverse
Mafia Girl
Push Girl
The Vanishing Girl
Girl Nevermore
Dead Girls Walking
Two Girls Staring At The Ceiling
Girl Defective
Girls Like Us
Lost Girl Found
Girl On A Wire
Running Girl