It’s no secret that I read A LOT of YA books, which tend to suffer from the dead or absent parent trope.

Which, pragmatically, I understand, because what sane mother is allowing their child, chosen or otherwise, to take on dark lords, ride dragons, and put their lives on the line?! But as a mother whose child is quickly inching her way to that YA age, it worries me. You know, because what if she gets ideas and decides to off me for the sake of adventure? I mean, I might let her do the whole riding a dragon thing, but taking on a dark lord? Pfft. Some days, I’m not convinced she won’t manage to kill herself just opening the front door.

So today, for Mother’s Day, I thought it’d be fun to celebrate the mothers who somehow managed to not die off or conveniently disappear and actually took an active role in their child, like, not dying a horrible, painful death.

Because mothers are so underappreciated. Not that I’m biased or anything. Here are some of my favorite strong mothers. The books may not be about them, but … we all know who the real heroes are. 😉

The dragons, obviously. We might be good, but last time I checked, mothers couldn’t fly and breathe fire. Just saying.

✦ Harry Potter ✦

I’m going to start with the most obvious one and get it out of the way, because you had to know this was coming. The quintessential Mama Bear character: Molly Weasley. She cooks. She cleans. She threatens the kids appropriately if they step out of line. No one can deny her heart of gold and how much she cares for those kids, and her fight scene with Bellatrix where she protects Ginny is legendary. But this isn’t so much about her.

The great thing about Harry Potter is exactly how many strong mothers there are. For example, Nymphadora Tonks, who fought to be with the man she loved, despite his reservations and fears. Who fought equally hard for a world that her son could grow up safely in, even though it cost her her life.

Another often unsung hero is Tonks’ mother: Andromeda Tonks (nee Black). I mean, she’s not had a good run of it. She turned her back on her family and chose the man she loved, and despite the tragedy in that, raised a pretty awesome daughter. She also lost so much during the war, yet she never hesitated to raise Teddy and be there for him.

Then, of course, there’s Narcissa Malfoy, who despite being mostly a villain in the series, clearly cared very deeply about her family, especially her son. Even to the point where she lied to Voldemort, risking her and her husband’s life for Draco.

✦ My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She’s Sorry ✦

This story is partly about Elsa, but also, Elsa is just discovering who Granny actually was before she became the lovable, yet slightly eccentric, character that’s introduced early on in the book. I mean, she seemed pretty fantastic just as it is. But there’s way more to the spitfire old lady than first meets the eye.

Granny and Ulrika (Elsa’s grandmother and mother, respectively) are super strong mother figures here, and the dynamic between three generations is a bit … muddled. See, when Ulrika was young, Granny was always away. You know, saving other people, which is great for everyone except her daughter, who just wanted a mother. The adventures that Granny goes on, though, are outstanding, and we get to meet the people she’s helped, and it just culminates into this picture of a beautiful, strong, yet imperfect woman who did the best she could. And honestly, isn’t that all that any of us can do?

Ulrika herself has trouble relating to her daughter, Elsa, but wants to be there for her. She just doesn’t always know how. So part of this book is also her learning how to be a mother to a stubborn, spitfire young girl who is too much like Granny for her liking. The interweaving of all the characters, as well as the family dynamics, were just inspiring.

✦ Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe ✦

What is this?! A YA where all the parents are alive? And present? Can that even be done? Is this the end times I’ve heard so much about?!

I was super impressed with both Ari’s mother and Dante’s mother, who I’m sure have names, but I can’t remember them because I’m bad with names and Google has failed me. Both were super supportive and patient as their kids worked through their teenage angst. They not only supported them, but also gave them the room they needed to discover themselves.

More than that, this book was partly about not only the boys finding themselves, but Ari’s parents learning about themselves. Because guys, being a parent is hard. And sometimes you mess up, and that is just terrifying. The best thing was that Ari’s mother owned her mistakes and learned from them, as all good mothers are wont to do. Her arc was so poignant and relatable.

✦ The Astonishing Color of After ✦

So, this book opens with Leigh’s mother killing herself, which may at first seem maybe a bit counter-intuitive to the theme. But depression is hard and insidious and can often go unnoticed. As the book unfolds, it becomes obvious just how strong Dory Sanders, Leigh’s mother, has been throughout her life. She leaves behind her beloved family and comes to America, falls in love, and has a child. In doing so, she’s essentially disowned, so she does her best to make a new life.

While, ultimately, Dory’s depression claims her life, there are so many flashbacks to the beautiful moments she shares with her daughter and, before that, moments she shared with her family growing up. Even though it’s posthumously, the reader gets a really good feel for what an amazing woman she was.

✦ Calling Me Home ✦

This book was so hard to read without my blood boiling, but really, it’s a tale of two mothers, from two different times, doing their best to make their way in the world and not muck it up.

Isabelle McAllister is a white woman who makes the mistake of falling for a black man when this was clearly not okay. Then, to make matters worse, she gets pregnant. When the baby comes too early, though, not only does she lose the man she loves, but the child that was a little of them both.

Decades later, her friend, Dorrie Curtis, is dealing with her own motherly problems, with a teenage son getting into trouble. You know, like teenagers do. But this sort of trouble could really ruin his life, and Dorrie isn’t sure how to set him straight.

This story was powerful in so many ways, and the two women were both strong, but unsure of themselves, trying to find their way in a world they weren’t quite sure they belonged in.

✦ Daughters of the Dragon ✦

Speaking of books that were hard on the heart to read. This one. Phew, it destroyed my feels more times than I could count.

Ja-hee is just … amazing. I’m pretty sure there’s not another word for it. The atrocities she endures and survives through are staggering, but survive she does. Eventually, even, she occasionally thrives. There are so many times it seemed like she should have died, but pulled through with a little bit of luck and a lot of willpower.

This is one of those books that just has to be read. There’s really no describing it, except that I will say it’s based on real events. Real people did, in fact, suffer through these horrendous situations, and that just made the story all the more powerful (and disturbing).

✦ Every Man Dies Alone ✦

This is another book that’s based on a true story—a real-life couple named Otto and Elise Hampel. And I know this post is about mothers, but I’m calling Otto out in here, too, because this duo were a team, and an amazing one at that.

In this book, of course, their names have been changed to Otto and Anna Quangel. When they find out that their only son has been killed in France during World War II, they become disillusioned with Hitler and the war. Despite the fact that it may very well cost them their lives, they engage in an act of defiance—leaving postcards with anti-Nazi rhetoric in public locations—in the hope that it will spare someone else’s parents the grief they’ve gone through.

While the book was a bit of a slow, dry read, the characters were wonderful to watch, as they went from this quiet, introverted couple who loved their son dearly to a couple that had this burning passion to change their country for the better in whatever small way they could.

What are some strong mother characters that you enjoyed reading?