On the enchanted island of Yanowic, Alyssa learns that she is unable to get out of the country due to a giant shield. She must defeat some dangerous creatures and the evil wizard in order to leave. But with sorcerers and magical technology getting in her way, can Alyssa succeed?
Description:
Twelve-year-old Alyssa McCarthy is sick of her uncle’s unfair rules and longs for a better life. After discovering the existence of magic, she finds out about a dark wizard hunting her down. An unforgettable storm occurs in Alyssa’s ordinary New Jersey town before the sorcerer kidnaps her to the Fiji Islands.
On the enchanted island of Yanowic, Alyssa learns that she is unable to get out of the country due to a giant shield. She must defeat some dangerous creatures and the evil wizard in order to leave. But with sorcerers and magical technology getting in her way, can Alyssa succeed?
GUEST POST
When MG Main Characters Have to be Dependent
We all know that in middle grade fiction, the protagonists have to make their own decisions and not rely on adults to help them or make decisions for them. It’s why in some stories, including mine, the main characters are orphans. I even watched a video where the person in it said to keep adults out of the story as much as possible.
However, I disagree with keeping adults out of the story. While the characters can’t have adults decide for them on what’s right or wrong, here are some things they need to rely on adults for.
Driving them to places: Unless the main character is of licensed age (which hardly ever happens in MG fiction, and would probably be very hard to sell unless you’re a super famous, popular, author who’s won many awards), they still need adults to drive them places. Middle grade protagonists are usually no older than 13 or 14. Therefore, they are not going to be old enough to drive.
Signing things for them that only adults can sign: If your main character is going on a school field trip and is under 18, they will need an adult to sign their permission slip for them. An example of this is in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, when Harry had to ask his uncle to sign his permission form to visit the village outside of Hogwarts. Aside from permission slips, adults need to fill out children’s health forms, school forms, and camp forms (if applicable). They also need to pay bills and taxes in order to keep their homes.
Having and maintaining legal custody over their kids: If you keep adults out of your MG story as much as possible and make your main character purely independent, then you might as well make your protagonist over 18. Except for the book, Mr. Popper’s Penguins, MG main characters are ALWAYS going to be under 18. Therefore, they cannot be financially dependent. They need to live with adults (parents, guardians, foster parents) and rely on them to keep legal custody for them until they either turn 18 or graduate from college.
Escorting them to places where minors must be accompanied by adults: Some places, such as hotels, will require minors to have an adult with them. If your character is going somewhere where everyone under 18 needs to be supervised, then they will need an adult to accompany them.
Those are the four things middle grade protagonists need to rely on adults for. Other than that, they can be independent.
About the author:
Sunayna Prasad has been writing stories for several years, starting at the age of six. Now twenty-one, she is a college student will study who studies art and design as well write for children. Aside from that, Sunayna also likes to cook, watch movies, and draw. She lives on Long Island, New York, with her family.
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