The Best Young Adult Books of February

Why do all these recommended books have only female protagonists and/or female-centric story lines? Do young men no longer read? My 13-year old son turned his nose up when he read the 'blurbs' on these. He's an avid reader and an active member of our local library; if he won't read them I'd be surprised if any other male teenager would.

Simon wrote: "Why do all these recommended books have only female protagonists and/or female-centric story lines? Do young men no longer read? My 13-year old son turned his nose up when he read the 'blurbs' on t..."

I too thought same after reading the blurbs.

Simon wrote: "Why do all these recommended books have only female protagonists and/or female-centric story lines? Do young men no longer read? My 13-year old son turned his nose up when he read the 'blurbs' on t..."

I recently thought about this as well. YA is now mostly dominated by female writers and female protagonist.

I'm happy that there are so many strong female characters but at the same time boys seems to be left behind by the new YA books which are sad.

I recently read a comment which claimed that teenage girls read more than teenage boys so of course publishers will prefer books targeted at teenage girls rather than teenage boys. And I certainly think this is no the right thing to do! Would love to see an edition of "the best young adult books of February with male protagonist!"

Let's spread the love for reading. ❤📚

And I want to read a fantasy Young Adult with a strong male protagonist as well! It would be definitely a great change in the current YA scene.

If women can spend lifetimes putting themselves in male shoes in order to appreciate works of fiction for decades now I think boys can start reading from the view of women. Teach your sons that they are surrounded by women and it's important to read in their narrative to relate better to them.
I wish as a teen I knew boys who would read or watch female centric media. Maybe it would have made them more sympathetic to my life.
Give your sons books about girls, stop making it 'girls books' or 'boys books'. They are books, they are stories about dragons, politics, love and war.

Yes! Charley Cook nailed it. Everyone can read and enjoy books with protagonists of every gender. People need to stop perpetuating the idea that boys will only read books with male leads.

We need more boys to start writing.

MischaS_ wrote: "Simon wrote: "Why do all these recommended books have only female protagonists and/or female-centric story lines? Do young men no longer read? My 13-year old son turned his nose up when he read the..."

I'm a girl! And I'm always on the look out for ya books with lead characters! It's interesting to kniw how the opposite gender's brains work. Why the heck do publishers think that!! Totally agree with your points

Charley wrote: "If women can spend lifetimes putting themselves in male shoes in order to appreciate works of fiction for decades now I think boys can start reading from the view of women. Teach your sons that the..."

Yes you are right but the thing is ya books are mostly with female lead protagonists. A person can get sick of it sometimes...

Hi all! I'd love to see boys be more open to reading YA lit written from a female POV; that being said, if you're looking for a contemporary YA written from a male POV, might I suggest (ahem, cough, cough) my own YA novel "Flight Risk?"

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3...

Charley wrote: "If women can spend lifetimes putting themselves in male shoes in order to appreciate works of fiction for decades now I think boys can start reading from the view of women. Teach your sons that the..."

Totally agree with you.

Simon wrote: "Why do all these recommended books have only female protagonists and/or female-centric story lines? Do young men no longer read? My 13-year old son turned his nose up when he read the 'blurbs' on t..."

And? What prevents him from reading it? The fact that there are female leads? I have been an avid reader since i was 8 and most of the books had male leads...I don't see why your son shouldn't read these.

Sara wrote: And? What prevents him from reading it? The fact that there are female leads? I have been an avid reader since i was 8 and most of the books had male leads...I don't see why your son shouldn't read these.

Exactly, Sara! I can't agree with you more. When I was a kid the first book I read was Harry Potter. Who was the main character there? And the second series I read as a child was Artemis Fowl. Another male protagonist. Then, I read Percy Jackson.

I never even once complained to my mother about how terrible it was that I didn't have a Katniss Everdeen to look up to. It's ridiculous to think that a boy can't read from a female perspective when we as women have been forced to read from a male perspective for years -- and we still loved and enjoyed those stories infinitely, no matter the gender of the protagonist.

