I’ve noticed that a make-or-break part of a book for me is the main character. While I enjoy tons of books, the truly special ones have characters that I adore. I read so much, I often don’t remember a lot of details about the books unless I re-read them a few times. But there are some characters that I remember immediately. I see the cover of the book, and instantly I think of these characters, and I want to dive into the book again. And when I think about these characters, there are often characteristics they have in common.
Here are a few of my favorite, most memorable protagonists:
The Protectors – I am a HUGE fan of smart, protective, and fierce characters who defend others. Kitty Katt-Martini in the Alien series by Gini Koch is the epitome of this sort of character. It’s why I am fanatic of the series that is already 16 books long – most of those book over 500 pages – and I re-read it at least once a year. In every book, Kitty puts herself between the evil megalomaniacs and the people she loves and the characters who need to be protected. Tess Kendrick from the Fixer series (book one was my favorite book of 2015 and book two was top of the list in 2016) by Jennifer Lynn Barnes is about half Kitty’s age, but she is just as fierce. She has a delightfully strong personality and doesn’t care what other people think about her, but she follows her moral code, “fixing” the wrongs around her. Another teen protector is Adam Blake from Robin Roe’s A List of Cages. This was my favorite book from 2017. Adam is a more happy-go-lucky character than Kitty or Tess – he’s breezy and unconcerned for the most part, but when it comes to Julian, he is fiercely protective exactly when Julian needs him. Finally, Turtle the Seawing dragon is the star of Talons of Power in the Wings of Fire series by Tui T. Sutherland. He is fairly meek for a “protector,” but he pushes past his insecurity and fear to do what no one else can to protect his friends.
The Funny Folks – Wedgie the Corgi is my favorite part of the Wedgie and Gizmo series by Suzanne Selfors. In my head he sounds like Doug from the Pixar movie Up. He’s a goofy, hilarious, earnest character who loves everyone and everything. He makes up fantastic names for other characters – he calls Gizmo the guinea pig “Furry Potato.” I love characters that make me laugh. The other protagonist who always makes me laugh is Marigold Heavenly Nostrils, the unicorn in the Phoebe and her Unicorn series by Dana Simpson. Early in the series it was her declaration of “UNICORN!” in fancy fonts to show why she was awesome and should always win every argument that would crack me up. As the series has gone on, that stellar attitude is only part of what makes her funny. I love her character.
The Brooding and Mysterious Men – It’s always interesting to me to read a series about a set of brothers where each brother gets a book to explore their unique perspective and personality. One series I have read multiple times is the Sons of Destiny series. Yes, I know it’s hard to take that cover seriously. And the content of the book is just what you would expect based on that cover. But what I love most about the series is the fantasy world and the magic as well as the story arc that covers all eight books. Rydan Corvis, “The Storm,” is brother number six, and his story is my favorite. He is the dark and brooding brother that shuns the light and the company of the others. No one seems to understand him, so getting to read a story from his perspective is really enjoyable. (One note about the series – there are four sets of twin brothers and the books go in order from the oldest brother to the youngest. But books five and six, which includes Rydan’s story, take place concurrently. So you get 60% or so of the same story, but from different perspectives, which I found really clever). The other brooding character that captivated me is Gabriel Merrick from Brigid Kemmerer‘s Elementals series. This is another fantasy romance series geared more toward young adults. While I enjoyed reading the whole series, Gabriel’s story was my favorite. He has a fierce, fiery personality, and he is reluctant to let others in, so the only way to really get a read on him is to dig into his own story. (Note, one of the books in the series includes a character’s struggle with his sexuality.) Both of these characters have a dark and mysterious air about them, so breaking through that by learning their stories is really satisfying for me as a reader.
The Character Most Like Me – Meg Langslow is the smart, organized, diplomatic, and creative protagonist at the center of Donna Andrews mystery series. And she is a woman after my own heart. She is the only one of my favorite protagonists who seems most like me. I’d love to be protective like the first group, but that’s not really who I am. But I am Meg. She has her “notebook that tells me when to breathe” and I have my to do lists and planners and forms and calendars and organizational systems. I “get” Meg which makes reading her stories enjoyable!
So these are my most memorable protagonists. What sorts of characters do you enjoy?
