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?
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