Charley wrote: "If women can spend lifetimes putting themselves in male shoes in order to appreciate works of fiction for decades now I think boys can start reading from the view of women. Teach your sons that the..."

We need a 'like' button of some sort so I can slam it! Nailed it!

EXCUSE ME!! I belive you forgot Bloodwitch by Susan Dennard!

Ana wrote: "Sara wrote: And? What prevents him from reading it? The fact that there are female leads? I have been an avid reader since i was 8 and most of the books had male leads...I don't see why your son sh..."

I loved this "and we still loved and enjoyed those stories infinitely, no matter the gender of the protagonist".

Also, I believe it's cool/important to have such variety of leads. I don't say you have to like every character personality but putting aside a book just because of the gender of the lead? It's ridiculous!

Charley wrote: "If women can spend lifetimes putting themselves in male shoes in order to appreciate works of fiction for decades now I think boys can start reading from the view of women. Teach your sons that the..."

Bravo

Yeah... It would be nice for people to get recommendations (and find books in an easier manner) for both genders indeed.

I understand that there was a time when mostly men wrote books and now some people feel the need for "payback" (though I couldn't care less who's the narrator for myself), but even I am getting tired of reading about princesses and such to my 3 years old.. Ok, I am exaggerating, they are mostly simple girls, but it's true that I am having trouble finding books he could relate with better - and it would be just nice for this not to be the case.

Not sure why people have to argue about this matter.

Simon wrote: "Why do all these recommended books have only female protagonists and/or female-centric story lines? Do young men no longer read? My 13-year old son turned his nose up when he read the 'blurbs' on t..."

Okay, and? Like many have said before me, women have been forced to read male perspectives for a long time! Barely any books I had to read growing up in school had a female lead. It's so refreshing to see all of these YA books written with a female lead. It's reignited my love for reading. Why are you gendering reading?

Simon wrote: "Why do all these recommended books have only female protagonists and/or female-centric story lines? Do young men no longer read? My 13-year old son turned his nose up when he read the 'blurbs' on t..."

Even as a woman, I thought the exact same thing. It's great that there are more "strong female heroine" books for girls. However, girls by far are already more avid readers than boys in their same age group. Lets be sure to keep those boys reading with good role models too!

#ownvoices, people. Sure, the mom should encourage her son to read outside of his comfort zone, but that doesn't mean he loses the need to find relatable voices inside a book.

Melissa wrote: "We need more boys to start writing."

We're working on it! Writing would be more common if reading were more common, but, sadly, that isn't seen as fun by many.

Felicia wrote: "Yes! Charley Cook nailed it. Everyone can read and enjoy books with protagonists of every gender. People need to stop perpetuating the idea that boys will only read books with male leads."

I don't care what gender the lead is, as long as I feel like the story is one worth experiencing! I just want to read a good book, and that depends on more than the main character's gender.

Charley wrote: "If women can spend lifetimes putting themselves in male shoes in order to appreciate works of fiction for decades now I think boys can start reading from the view of women. Teach your sons that the..."


💯

Simon wrote: "Why do all these recommended books have only female protagonists and/or female-centric story lines? Do young men no longer read? My 13-year old son turned his nose up when he read the 'blurbs' on t..."

Well, it's sad your son thinks stories about women aren't worth reading.
Imagine no girl would have read Harry Potter, just because it starrs a boy.

Why are only male protagonists considered universally relevant?
This is some of the most deeply rooted sexism I have encountered.

Ari wrote: "Yeah... It would be nice for people to get recommendations (and find books in an easier manner) for both genders indeed.

I understand that there was a time when mostly men wrote books and now som..."

They argue because there is an obvious imbalance based on gender.
While it's considered normal for girls to read stories of male authors about male protagonists, it seems to be inacceptable that boys read female authors and/or about female protagonists.
Girls are expected to be able to identify with boys, but not vice versa.
That is unjust, and sexist.

