MC age question for MG?

Elemental Magic · Oct 21, 2011

Sorry if this has been asked a hundred times. :Headbang:

I am writing about a boy who is going to be in some rough situations (fighting dragons) and I'm wondering what a believable age for him would be while staying in the age group of MG. I was thinking around 13-14.

Any thoughts?

Thanks everyone for all the help!

Rufus Coppertop · Oct 22, 2011

Sounds about right.

playground · Oct 22, 2011

Depends on the character. You could make him 11 or 12 also.

suki · Oct 22, 2011

I'd keep him 13 or under, if at all possible. 14 is pushing into YA territory. Of course, the age of the character isn't the defining issue, but for marketability, 13 or younger would be better. 12 would be even better.

Just an FYI, certain chain store buyers are pushing these days that for MG, the character has to be 12 or under. Not saying that should guide you - I say write what you want - but they are pushing for MG characters to be 12 and under. At least their current MG buyer is. So, the closer you get him to 12, it may be an easier sell.

~suki

Sage · Oct 22, 2011

14 is a tricky age. It's just on the cusp between MG and YA.

Most 14yo protags I see are in MG, but they can be YA too

Elemental Magic · Oct 22, 2011

That's what I wanted to know. I wanted him to be around 12 so he would have room to grow in future books. He is thrown into survival situations where he has to fight monsters. He becomes a hunter and I didn't want it to seem like he was too younge to be doing these things.

Laura J · Oct 23, 2011

I think 12 is a good age. My MG characters are 12. I thought the same thing about letting them grow up and still be in the MG range.

If they start out at this age, but you have series where they grow up to be 14, then would it still be MG?

MsJudy · Oct 23, 2011

The Percy Jackson series ages the MC up to 16, but stays firmly MG by avoiding anything more sexy than a few kisses.

The MG Renegade · Oct 31, 2011

I personally sit right at 12. It's an age that's flexible enough to be believable, yet young enough to maintain the qualities that you sound like you're writing.

rugcat · Oct 31, 2011

Also, kids read up. A nine or ten year old will read about a 12 year old. If your target audience is 12 then 14 should be ok, but you might lose younger readers. And if your target audience is any older than that, you're moving out of MG.

At least, that's the conventional wisdom.

MackenziLee · Nov 1, 2011

Kids read up, but at least when I was a kid I liked reading about people a few years older than me. like it, I dunno, gave me something to look forward to?

I think 12 or 13 is perfect.

MC age question for MG?

Elemental Magic

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Elemental Magic

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