From an aspiring journalist to an up-and-coming roller derby grrl, the determined and curious female protagonists of these intermediate and middle-school books are ready to take on the world.

In Tricia Springstubb's Moonpenny Island, the titular tiny Ohio vacation spot is lousy with fossils — specifically, of trilobites from the Cambrian period. Sixth-grade townie Flor becomes fascinated with trilobites' eyes after learning they were "among the very first creatures" to develop them. Flor herself is, in some ways, as sightless as early trilobites, for she misses much of what's going on in her family and in her interconnected island community. Flor's growing awareness of those around her results in a unique protagonist who, like a fossil, creates an imprint that remains after her story is finished. (HarperCollins/Balzer + Bray, 9–12 years)

Jeanne Birdsall's fourth Penderwicks book, The Penderwicks in Spring, focuses on Batty, now ten and the "senior member of the younger Penderwick siblings." To raise money for singing lessons, she starts a neighborhood odd-jobs business. There's a lot of melancholy here: dog-walking sadly reminds Batty of her dear departed Hound, and she suffers benign neglect from one big sister (Rosalind is temporarily boy-crazy) and hurtful words from another. On the plus side, stepbrother Ben (seven) and half-sister Lydia (two), in their cheering-up efforts, emerge as formidable Penderwicks themselves, and Batty rewardingly finds her voice at her climactic Grand Eleventh Birthday Concert. (Knopf, 9–12 years)

At the start of Footer Davis Probably Is Crazy by Susan Vaught, eleven-year-old Footer Davis's mother, who has bipolar disorder, is admitted to a psychiatric hospital after shooting off an elephant rifle in their backyard. To distract herself from her mother's worsening condition, budding journalist Footer (with aspiring-detective best friend Peavine) investigates a dramatic unsolved local crime. Footer's lively narrative voice and irreverent sense of humor add levity to the heavy subject matter. Like its heroine, the book itself is compelling, offbeat, and fearless. (Simon/Wiseman, 9–12 years)

When her best friend Nicole starts harping on about ballet, fashion, and dating, twelve-year-old Astrid, star of Victoria Jamieson's graphic novel Roller Girl, is left behind (read: not interested). She's behind on the roller derby track, too, where she has signed up for summer boot camp even though she can't skate five seconds without disaster. Astrid faces the challenges of derby as well as tweendom, and when the time comes for her big end-of-summer bout, "Asteroid" is brimming with confidence and ready to roll. Readers will identify with Astrid's journey to find her authentic self. Have this book at the ready for Telgemeier fans racing to find something new. (Dial, 9–12 years)

From the April 2015 issue of Notes from the Horn Book.