If women can spend lifetimes putting themselves in male shoes in order to appreciate works of fiction for decades now I think boys can start reading from the view of women. Teach your sons that they are surrounded by women and it's important to read in their narrative to relate better to them.
I wish as a teen I knew boys who would read or watch female centric media. Maybe it would have made them more sympathetic to my life.
Give your sons books about girls, stop making it 'girls books' or 'boys books'. They are books, they are stories about dragons, politics, love and war."


Best. Comment.

A great article from Shannon Hale (an amazing author for girls and boys) on this topic!
https://www.washingtonpost.com/entert...

Also, there are plenty of YA books that follow both boys and girls! Leviathan is one of my favorite series for this. Gone is also good, but may be for slightly older teens.

And why are they all so bleak sounding?

Simon wrote: "Why do all these recommended books have only female protagonists and/or female-centric story lines? Do young men no longer read? My 13-year old son turned his nose up when he read the 'blurbs' on t..."

I've actually thought the same thing. I think it's important for young boys to be represented as much as girls are. I would love to see more books about boys, and those including boys of color.

Aenea wrote: "Simon wrote: "Why do all these recommended books have only female protagonists and/or female-centric story lines? Do young men no longer read? My 13-year old son turned his nose up when he read the..."

Aeana, you could legit say that about white characters. How it's often a struggle to find books about people of color in the libraries that I go to. And when we are written into book, we're just there because the writer wanted to check off the fact that they were "diverse". How white characters are considered universally relevant because the white experience is the default experience.
Maybe Simon's son would like to see himself represented as something other than the love interest who has nothing to do with the plot. Something other than the brooding, male alpha, bad boy, or another stereotype. It's okay to want to see yourself represented. I think Simon had a legitimate question and I've actually asked that question myself as a girl.

Charley wrote: "If women can spend lifetimes putting themselves in male shoes in order to appreciate works of fiction for decades now I think boys can start reading from the view of women. Teach your sons that the..."

Girl. He wants to see himself represented and that's okay. Would you say that same thing to the young black girl or the young filipino girl who wants to see a book where the main character and the author look like her? Or would you see stop making it about race?
Representation is something that everyone needs to have regardless of race, gender, or sexual identity. That means that having female (poc or lgbtq+) representation should not be about wiping out male (white or straight) protagonists, but rather adding other stories to the mix so that everyone can read a book where they see themselves in the story,

Melissa wrote: "We need more boys to start writing."

They do (not so much as women, but they still do), but a lot of times they will write books with female leads as well.

YES Charley! 100% agree

Karen wrote: "And why are they all so bleak sounding?"

Ah, good point. I recommended those because those were my reading preferences in middle/high school. I definitely skew sci fi/fantasy so those are the genres most of my recs will come from.

Other commendations that aren't quite as with male protagonists with strong female characters (for the most part) would be Eragon (fantasy), The Merchant of Death (fantasy), any John Green.

Simon wrote: "Why do all these recommended books have only female protagonists and/or female-centric story lines? Do young men no longer read? My 13-year old son turned his nose up when he read the 'blurbs' on t..."

Can't your boy read these? They're still YA books.

Melissa wrote: "We need more boys to start writing."

No, we don't.
Men always had the advantage when it came to writing and publishing. Not only had they the education to actually learn good writing, they also had the necessary life experiences to be able to write interesting characters.
The reason there seem to be more female writers now is because more women have higher education and get more varied life experiences than 200 or more years ago.

While I have no numbers to back this up, I still think there are more male writers.
And even if they don't have the ups in numbers, male writers and male protagonists are still considered more relevant: https://theconversation.com/books-by-...

Charley wrote: "If women can spend lifetimes putting themselves in male shoes in order to appreciate works of fiction for decades now I think boys can start reading from the view of women. Teach your sons that the..."

