25 children's books with strong main characters

1. What Katy Did - Susan Coolidge

2. The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett

3. Tom's Midnight Garden - Phillipa Pearce

4. Out Of The Dust - Karen Hesse

5. Goodnight Mr Tom - Michelle Margorian

6. Back Home - Michelle Margorian

7. The Fearless Treasure - Noel Streatfield

8. The Green Glass Sea - Ellen Klages

9. I Am David - Anne Holm

10. The Giver - Lois Lowry

11. Number The Stars - Lois Lowry

12. The Dark Is Rising Series - Susan Cooper

13. A Wrinkle In Time (and sequels) - Madeiline L'Engle

14. The Penderwicks (and sequels) - Jeanne Birdsall

15. My Side Of The Mountain - Jean Craighead George

16. Ramona Quimby series - Beverly Cleary

17. 45 And 47 Stella Street - Elizabeth Honey

18. Paddington Bear - Micael Bond

19. The Moomins (and sequals) - Tove Jansson

20. The Roman Mysteries Series - Caroline Lawrence

21. Matilda - Roald Dahl

22. The Good Master ( and The Giving Tree) - Kate Seredy

23. Nanny Piggins series - R. A. Spratt

24. Anne Of Green Gable - L. M. Montgomery

25. Winnie The Pooh - A. A. Milne

From the historical heroes and heroines in The Roman Mysteries, The Secret Garden, and The Good Master, to the contemperary ones in The Penderwicks, 45 And 47 Stella Street, and the Ramona Quimby stories, to the non-human ones in Paddington Bear, The Moomins, and Winnie the Pooh, there are so many amazing children's book characters.

Thanks for reading!

Take Action On Amnesty International

Amnesty International provides online petitions that you can sign, and messages you can send. These are some of the important petitions/messages at the moment, please take a moment to sign one or send a (ready written) message!

Sign the petition asking the Australian government to stand with Afghan women fighting for their freedom, and asking that these women be included in the coming reconciliation and peace talks before Australia withdraws her troops.
http://www.amnesty.org.au/action/action/31089/

Sign the petition demanding an end to the 'sorcery' killings in Papua New Guinea - although the cultural beliefs of the Papua New Guineans must be respected, they should never be an excuse for the brutal torture and killings that are taking place.
http://www.amnesty.org.au/action/action/31512/

Send the message to WA Premier Colin Barnett demanding that the over 140 children being kept in an adult prison in Perth be removed.
http://www.amnesty.org.au/action/action/31569/

Send the message to the Minister for Indigenous affairs, Jenny Macklin, to stop universal rent deductions on Aboriginal people in NT.
http://www.amnesty.org.au/action/action/31377/

Sign the petition demanding Bahrain free the five medical professionals still detained after taking part in anti-government protests.
http://www.amnesty.org.au/action/action/31046/

Sign the petition saying that asylum seekers should be treated fairly and with compassion, that 'children don't belong behind bars.' and 'innocent people shouldn't be locked up for years.'
http://www.amnesty.org.au/splash/behindbars

Please take the time to sign a petition or send a message to support causes you believe are important.  Remember- one name or message can be the difference between 'yes' and 'no.'
All the petitions and messages are respectfully and peacefully worded, but do read before you sign, and don't sign anything you don't agree with.

Thanks for reading and taking action!

Drying Herbs

I've been growing herbs and wanted to preserve the herbs that I didn't use fresh. Drying them is easy, and once dry they keep well in a plastic sealed container. This is how to dry them:

Step one: pick your herbs. Not all herbs dry well- The herbs that I've found dry well are thyme, oregano, marjoram, and, surprisingly (it has a high water content) lemon balm. Rosemary also drys reasonably well, but stay away from sage. If you're not sure about a herb, try a little bit to test.

Step two: cut bunches of the herbs, and tie each type of herb in a separate bunch with a piece of string or elastic band. Make sure you cut stems, too, so you can fasten them by the stems.

Step three: place the bunches in paper bags, and tie the tops of the paper bags with string or elastic bands. Try not to place strong herbs alongside herbs with a weaker scent and flavour.

Step four: leave them for about a month. Less time will work for some herbs, but some need more, so check them every two weeks.

Step five: use them! You can easily grind them with a mortar and pestle, or sprinkle them in or over dishes, or you could even make tea or tea bags out of them.

Enjoy your naturally dried herbs! If you have a large crop of a herb that doesn't dry well, you could try freezing them- either in ice cubes, or just on a baking tray in the freezer.

Thanks for reading!

Earth Day

Earth day (April 22) celebrates the environment and Earth, and is intended to raise awareness about environmental issues. Here are some suggestions for meaningful Earth day celebrations:

1. Plant a tree, or any plant really. Trees use carbon dioxide to make oxygen, so they use up excess carbon dioxide and greenhouse gas emissions.

