Because you like Lyra Belacqua in The Golden Compass

Southern belle Scarlett O'Hara is a heart-melter who has no problem looking after herself. See them in Gone with the Wind.

Smart but insecure, Tally Youngblood is torn between what she wants and what her society demands. See them in Uglies.

Ofelia is face-to-face with the deadliest creatures of the underworld and completely unafraid. See them in Pan's Labryinth.

Though raised to think of himself as a monster, Quasimodo has a heart that holds nothing but compassion. See them in The Hunchback of Notre Dame.

Jesse Tuck dreams of finding someone to join his unusual family. See them in Tuck Everlasting.

Curving free kicks and crosses is tough, but keeping her soccer passion from her disapproving family is way tougher for Jess. See them in Bend It Like Beckham.

Raised to happily follow the rules, Cassia might actually be more rebellious than she thinks she is. See them in Matched .

Although she's only six, Hushpuppy is a tough girl ready to stand up to terrifying, pre-historic beasts after the storm. See them in Beasts of the Southern Wild.

Despite the undeniably awful turn her life has taken, Rachel handles herself with remarkable grace. See them in Me and Earl and the Dying Girl .

A few millennia in the mortal realm have caused DEATH to be quite enamored of life. See them in Discworld.

The Warden of the camp says that digging holes in the desert builds character, but Stanley Yelnats suspects there's more to it. See them in Holes.

A champion of chivalry, Don Quixote is dutifully bringing good to the world—even when others think he's out of his mind. See them in Don Quixote.