Guys read, too!

Happy 2024!! My 2023 list of Young Adult titles with male main characters grew to 89! Wooo-hoo!! It only included stories told by characters who self-identified as male (no sharing the POV limelight with a female character), any genre within Young Adult, and any publishing date. And I stuck with traditionally published titles, most available at your public library. I’ll put the list at the bottom of the post.

What comes next is a re-posting of my original rant passionate essay.

Now, imagine me standing on a soapbox in the town square… Maybe with a megaphone.I weep at the scarcity of Young Adult novels written from male characters’ points of view!Dead boy reading

If you aren’t a teen aged boy, the parent of one, or maybe a savvy librarian, you probably haven’t noticed how underrepresented boys are in the teen section. Next time you peruse library or bookstore shelves, pay attention!

Don’t think teen boys read? Poppycock! My sons are avid readers. They had plenty of picture books and middle grade novels to choose from, but they burned through the YA section and had to move on to adult fiction long before I was comfortable with them doing so.

And I’m aware that YA is the ONLY category where women and girls dominate the shelves. But do we have to give girls the attention they deserve by under-serving boys?

Don’t get me wrong, most boys enjoy a good adventure told from a smart, strong female point of view, but a guy likes to see himself as the star occasionally too. Right guys?

And a lot of teen girls enjoy a boy’s perspective now and then. Right girls?

But try finding a boy on the cover in the Young Adult section at the library or your local bookstore. Pink hearts, warrior princesses, and frilly fonts prevail.

Thank goodness there’s no sell-by date on a good book! There are plenty of great novels with boy protagonists if you go back through the decades.

So my mission, and yours if you choose to accept it, is to scour YA collections, old and new, and find every book out there with a male, teen protagonist so we can compile a handy list.

Start right now! Living boys, what are you reading?Here’s my list for 2023!

It’s not comprehensive – oh no, no, no. You’ll look it over and say, “Hey, she missed this, this and this!” PLEASE tell me about them in a reply below. Unfortunately, searching – YA novels with male main characters yielded some wildly inappropriate suggestions. Goodreads had a couple of decent lists. Mainly, it took a lot of slogging through reviews and blogs, looking at covers, trying to guess whether a boy or girl told the story. I’m pretty happy that the list got as long as it did! 

Also, I didn’t read ALL of these. This isn’t a list of books I recommend, simply books that fit this narrow category.

Library friends, parents of boys, teachers and other interested readers, feel free to copy this list and add to it. It could be the only one of its kind in the whole universe!

YA Boy Book Titles Posted in 202347 Days by Annette Oppenlander96 Miles by J.L. EsplinAll That’s Left in the World, by Eric BrownAll These Bodies, by Kendare BlakeAmulet of Samarkand, by Jonathan StroudAnna Dressed in Blood, by Kendare BlakeAny Way the Wind Blows, by Rainbow RowellAshfall, by Mike MullinBallad and Dagger, by Daniel Jose OlderBillie Buckhorn, by Gary RobinsonBlue Shoe, by Roderick TownleyBootcamp, by Todd StrasserBoy in the Striped, Pajamas by John BoyneBridgeKeeper, by L.S. MooreBrothers Hawthorne, by Jennifer Lynne BarnesCarry On, by Rainbow RowellCarter Finally Gets It, by Brent CrawfordCity Beautiful, by Aden PolydorosCompound, by S.E. BodeenConcrete Rose, by Angie ThomasDarius the Great is Not Okay, by Adib KhorramDark Room Etiquette, by Robin RoeDear Evan Hansen, by Val EmmichDear Martin, by Nic StoneDemigods and Magicians, by Rick RiordanDust and Decay, by Jonathan MaberryEldest, by Christopher PaoliniEragon, by Christopher PaoliniField Guide to the North American Teenager, by Ben PhilippeFrightmares, by Eva GibsonGolden Arm, by Carl DeukerGolden Boys, by Phil StamperGospel According to Larry, by ToshjianGraveyard Boy by Neil GaimanHalf Wild, by Sally GreenHarry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, by J.K. RowlingHarry Potter and the Half Blood Prince, by JK RowlingHarvest House, by Cynthia Leitich SmithHenry Franks, by Peter Adam…I Am Number Four, by Pittacus LoreI Am the Messenger, by Markus ZusakI Hunt Killers, by Barry LygaI Must Betray You, by Ruta SepetysIf I Ever Get Out of Here, by Eric GansworthIn the Wild Light, by Jeff ZentnerIndivisible, by Daniel AlemanInfested, by Angel Luis ColonKnife of Never Letting Go, by Patrick NessLeague of Liars, by Astrid ScholteLife and Crimes of Hoodie Rosen, by Isaac BlumLightning Thief, by Rick RiordanLittle Bit Country, by Brian D. KennedyLong Run, by James AckerLong Way Down, by Jason ReynoldsMaze Runner, by James DashnerMe, Earl, and the Dying Girl, by Jesse AndrewsMorgue and Me, by John C. FordOutsiders, by S.E. HintonPassing Playbook, by Isaac FitzsimonsPerks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen ChboskyPitcher, by William HazelgroveProject Prometheus, by Douglas E. RichardsRanger’s Apprentice, by John FlanaganReady Player One, by Ernest ClineRez Ball, by Byron GravesRot & Ruin, by Jonathan MaberrySaint, by Adrienne YoungScorch Trials, by James DashnerScorpions, by Walter Dean MyersSemi-Famous, by John SundquistShelter, by Harlan CobenSixteen Souls, by Rosie TalbotSmall White Scar, by K.A. NuzumSteelheart, by Brandon SandersonStudy in Charlotte, by Brittany CavallaroSunny G’s Series of Rash Decisions, by Navdeep Singh DhillonSurrender your Sons, by Adam SassSurvive the Dome, by Kosoko JacksonThe Roof Over Our Heads, by Nicole KronzerThey Both Die at the End, by Adam SilveraThief, by Megan Whalen TurnerTraitor Prince, by C.J. RedwineWarchild, by Karin LowacheeWarm Bodies, by Isaac MarionWhite Cat, by Holly BlackWill Grayson Will Grayson, by John Green and David LevisonWitch King, by H.E. EdgmonWizard of Earthsea, by Ursula K. Le GuinYounglings, by Helena M. CraggsWhat did I miss? Let’s keep the list growing through 2024! Leave a Reply Cancel reply

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