Thank you.

Simon wrote: "Why do all these recommended books have only female protagonists and/or female-centric story lines? Do young men no longer read? My 13-year old son turned his nose up when he read the 'blurbs' on t..."


If your son won't read books with female characters as leads, that says more about him and his ability to empathize with women, as well as your parenting, than it does about the YA industry.

My favorite series such as Harry Potter and Percy Jackson are male based and I never in my mind thought about their gender I was more focused on the story. Magic and mythology! Everything is accessible for everyone !

Hey, if it looks like a good book, just read it and enjoy it! Here are some suggestions for books with male protagonists, however.
Drums, Girls and Dangerous Pie- Jordan Sonnenblick
Notes From a Midnight Driver- Jordan Sonnenblick
If You’re Reading This-Trent Reedy
Yard Wars- Taylor Kitchings ( historical fiction)
And that’s just a few; I’ll update as I remember more!🙂📚📚📚

Charley wrote: "Give your sons books about girls, stop making it 'girls books' or 'boys books'. They are books, they are stories about dragons, politics, love and war."

This! This right here! I agree completely with Charley.

Oh, here’s one: Death By Toilet Paper- Donna Gephart ( the title alone is guaranteed to capture anyone’s attention!🤣)

Ok, this is addictive; I love recommending good books!💕
The Outsiders by Susie Hinton and Twerp by Mark Goldblatt

I've always loved reading. Gender never really mattered to me, protagonist or author. I grew up on Ramona, and Beezus, and Cam Jansen, but also Peter and Fudge. Then so many more, all through the years. That said, I wrote my book, Loser Fooser, with a high school boy as the lead. I had been warned not to do this, but I thought it was important to have all sorts of options.

These comments are hilarious.

Simon wrote: "Why do all these recommended books have only female protagonists and/or female-centric story lines? Do young men no longer read? My 13-year old son turned his nose up when he read the 'blurbs' on t..."

ong i know

Simon wrote: "Why do all these recommended books have only female protagonists and/or female-centric story lines? Do young men no longer read? My 13-year old son turned his nose up when he read the 'blurbs' on t..."

Has he read all of the Ranger's Apprentice books and spin-offs by John Flanagan? They're great! Women are writing YA thus they are writing female leads. Look for Pierce Brown, Jonathan Maberry, Neal Shusterman, Ransom Riggs, Rick Riordan, and as your son gets older; Shaun David Hutchinson, Jason Reynolds, Adam Silvera, David Levithan. I can see why he would want to read relatable books at that age.

Simon wrote: "Why do all these recommended books have only female protagonists and/or female-centric story lines? Do young men no longer read? My 13-year old son turned his nose up when he read the 'blurbs' on t..."

If you watch the show "Friends from College" on Netflix they kind of joke about this. They actually say word-for-word "boys don't read" in regards to YA.

I do agree with you that there needs to be a balance. I personally love all the strong female protagonists, but I see the problem when it can lead to a situation such as the one with your son, where they are turning their nose to books because they can't find a protagonist that they relate to (although I do have to say that he should at least be willing to give them a shot because he may be surprised in how much he loves the stories--there are some really awesome female-led stories out there [and some really awesome male-led stories as well]).

That being said, there are a lot of female-leading books that have bad-ass male characters as well. They may not have the male as the "voice" of the story, but they are just as important.

Melissa wrote: "We need more boys to start writing."

No. We do not.

Charley wrote: "If women can spend lifetimes putting themselves in male shoes in order to appreciate works of fiction for decades now I think boys can start reading from the view of women. Teach your sons that the..."

Hear hear!
I've read a ton of books with male protagonists, because we didn't have that much options either. Don't see why men can't read books about women. Of course there should also be books with a male protagonist, but honestly there are millions of those already so it's not like there are zero options.

That being said, the whole YA genre has become bleak and full of copy cats. So some fresh ideas and themes would be great all around.