My cousin and her family came to visit last week, and I kept thinking of great guys I wanted to introduce to my cousin’s 16-year-old daughter, Calyn. The problem was, most of the guys were fictional.
There are a lot of great guys in YA lit. I’d really love for Calyn to meet the wildly original, open-hearted, sweet Nawat from Tamora Pierce’s Trickster’s Choice, for instance. In fact, just about any of the male heroes in Pierce’s books would do; George, the robber king from The Song of the Lioness cycle is my other fave. I’d happily introduce Calyn to Owen from Sarah Dessen’s Just Listen, Max from Cecil Castellucci’s Boyproof, Zach from Nancy Werlin’s Impossible, John from Ellen Wittlinger’s Hard Love.
I’d support dates with Jasper from Jean Webster’s Daddy-Long-Legs, or Stephen from Dodie Smith’s I Capture the Castle. And I’d love to be in-laws with Hilary McKay’s Casson family, in case Calyn found herself pairing up with Indigo. Since I’m a generous soul, I’d even allow her to date my own first literary crush: Aragorn (do I need to explain that this is Tolkien’s character from The Lord of the Rings? I didn’t think so.) Ah, Aragorn. *sigh*
When I raised the question of literary dating with Calyn herself, she admitted to a current crush on Colin in John Green’s An Abundance of Katherines (I have a soft spot for his lazy, funny best friend, Hassan).
As for suitors I’d forbid from Calyn’s doorstep: at the top of the list is Heathcliff (who was my own weakness at 18; by 30, I knew better).
So let me ask you: What characters in literature would you want your daughter to date? And whom would you never let her near?
I would pick Harry Potter of course so courageous and noble. And David and Zane from the Uglies series.
Jesse from Meg Cabot’s Mediator series. So adorable. Also, the Pookha from Emma Bull’s War for the Oaks.
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Definitely Eugenides! Not to mention Taran of Caer Dallben, Francois Joubert from A Story Like the Wind, Christopher Chant (though she’d probably want Howl), and Indigo Casson.
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Ooh, definitely Gen from the Queen’s Thief series (what’s not to love about him?!). Gilbert from Anne of Green Gables. I KNOW there’s so many more but they don’t come to mind right now…
Calvin O’Keefe from A WRINKLE IN TIME!
Fred from THE RUBY IN THE SMOKE. I so wished I hadn’t read the second book of the series so that he’d still be alive!
Darcy from Pride and Prejudice, of course! What mum could turn him down?
Touchstone from SABRIEL is one of my favorites of all time. I also think Matt from AIRBORN is a wonderful guy, and deserves major love.
Nearly any male lead from a Robin McKinley book!
Prince Po from Kristin Cashore’s “Graceling”! I have a bit of a crush on him myself. Peeta from “The Hunger Games” is also pretty sweet….
I second all the love for Tamora Pierce’s heros. George and Nawat are in my top ten literary crushes of all time, and I also love Neal and Dom (from the Protector of the Small quartet), but at the top of my list is Numair. Excuse me while I swoon.
I would certainly have told my younger self to stay away from Heathcliff, Holden Caufield, and Alexei Vronsky, but no promises that my younger self would have listened.
Will Parry from “The Subtle Knife” and “The Amber Spyglass” was my teenage literary crush
I’m loving all your choices- Nawat, Stephen (partly because of who he is and partly to show Cassandra what she missed!) and Aragorn- he was my first literary crush too (if you don’t count Robin Hood at the age of 8).
I’m adding Eugenides from the Thief.
Well, my daughter is spoken for, but in younger days I would have set her up with Will Grayson–the straight one–or maybe the protagonist of Ron Koertge’s ARIZONA KID whose name is lost in the mists of time. And my son, I think, would get along famously with CELINE from the book by Brock Cole.
I love Tamora Pierce’s books. I think my first literary crush was George.
I meet authors all the time, no problem. I met Ms. Pierce for the first time at a signing a couple of years ago and completely forgot how to talk. I was a little better the next time I met her at Confluence (in Pittsburgh) but was still a bit star-struck. She was the first fantasy writer I ever read.