The passionate love of reading is a common trait among many gifted children, although this trait may not be obvious to those directly responsible for these children. Along with advanced levels of reading, their reading interests also differ considerably from their average ability chronological peers.

This book list provides suitable reading for Grades 4 - 7 on the theme of Personal and Social Change. Whilst the list is by no means exhaustive, it is a good starting point for novels with female protagonists or important female characters.

Gifted students are often avid readers and teachers need to provide additional reading beyond the set text when planning units of work. The following is a suggested list of readings for the theme 'Courage and Survival' for grades 5 - 8.

Silverman (1986) reported that the use of intelligence testing in discovering giftedness in females is enormously effective due to its sensitivity to developmental advancement, particularly in pre-school and primary-aged children. "When early test results are ignored or considered no longer valid in the upper grades, girls suffer" (p. 59).