College student and aspiring author Rachel Simon drops by to tell us about her top 5 YA literary crushes...
1. Tobias from Animorphs
Tobias was a boy, who at the beginning of this sci-fi series was turned into a red-tailed hawk. I know…you’re all confused. Let me explain. Animorphs was not a YA series, however I totally count it as one because the characters go from being thirteen to around sixteen or seventeen by the end of the series. Anyway, Tobias became stuck in the form of a red-tailed hawk but was sooo still a boy. And a cute, shy, sensitive boy. Who stole my heart. He also liked to read (always a plus in my eyes!), and thought school dances were pretty dumb (me too!). Unfortunately, he fell in love with another Rachel (not me) and when she died at the end of the series, Tobias became a recluse.
2. Tom Marvolo Riddle, Jr. from Harry Potter
I know what everyone is thinking: ARE YOU CRAZY???? But something about Tom was swoonworthy to me. He is brilliant – as one can see throughout the Harry Potter series, he was head of his class – and wants to take over the world. …What? You seriously mean to tell me, NO ONE ELSE has ever thought that taking over the world might be fun? Anyway, Tom went onto to be something pretty evil (cough- Voldemort- cough), but he will always have a place in my heart.
3. Valentine Morgenstern from The Mortal Instruments
I know, me and these villains… Like Tom, Valentine wants to have absolute power. Unlike Tom, Valentine had a wife and a son and then went crazy. In other words, he was Tall, Dark and Handsome as a teen with a side of Crazy later on in life. I’d totally date him if he wasn’t hell-bent on confusing people and mixing up cute-couples-I-totally-root-for-in-the-books.
4. Macon Faulkner from Someone Like You
Sarah Dessen is the queen of writing modern cute boys in my opinion. And while she has A LOT of them, you may be wondering why I chose Macon. To me, Macon is the most realistic boy out of every Dessen boy there is. He is cute, kind of dorky but totally tries to be cool, and most of all he tries to pressure his girlfriend into sleeping with him. Wait…what? I’m not saying I find that trait attractive, but I do recognize that many teenage boys today sometimes do that. (Not all, not all!) I also think that after the car accident, the way Macon doesn’t know how to act around Hailey is so realistic. Plus, I TOTALLY imagine Macon with a Southern accent even though he probably doesn’t have one. But a girl can dream, right? (Sidenote: I just found out this book released on my birthday…in 1998.)
5. Peeta Mellark from The Hunger Games
Peeta… Peeta… What can I say about you? Well besides that every time your name makes me think of pita bread and the Middle East, I have a huge crush on you. You are blonde and your dad owns a bakery, which is excellent because I love bread and sweets of all kinds. Peeta is also very loyal, patient and kind. He is willing to help out and fight for the girl he loves even though she may not love him back. Need I say more? Just read Catching Fire.
Tobias was a boy, who at the beginning of this sci-fi series was turned into a red-tailed hawk. I know…you’re all confused. Let me explain. Animorphs was not a YA series, however I totally count it as one because the characters go from being thirteen to around sixteen or seventeen by the end of the series. Anyway, Tobias became stuck in the form of a red-tailed hawk but was sooo still a boy. And a cute, shy, sensitive boy. Who stole my heart. He also liked to read (always a plus in my eyes!), and thought school dances were pretty dumb (me too!). Unfortunately, he fell in love with another Rachel (not me) and when she died at the end of the series, Tobias became a recluse.
2. Tom Marvolo Riddle, Jr. from Harry Potter
I know what everyone is thinking: ARE YOU CRAZY???? But something about Tom was swoonworthy to me. He is brilliant – as one can see throughout the Harry Potter series, he was head of his class – and wants to take over the world. …What? You seriously mean to tell me, NO ONE ELSE has ever thought that taking over the world might be fun? Anyway, Tom went onto to be something pretty evil (cough- Voldemort- cough), but he will always have a place in my heart.
3. Valentine Morgenstern from The Mortal Instruments
I know, me and these villains… Like Tom, Valentine wants to have absolute power. Unlike Tom, Valentine had a wife and a son and then went crazy. In other words, he was Tall, Dark and Handsome as a teen with a side of Crazy later on in life. I’d totally date him if he wasn’t hell-bent on confusing people and mixing up cute-couples-I-totally-root-for-in-the-books.
4. Macon Faulkner from Someone Like You
Sarah Dessen is the queen of writing modern cute boys in my opinion. And while she has A LOT of them, you may be wondering why I chose Macon. To me, Macon is the most realistic boy out of every Dessen boy there is. He is cute, kind of dorky but totally tries to be cool, and most of all he tries to pressure his girlfriend into sleeping with him. Wait…what? I’m not saying I find that trait attractive, but I do recognize that many teenage boys today sometimes do that. (Not all, not all!) I also think that after the car accident, the way Macon doesn’t know how to act around Hailey is so realistic. Plus, I TOTALLY imagine Macon with a Southern accent even though he probably doesn’t have one. But a girl can dream, right? (Sidenote: I just found out this book released on my birthday…in 1998.)
5. Peeta Mellark from The Hunger Games
Peeta… Peeta… What can I say about you? Well besides that every time your name makes me think of pita bread and the Middle East, I have a huge crush on you. You are blonde and your dad owns a bakery, which is excellent because I love bread and sweets of all kinds. Peeta is also very loyal, patient and kind. He is willing to help out and fight for the girl he loves even though she may not love him back. Need I say more? Just read Catching Fire.
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Rachel Simon is a college sophomore, majoring in English and Creative Writing and hopes to one day have a dual career in the awesomeness that is both writing and publishing. She is currently editing her YA fantasy retelling of Beauty and the Beast with a feminist twist and is writing a YA historical about Zelda Fitzgerald, the wife of F. Scott. When asked by her mother if she will ever read adult books, she says never. In her spare time, she eats too much sweets, daydreams about studying abroad in Australia (which will be happening in 2011), and throws 90’s dance parties…with herself. You can find her on Twitter and Livejournal.
So, who are your YA Literary Crushes?
Comment and tell us!