2. Have an Earth day meal, using organic or home-grown food. (See suggestion 9)

3. Learn more about environmental issues, such as climate change.

4. Go on a rubbish walk- walk pretty much anywhere, collecting rubbish and litter. Remember to wear gloves.

5. Have a clothes swap- invite people over, and have everyone bring old clothes that they don't want anymore; everyone (including you!) donates clothes and swaps them for other people's unneeded ones.

6. Raise money for an important cause-maybe for a group helping animals that have lost their habitats, or for a charity such as Oxfam or Amnesty International.

7. Try and use as little electricity as possible- turn off your computer and TV, and try using candles instead of electric lights.

8. Go outside, and enjoy the natural world outdoors.

9. Go to a farmers market; farmers markets usually sell lots of fresh food, fruit and veggies. (See suggestion 2)

10. Hug a tree- we know how beneficial trees are for the environment, so enjoy them and show them some love.

Thanks for reading! Have a great Earth day!

Rest In Peace, Margaret Thatcher

Yesterday, on the 8th of April, 2013, Margaret Thatcher, Britain's first female prime minister died, aged 87.
Often known as 'The Iron Lady,' Margaret Thatcher was an influential and controversial figure in politics; whether you agreed or disagreed with her policies and decisions, it cannot be denied that she was a strong and powerful woman, and an influential and decisive politician.

Here is a link to a news story about her death yesterday: http://www.abc.net.au/news/2013-04-08/former-british-pm-margaret-thatcher-dies-following-stroke/4617126

Human Right Websites.

Here are some links to Human Rights Websites- On Amnesty International you can take action online on many important causes. All of the sites have information on human rights, which is why I am posting the links.

Amnesty International- this website provides infomation on important causes, a newsletter, and you can take action online.  http://www.amnesty.org.au/  

The Official United Nations Website- this has information on human rights, peace and security, development, humanitarian affairs, and international law, as well as world UN news.
http://www.un.org/en/

Oxfam website- Oxfam provides information on it's projects and campaigns, as well as an Oxfam shop where you can buy fair trade products.
https://www.oxfam.org.au/

Human Rights Watch- this websites provides international news, information on it's campaigns, and a newsletter. http://www.hrw.org/home

Youth For Human Rights- it aims to educate young people about human rights, and to take action against discrimination.
http://www.youthforhumanrights.org/

There's five human rights websites for you to browse. The links I've provided for Amnesty International and Oxfam are to the Australian websites, sorry if you live outside of Australia. If you look around on the internet it shoud be pretty easy to find versions applicable to your country of residence.

Thanks for reading!

Books!
 This is a list of some of my favourite books. 

Goodnight, Mr Tom- by Michelle Margorian.
The classic book about children in war and the relationship between Mr Tom and young evacuee Will.

Cat's Eye- by Margaret Atwood.
A book about how our childhood experiences will help to shape our adult selves.

1984- by George Orwell.
Set in a dystopian future, this is a warning about the evils of totalitarianism.

The Chronicles Of Narnia- by C.S Lewis.
 Especially The Lion, The Witch, And The Wardrobe; these are great adventure stories about the White Witch, the Pevensie children, and Aslan the lion.  

Mansfield Park- by Jane Austen.
The love story of Fanny Price and  her cousin Edmund.

Pride and Prejudice- by Jane Austen.
Jane Austen's most famous book, about Elizabeth Bennett, her family, and her relationship with striking Mr Darcy.

I Capture The Castle- by Dodie Smith.
The story about the coming of age of Cassandra Mortmain.

The Children's War: WW2 Through The Eyes Of The Children Of Britain- by Juliet Gardiner.
Exactly what the title says, it is a collection of photos and text about children on the Home Front.

Thank you for reading.

Hi!

I am a fifteen year old girl living in the Southern Hemisphere. I will posting book lists, and links to websites and to news stories about issues I feel are important- such as peace, feminism, equality, nature, art, and crafts; I will be also be posting ideas for meaningful ways to celebrate days such as Earth day and Harmony day.
The title of this blog refers to to Virginia Woolf's classic book Three Guineas:

'...[A]society which the daughters of educated men might found and join...In the first place, this new society, you will be relieved to learn, would have no honorary treasurer, for it would need no funds. It would have no office, no committee, no secretary; it would call no meetings; it would hold no conferences. If name it must have, it could be called the Outsiders' Society...It would consist of educated men's daughters working in their own class - how indeed can they work in any other? - and by their own methods for liberty, equality and peace.' (A Room Of One's Own and Three Guineas, by Virginia Woolf, annotated edition published by Penguin Books, 1993)

This blog is my (small) segment of the Outsider's Society.

Goodbye for now, thank you for reading!