Science Fiction / Fantasy
- GRACELING and FIRE by Kristin Cashore
- MORTAL INSTRUMENTS series by Cassandra Clare
- HUNGER GAMES and CATCHING FIRE by Suzanne Collins
- INCARCERON by Catherine Fisher
- CRY OF THE ICEMARK series by Stuart Hill
- DUST OF 100 DOGS by A.S. King
- GONE series by Lisa McMann
- TWILIGHT series by Stephenie Meyer
- MAXIMUM RIDE series by James Patterson
- LIFE AS WE KNEW IT: THE WORLD WE LIVE IN by Susan Beth Pfeffer
- HIS DARK MATERIALS series by Philip Pullman
- MORIBITO by Nahoko Uehashi (Graphic Novel)
- RUNAWAYS by Brian K. Vaughan (Graphic Novel)
- UGLIES series by Scott Westerfeld
- THE BOOK THIEF by Marcus Zusak
- SPEAK by Laurie Halse Anderson
- HEIST SOCIETY by Ally Carter
- CRANK and other books by Ellen Hopkins
- LIAR by Justina Larbalestier
- THE COMEBACK SEASON by Jennifer E. Smith
- STORY OF A GIRL by Sara Zarr
- CHAINS by Laurie Halse Anderson
- FEVER, 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson
- PERSEPOLIS by Marjane Satrapi (Graphic Novel)
- TUCK EVERLASTING by Natalie Babbitt
- WILD THINGS by Clay Carmichael
- CORALINE by Neil Gaiman (Graphic Novel)
- EON: DRAGONEYE REBORN by Alison Goodman
- THE DRAGON OF TRELIAN by Michelle Knudsen
- GATHERING BLUE by Lois Lowry
- NEIL ARMSTRONG IS MY UNCLE AND OTHER LIES MUSCLE MAN MCGINTY TOLD ME by Nan Marino
- TIFFANY ACHING books by Terry Pratchett
- TRUE MEANING OF SMEKDAY by Adam Rex
- ROSE by Jeff Smith (prequel to BONE) (Graphic Novel)
- WIZARD OF OZ by L. Frank Baum
- A WRINKLE IN TIME by Madeleine L'Engle
- ALICE'S ADVENTURES IN WONDERLAND by Lewis Carroll
- HARRIET THE SPY by Louise Fitzhugh
- TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD by Harper Lee
Can't help help noticing the abundance of titles in the fantasy and science fiction genres, as well as the number of graphic novels. I'm also curious about how many main character names and book covers on the list are "gender-neutral."
Disagree that a particular book should be on the list? Got a title to add? Leave your thoughts and suggestions in the comments, and I'll update.
17 comments:
My kids are loving Wild Things by Clay Carmichael (realistic fiction with Zoe as main character). I think it helps boys to have strong and independent girl characters, and secondary male characters as friends or mentors.
The Giver is another one...great list!
Gathering Blue is another. My nephew loves Hunger Games and Life as We Knew It series. But 13 Reasons Why...I can see why it might qualify for girl protagonist but since boy is telling story too a lot is seen through his eyes.... Good list!
THE GIVER has a male protagonist, Jonas.
Lots of my students are reading PERSEPOLIS.
Yes, I deleted 13 REASONS WHY because the main character is a guy, really, and that's true of THE GIVER, also.
Great post, thanks. I'd add all of Ellen Hopkins' books to your YA list, though.
How about Shannon Hale's Rapunzel's Revenge? Not a gender neutral cover!
Hmmm ... I don't know. A hot comic-bookish cowgirl with a cowboy checking her out in the background, plus a guy co-author and guy illustrator? The presence of guy is felt, I think. Good suggestion, though.
The most enthusiastic fans of Fever, 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson have been seventh grade boys.
I would also add Eon: Dragoneye Reborn by Alison Goodman to the list of fantasy. I think more boys than girls are reading that at my school.
Great list.
Brenda
I would also add Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld. One of the main characters, Deryn, is a girl masquerading as a boy in order to join the British army.
The boys in my 7th grade class are eating this book up.
I'm not surprised by the sci-fi/fantasy because what draws boys to these books is that they (and their main characters) tend to deal with big ideas and the main characters tend to be the explorer archetype. Put a character on the road, out to discover a truth, and gender doesn't matter to a boy reader.
I disagree that Twilight has a female hero. The main character in the book doesn't have to make any strong choices in the book or any of the series. She simply waits for her prince charming to come.
great list, mitali!
Thank you, thank you, thank you. Linking your post on our FB pages.
Hope you're well. It's been a month of Sundays since we've chatted. Come by CO and I'll make it my business to get here.
Terry Pratchett has apparently received a lot of fan mail from boys as well as girls for the Tiffany Aching books--Wee Free Man, A Hat Full of Sky, and Wintersmith. They're fantasy.
The Dragon Heir by Cinda Williams Chima. It's fantasy with a girl and a guy as a main character, so does that count? The story alternates between the girl's and the guys's first person perspective.
Heist Society by Carter
Liar by Larbalestier
Comeback Season by Smith
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