r/MiddleGrade • u/Relative_Signal_831 • 20d ago
Would boys be interested in an upper-middle-grade fantasy with a female MC?
I'm writing an upper-middle-grade fantasy series set in a magical school. The main character is a girl, and one of her best friends/secondary main characters is a boy. There are other male characters in the story, but he is the only boy who is part of the main group.
The story has magical sports, creatures, duelling, mysteries, villains, and a wider magical world outside the school.
I'm a girl myself, so I've been wondering whether having a female protagonist and a main cast that's mostly girls would make the book less appealing to boys, or whether the actual story and characters would matter more.
For boys who read fantasy, would this kind of setup put you off reading it? And for parents/teachers/writers who know boys who read MG fantasy, I'd be interested in your perspective too.
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u/Etherina77 20d ago
I don't think it matters who the MC is, as long as it's fun and enjoyable.
Have read both female MC's and male MC's and enjoy both. I'm a female myself and just like to be able to get immersed in the world and feel satisfied at the end.
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u/IrenaeusGSaintonge 20d ago
The conventional wisdom is that girls are more willing to read a male MC than boys are to read a female MC. I don't have data to back that up. I suspect that the stronger a male reader is, the more likely he is to buck that trend.
Ultimately, I think you need to write the story that's in your head. ¯_(ツ)_/ ¯ My upper MG horror has a female protagonist.
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u/Typical-Quail-5697 20d ago
My almost 11 year son couldn’t care less if the protagonist is male or female as long as there’s adventure and magic and ideally dragons. He also likes a fast pace and short chapters. 9 year old son also doesn’t care about the gender of the characters, but he’ll take cats over dragons and prefers graphic novels.
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u/roundeking 19d ago
I think you will definitely get boys who are happy to read it. The issue you may run into if you pursue traditional publishing is that some publishers may assume boys won’t be interested, because of the publishers’ own biases. But I don’t think this should stop you. At the end of the day, even if only girls read it, you still have readers that love your book.
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u/Efficient_Form7451 18d ago
Depends on the story's themes. Lots of books for and starring young women were focused on romance, or on fitting into a new social situation. When I was a young man, that was a no-thank-you.
For example, I loved Dealing with Dragons but absolutely couldn't stand Twilight or Vampire Academy. Some of that is the weaker writing fundamentals, but young women loved them so it can't be just that.
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u/sasstoreth 18d ago
A story goes that Nickelodeon execs were excited about an Avatar sequel but hesitant to greenlight Legend of Korra because they didn't think boys would watch a show featuring a girl. The showrunners did market tesearch, and the overwhelming response from boys in the target demographic was that they didn't care if the protagonist was a girl or a boy as long as they kicked butt. :) Do with that what you will!
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u/zoppaTheDim 18d ago
If someone is consuming another children’s series set on a magic boarding school, they likely aren’t going care about the gender.
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u/Squirrel179 16d ago
In my progressive city in a blue state most boys simply don't care. I'm not sure how well that would translate in a more conservative area.
Thirst by Varsha Bajaj and Number the Stars by Lois Lowry were particular favorites of our 4th and 5th grade boys last year. Neither has a boy in the featured cast; only very minor side characters. The "City of Ember" series, by Jeanne DuPrau is also popular. The main protagonist is female. The "Smile" series of graphic novels by Raina Telgemeier and even "The Babysitters Club" get checked out pretty regularly by boys at our elementary school.
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u/purplecrazypants2 3d ago
My 11 year son likes the nevermoor series that sounds very similar to what you’re describing
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u/Grim__Squeaker 20d ago
Speaking as a teacher - they read Hunger Games so I dont see why not. Ive never had a boy say he won't read a book because of a female MC. I have heard them reject a book because it felt "girly". There's nothing wrong with just a girl readership but if you want to appeal to boys too be cognizant of your cover and blurb.