B is for Bella Swan.
Sometime in the last several years, Bella became the anti-Christ - or at least the anti-Hermione and anti-Katniss. I love that current YA heroines are less "damsel-in-distress" and more "I'll kick your ass if you hurt someone I care about." I think Bella still falls into that second category. She is, in my opinion, a great character because she's tough, strong, self-sacrificing (for her family), beautiful, and too insecure to realize how great she is. I think many teenage girls (and maybe even some 20somethings and 30somethings) are also insecure. And many of those teenage girls want someone else (Edward/Jacob/Charlie/all of the above) to see how tough and strong they are. Bella is a great character because she is relatable. I think many girls want to be brave and heroic like Katniss, but they find themselves relating to Bella because Bella has those sides to her but doesn't realize it.
Why I like Bella: She isn't perfect. She's beautiful but doesn't know it. She's an insecure clutz who's still has a lot of strength.
