Literally an "
education novel", the
Bildungsroman is a familiar form of
literature. It's a
coming of age story, like
The Catcher in the Rye or
Candide.
Most Bildungsromane (plural) have been about young men, but that doesn't mean they have to be. Indeed, many of Judy Blume's novels for young adults (and many other YA stories) are Bildungsromane. (I absolutely refuse to coin the term Bildungsroman no shoujo here.)
Among sci-fi fans, Ender's Game is a particularly well-known Bildungsroman.