Harry Potter was a smash hit about a boy discovering he’s a wizard and going to school in a magical world full of wonder and adventure. Twilight didn’t hit quite that high a note, but the story of a teenage girl who learns her classmate is a vampire and falls in love with him did quite well. The Hunger Games popularized the dystopian genre with a bow wielding teenager stepping up to survive death games, have angsty romances, and fight the power.
As far as I can tell, nothing has quite hit that same kind of high since and it may be awhile until the next truly big wave. But if it were up to you, what would the next big thing be about?
hit the nail on the head with this one. Wish fullfillment.
Also reminded of something George Lucas said about kids
“Children love power, because chiildren are the powerless. So their fantasies all center around having power”
I think this relates to how a lot of children’s novels start out, a protagonist who is the ultimate underdog, often, homeless, orphan, pick pocket, etc, treated terrible with no power.
Then gains power, status, achievement, family,. etc, through their journey.
Not having parents also avoids awkward questions like ‘why are his parents allowing him to regularly go into death defying shenanigans?’ and ‘Does this child not care about his parents by disobeying them and running into death defying shenanigans?’
Any future hero that has existing family and friends is going to have to explain why he’s rushing headlong into this new world without looking back.
For some reason this made me think about The Kid Who Ran for President, a wish fulfillment-type book about a kid who gets elected US president on a platform of outlawing homework. The sequel actually has him serve as president, but from what I remember it subverts the power fantasy. The kid can’t actually outlaw homework and he has endless meetings listening to the grievances of special interest groups and has no time for fun. Turns out running a government as a child kinda sucks, and he eventually resigns
Well said. I grew up on Roald Dahl. So many of his novels (e.g. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda, James and the Giant Peach, the BFG, George’s Marvelous Medicine) start with children in powerless, miserable situations: poor, orphaned, bullied, abused, etc. Then something magical happens, and the kid’s life is transformed in a wonderful way! And anyone who was mean to the protagonist always gets their comeuppance.
It’s easy to see how this kind of narrative is very appealing to anyone going through the trials and tribulations of growing up.
James and the Giant Peach was one of my most favorite! kept rereading that again and again