Sunday, December 11, 2011

Male Protagonists in YA

I had the chance to read Tempest by Julie Cross after scoring an ARC from Goodreads. Jackson Meyer can jump in time, and after his girlfriend Holly is suddenly shot, he has to save her life by jumping back in time. It's a great read, full of twists and turns, and I'll write a review really soon!

The book got me thinking, and I thought I'd make a post about young adult fiction (and some middle grade) with male protagonists.

The Big Ones
The ones you probably already know about, but they're so good I couldn't leave them out.
1. Harry Potter series by JK Rowling
2. Camp Half-Blood series by Rick Riordan (Percy Jackson)
3. Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini (Eragon)
4. The Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer

Paranormal/Horror
1. Beastly by Alex Flinn
2. The Monstrumologist series by Rick Yancey
3. The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff
4. The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
5. Malice by Chris Wooding
6. The Chronicles of Vladimir Todd by Heather Brewer
7. Beautiful Creatures by Kami Garcia
8. Night Road by A.M. Jenkins
9. The Demon's Lexicon series by Sarah Reess Brennan
10. The New Kid by Temple Matthews
11. Hold Me Closer, Necromancer by Lish McBride
12. Overflow by Jason Letts
13. A Song After Dark by Grant Palmquist
14. Demon Whisperer by Tawny Stokes
15. Death Whispers by Tamara Rose Blodgett

Science Fiction/Fantasy
(P/D = Post-Apocalyptic/Dystopian, SP = Steampunk, EF = Epic Fantasy, CF = Contemporary Fantasy) 
1. Gone series by Michael Grant (P/D) (shifting POV)
2. I Am Number Four by Pittacus Lore (CF)
3. The Dreamwalker's Child by Steve Voake
4. Leviathan and Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld (SP) (one of the protagonists is male, one female)
5. Monster Blood Tattoo series by D. M. Cornish (EF)
6. Boneshaker by Cherie Priest (SP)
7. The Queen's Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner (shifting POVs through the series)
8. Matt Cruse series by Kenneth Oppel (SP)
9. Chaos Walking by Patrick Ness (P/D)
10. The Winter Prince by Elizabeth Wein
11. Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi (P/D)
12. Tempest by Julie Cross (CF)
13. Talent Chronicles by Susan Bischoff (CF) (one male, one female)
14. The Giver by Lois Lowry (P/D)
15. The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly
16. The Gates by John Connolly
17. The Witch's Boy by Michael Gruber
18. Noah Zarc: Mammoth Trouble by D. Robert Pease
19. The Soulkeepers Series by G.P. Ching (CF)
20. The Ranger's Apprentice series by John Flanagan (EF)
21. The Last Apprentice by Joseph Delaney
22. Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix (P/D)
22. Septimus Heap series by Angie Sage
23. The Bartimaeus Trilogy by Johathan Shroud
24. Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
25. Pendragon series by D.J. Machale
26. Tales of Otori by Lian Hearn (EF)
27. The Heir Chronicles by Cinda Williams Chima
28. Incarceron by Catherine Fischer (P/D, SP) (shifting POVs)
29. My Sparkling Misfortune by Laura Lond (EF)
30. Rex Rising by Chrystalla Thoma
31. Dioscuri by Chrystalla Thoma
32. LS: The Beginning by Kelvin O'Ralph (shifting POVs)
33. Scourge by David H. Burton (SP)
34. The Legend of Witch Bane by Kevis Hendrickson (EF)
35. Footsteps in Time by Sarah Woodbury (could also classify as Historical)
36. Prince of Time by Sarah Woodbury (could also classify as Historical)
37. Through the Portal by Justin Dennis (EF)
38. The Moreno Brothers series by Elizabeth Reyes

General Fiction
(H = Humor, A = Adventure, M = Mystery)
1. John Green's books: An Abundance of Katherines, Paper Towns, and Looking for Alaska. John Green's fiction deals with a variety of subjects, and his voice is great.
2. Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson
3. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher
4. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie (H)
5. Also Known as Rowan Pohi by Ralph Fletcher
6. Deadly, Unna? by Phillip Gwynne
7. I Am The Messenger by Markus Zusak
8. Wolfe Brothers series by Markus Zusak
9. The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky
10. Dangerous Lives of Altar Boys by Chris Fuhrman (H)
11. Notes from the Midnight Driver by Jordan Sonnenblick
12. My Most Excellent Year by Steve Kluger
13. It's Kind of a Funny Story by Ned Vizzini
14. Burger Wuss and Thirsty by M.T. Anderson
15. The Body of Christopher Creed by Carol Plum-Ucci (M)
16. Skin by Adrienne Maria Vrettos
17. Spanking Shakespeare by Jake Wizner (H)
18. Alex Rider series by Anthony Horowitz (A)
19. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon
20. Going Bovine by Libba Bray
21. Holes by Louis Sachar
22. Be More Chill by Ned Vizzini
23. Slow Burn by Joel Arnold (A)
24. The Farewell Season by Ann Herrick
25. Bailing by Carol Hanrahan

Historical Fiction
1. Montmorency series by Eleanor Updale
2. The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt
3. The Five Ancestors by Jeff Stone

Undiscovereds
These are brand new reads with male protagonists

This list will be updated. Hopefully with your suggestions in the comments! Who are your favorite male protagonists in YA fiction or otherwise?

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