Awesome Mothers in YA Literature

So, in honor of Mother's Day, I want to recommend some YA books that have awesome mothers. There are so many books for kids in which the parents are either dead, absent, or uncaring. Lately though, I have read a few books in which there are mothers who are present, loving, nurturing, and engaged in the lives of their children. I want to applaud these literary mothers on Mother's Day:

Elena Vilkas
Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

This lady is a hardcore mother. It's WWII, Stalin annexes Lithuania, her husband is taken and sent to a prison camp, she and her two children are deported to Siberia. This lady is brave and smart. She does everything she can to take care of not only her family, but also all of the people with whom they are deported. She holds them all together even in the most dire and difficult of situations. She is the rock that every one of those people leans upon, and she bears it all without complaint. She's a supermom to the entire community.

My Review | Amazon | Goodreads

Maggie Gardner
Unearthly by Cynthia Hand

Clara's mother is definitely one of the better parental figures I've read in YA. She's supportive, protective, and is involved in Clara's life. She does everything that she can to help Clara find her purpose so that she can complete it. Plus, she's half angel, so she has superhuman mom powers, like flight.


Molly Weasley
Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling

Is there any other mother in all of YA literature that has such a presence even while the children are away at boarding school? The miles that separate her from her children still can't stop this mother from sending a Howler to yell at Ron in front of the entire school when he messes up. It is incredibly clear that she loves all of her (many) children, and loves Harry as a son as well. Plus, it is my educated opinion that not enough literary mothers get lines like, "Get away from my daughter, you bitch!" Molly Weasley definitely rocks maternity like nobody's business.

Amazon | Goodreads

 Starla Fern
Clarity by Kim Harrington

Clare's mom is loving and supportive. She is a single mom who runs a psychic family business in a tourist town. She takes care of her family and is involved in her children's lives. She can read minds, which can be troublesome for her children, but she can be trusted with their thoughts. Clare can also trust her mother with her problems and can feel confident that her mother will always be there for support when it is needed.


Do you have an opinion on any of these moms? Do you know of any other YA books with uber moms? I'd love to hear about them!

4 comments:

  1. I LOVE Molly Weasley. :) Especially because she has the most epic line in Deathly Hallows.

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  2. Love the round-up! I think the mothers in THE BOOK THIEF and FLASH BURNOUT are great too.

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  3. Molly is such a good pick!

    Hmmm... what about Cammie's mom, from the Gallagher Girls books.

    And this is sort of sob-worthy, but Mia's Mom (and her Dad, actually) from 'If I Stay' seemed like she was such an awesome person. *major tears*

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