There’s a common belief that girls will read books with boy protagonists, but boys will not read books with girl protagonists.
When I was a child, I read adventure and fantasy and science fiction stories with boy heroes because there were none with girl heroes. Not a single one, that I remember, except Nancy Drew, which my mother hated and even I recognized as rather pathetic. So I read stories about boys, and I didn’t care. I was happy reading great adventure and fantasy and science fiction stories, regardless of who the hero was.
But I think it did matter to some writers, because when they grew up they began to write great adventure stories with girl heroes. My favorite is Tamora Pierce, who has been writing for years about kick-ass girls.
Now, I think boys are starting to read adventure stories with girl protagonists. I haven’t heard anyone describe The Golden Compass or The Hunger Games as girl stories, and no one has threatened to clothe them in Barbie-doll pink.
I suspect that boys want to read really great stories, just as I did when I was a child. As long as it’s adventurous, and doesn’t venture too far into romance, perhaps the gender of the protagonist really doesn’t matter.
Maureen