I've been working on a MG/YA novel where the main character and his sister are homeless. The MC is a teenager in the 16-18 range, and his sister is much younger, say 7 or so. The MC provides for the two of them from winnings earned from 1-on-1 street basketball games, sometimes a couple hundred dollars at a time.
The novel isn't entirely about basketball, but it's definitely a recurring event. Would portraying a main character who gambles (and wins) be frowned upon by parents of readers? The gambling eventually comes back to hurt the MC indirectly, so it's not entirely glamorizing, but the kid does put money down on games and usually wins.
More generally, is it best to avoid behaviors like this for characters in novels for this age group? Things like smoking, underage drinking, drugs, etc?
The novel isn't entirely about basketball, but it's definitely a recurring event. Would portraying a main character who gambles (and wins) be frowned upon by parents of readers? The gambling eventually comes back to hurt the MC indirectly, so it's not entirely glamorizing, but the kid does put money down on games and usually wins.
More generally, is it best to avoid behaviors like this for characters in novels for this age group? Things like smoking, underage drinking, drugs, etc?
