Boy Book versus Girl Book

Welcome to my post. It's going to be a bit of a ramble but that's okay. It was until I started watching the chats on twitter for yalitchat and askagent that I heard the topic of boy books. Some talk about how there need to be more boy books in YA, while others have posted their own opinions on the boy book topic in their blogs or on twitter. Here is a good example of the topic: The Boy Problem

So, I've decided to add my opinion and discuss some differences between "boy books" and "girl books". I could be wrong on some of it, but that's why it's my opinion and not fact. I'm going to discuss a few different elements that can distinguish the two types from each other. They are main character, book cover, and content (aka story/plot).


Main Character
While this isn't always the case, some times the gender of the main character is part of what makes a book appeal to boys or to girls. In the discussion on yalitchat, for example, boy books are often described as having boy main characters. Now, I haven't done the research but I'm sure there are some boys that read girl main character books. But sometimes it's understandable to want to read about characters that they relate to easier (boys). When I was in junior high most of my personal reading had female main characters because I could relate to them (characters like Alanna and Juniper). But I also read books with male main characters, such as The Giver(Loved It), The Outsiders, and Amee-Nah. Then I switched to mostly adult fantasy for high school, with more often than not, male main characters. Cause I like elves and mages. But let's consider the main character's gender as a possible portion of the Boy Book/Girl Book discussion. I'm going to do this by sharing books I'd read in junior high/high school, though some may be from 6th grade.

Girl Main Character Books: Katherine Called Birdy, Juniper, Wisechild, Alanna series(Tamora Pierce, Daine series(Tamore Pierce), Julie of the Wolves, The Midwife's Apprentice, Flowers in the Attic.

Of Two Minds has a male pov but it's about the girl and her world created from her gift(and her mind).
Juniper Game is from male as well, and he focuses on Juniper and the telepathic game she's using him and his drawing skills for so it reads like a girl book, or from what I can remember. Still a great book.

Boy Main Character Books: The Giver, Catcher in the Rye, The Outsiders, A Separate Peace, The Wheel of Times (books 1-3), Dragonlance (Autumn, Winter, Spring), Street Lawyer, The Testament.

Most of the boy ones were either assigned at school, or not YA. *shrugs* Another thing to consider is how the character develops and what they go through. In Alanna's series, she's training to be a knight while in the start of the series hiding that she's a girl. One thing she goes through that many books don't talk about is menstruation, and that is something girls will relate to and boys won't. It's a good example of how some books, YA in particular, may have certain character developments/situations that are associated with one sex and not the other.


Book Cover
Consider the following 2 book covers. Both were bought on the same day from Waldenbooks in Casper, Wyoming. Both are from the Young Adult section of the book store. They are very different as is obvious by the covers. Would you consider one of these a boy book and one a girl book based on the cover? If so, which?  (Nothing against the authors. Both covers are neat in their own ways. I look forward to reading both books in the future.)

   Versus

Book 1 has a pretty cover. The girl is pretty and the red with the flowing and swirls, just awesome. Some might say "But boys like to look at girls and girls like to look at boys!" (Forgetting that stereotypes and leaves out certain orientations. But consider this. Look at a girl magazine. What has always amazed me, even as a girl with an ex-girlfriend, is how many pictures of females are in those magazines. But that's a little off track. The cover in general, is a bit girlish (though not in the glittery pink laden kind of way, thank the penguins!).  If I had to judge the book by the cover (Yes, people do judge books by their covers), then I would say this is potentially (unverified but possible) a girl book.

Book 2 has explosions and a guy running. It says "hi, I have action, read me". Okay, I don't normally read action adventure unless there are fantasy elements or maybe sci-fi, though I prefer fantasy. But this book caught my attention and made me curious. Also, it looks (to me) like a boy book. I mean, Title in big letters with hug clouds of smoke behind them that are probably from an explosion. Almost leans into stereotypical boy book. A boy should have no problem picking up this book and having others see the purchase (for those that are self-conscious and such over books they are seen purchasing). And it has a male main character shown on the cover.


Content aka Plot (and Genre)

The story is the main factor as to what counts as a boy or girl book, in my mind. While the cover affects what people buy, the actual reading is the big event of the whole situation. Although it is possible, more often if the focus of the plot is a romance, it's going to be a girl book. Not usually the type of girl book that I'd read since I'm more for girl saving world or discovering herself with maybe a minor plot of romance. But still, romance is the well known topic in books that is deemed for girls. Boys can take it, but there are other plots that should be important (so I've heard). The truth is the content can be a bit mixed when it comes to boy or girl books. My best friend from high school, who is female, loved listening to Stephen King (it's hard to find fiction books in braille). Not YA, but the point of bringing that up is that certain types, such as horror, may be seen as more an interest to one gender but the readers will vary. Science fiction used to be stereotyped as a more male dominant genre for males, particularly the socially awkward ones.

Okay. Enough rambling for one post. On to some questions...

What do you think about the difference between boy books and girl books?
Do you consider whether your books are geared towards males or females?

My personal question on the topic: Can gay boy books count as boy books, or are they just considered gay books? (If the plot isn't about their sexual orientation.)