1. Andrew Clements books – These are some of the first books for kids that I read and loved. Clements tells great school stories about kids and teachers you want to cheer for. Frindle and 
2. Wings of Fire series – I remember the year I was setting up my library’s book fair and saw this book. I was captivated by the description and read it right away. Then I told all of my students about it. This is a special series! The first five books deal with the war for Sand Wing (a dragon tribe) succession. The second series picks up with a new set of young dragons living in a post-war world. This series just launched book 9, with book 10 slated for this summer. There’s also a stand alone book that fills in some backstory as well as some short e-books. And I think the series gets better and better as each book releases. I’ve taken to re-reading the books in the second series (books 6+) in anticipation of each new book, and that helps me remember all the cool details that are going to matter when the next book comes out.
3. The Westing Game – I read this mystery as a kid and fell in love with the twists and turns. This is the sort of book that you finish and have to read again right away to see where you missed the clues to the solution. I’m thrilled to say this stands up to the test of time. My son read it and loved it, prompting me to read it again as an adult. It was just as awesome as I remembered. In fact, it has become a go-to re-read for my teenage son as well!
4. The Harry Potter Series – I can’t tell you how many times we have re-read or listened to these books at our house! Each of us has a physical set of the books. Then we also have all of the outstanding audio books read by the amazing Jim Dale. The antics of the kids and the fight for good to triumph over evil never gets old.
5. The Fixer series – I have raved about this series
6. The Amber Photograph – I have three books by Penelope Stokes that I re-read periodically (this one, 
7. Deadline – Amazing suspense/mystery with a strong salvation message! This is a long, intricate book that covers a lot of issues including abortion, woven around a mystery of why the main character’s two best friends are dead. I love the passages that show one of those friends exploring Heaven. Deadline is a fantastic and inspiring mystery that I love to read over and over.
8. Touched by an Alien series – This is a very different book from the last two. And I love these just as much. This is a science fiction/romance series that over time has evolved into a science fiction/romance/mystery/suspense series. In book one, Kitty Katt discovers there are aliens on earth and she helps them take down a major villain. Over the course of the series, Kitty and her friends have to puzzle out who the true villains are and take them down as well. With two books releasing each year, and 500+ pages in each, this series gives readers a LOT to enjoy. I have several volumes in this series that are my ultimate favorites, but I usually re-read the last few before a new release and then re-read my favorite passages (don’t tell – I dog-eared them in my books!) when I want to enjoy some of Kitty’s best moments. Unlike the last two books in my list, this series is not Christian. The world view is much more open and the romantic passages are quite detailed. They are easily skipped over for any reader who isn’t interested in that portion of the story.
9. The Sons of Destiny series – Eight brothers with magical powers are exiled on a remote island because there’s a prophecy that if the eldest beds a woman, disaster will ensue and other prophecies about the other brothers will start to come true. Each book in the series focuses on one of the brothers. Two of the books are told concurrently (a pretty cool idea) but the rest go in order over time so that by the last book, the last of the prophecies are coming to pass. I adore this fantasy series. I have my favorite books and others that are less so, but I love the world where these take place and the main characters are fascinating. This is another book with a secular perspective. The romantic scenes are spelled out in detail, but again are easily skipped past if you want to get back to the magic and the story.
10. The Katie Chandler series – The last of my re-reads list is another fantasy series. Katie lives in a contemporary New York City and discovers that wizards, fairies and other magical beings really exist. Katie, though, is an immune. She has no magic whatsoever, so not only can she not DO any magic, but she can see through the illusions that the magic community uses to stay hidden. This makes her an important asset to the magical community when less-than-ethical forces try to take control. I just started reading through these again and I was thrilled to discover an 8th book came out at the end of 2016! So not only do I get to enjoy re-reading a favorite series, but I get a new installment at the same time!
10. The Scourge by Jennifer Nielsen
9. Alien Nation by Gini Koch
8. Ms. Bixby’s Last Day by John David Anderson
7. Darkstalker by Tui T. Sutherland
6. Still a Work in Progress by Jo Knowles
5. Three Dark Crowns by Kendare Blake
4. The Christmas Town by Donna VanLiere
3. The Charming Life of Izzy Malone by Jenny Lundquist
2. The Boy Is Back by Meg Cabot
1. The Long Game by Jennifer Lynn Barnes