The Hero and the Crown
Robin McKinley
A brave girl
The best part of The Hero and the Crown is the first half. Aerin, a lonely and neglected royal daughter, despised by other members of the royal family because she is not a beauty and her magic is weak, wins herself a place in her father's kingdom as a dragon-slayer. Now, it must be understood that in Aerin's kingdom dragons are vermin -- small but dangerous nuisances -- the kind of petty crap no one wants to deal with. Aerin discovers an old recipe for a balm that is supposed to protect the wearer from fire. The recipe is vague and doesn't immediately work. There is a long and mostly realistic interlude in which Aerin investigates the recipe, refining it until, wearing it, she can place her hand in a fire without injury.
The next time a group of villagers shows up to report a dragon to the king, Aerin goes home with them and slays the dragon. From this she becomes the kingdom's dragon-slayer. It's a nasty, dangerous job, but she takes satisfaction in knowing that she has a useful place in the kingdom, and that she is sparing the king's soldiers from having to do it.
Thus, although it doesn't sound like it -- after all, "dragon-slayer" sounds pretty exalted! -- the first half of The Hero and the Crown is one of those stories of everyday unsung heroism. I'm a sucker for that. I always admire those people whose courage is manifested in their putting one foot in front of the other day after day.
This all changes when the ancient giant dragon Maur shows up. You would probably assume that Aerin battles Maur and wins, but it is not that simple. The Mage Luthe, who also shows up in The Blue Sword (and also by name in Naomi Novik's Uprooted -- she has confirmed that the Luthe there named is indeed a reference to McKinley's Luthe), has to help Aerin out.
I first read The Hero and the Crown in 1985 shortly after it won a Newbery Medal. I was a postdoc at MIT at the time. I remember buying the paperback in a small Cambridge bookstore that had a good selection of children's books. I remember two of the sales staff discussing the best reading order of The Blue Sword and The Hero and the Crown. This is an experience that has essentially vanished from my life since then: small bookstores with knowledgeable staff who care about books.