Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. Each week there is a new topic for bloggers to choose and list their top ten. This week’s theme is a Father’s Day related freebie, so I picked Top Ten Father/Child Relationships in YA Books.
A little while ago there was a Mother’s Day themed free-for-all and I did Top Ten Mother/Child Relationships in YA Books, so I figured now it was time to feature the best father’s in YA books. Again not all of the father/child relationships I featured this week are happy, loving and perfect, but they were all amazingly written.
A Court of Wings and Fury by Sarah J. Maas
In the first two books Feyre’s father is not a good one. In A Court of Thorns and Roses he is neglectful, mourning everything he lost, and in A Court of Mist and Fury he is halfway across the world. However he pulls through for his daughters in A Court of War and Ruin, and what he does for them shows how much he cares and that he wants them safe in a dangerous world.
The Girl From Everywhere by Heidi Heilig
The relationship between Nix and her father is not a healthy father/daughter one. With her father chasing after the ghost of her mother Nix has taken over the parental role in their relationship. Blake is neglectful and dismissive of his daughter’s fears over what could happen if he finds her mother, but there are moments when you can see how he cares for her in his own way.
The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness
Despite only having a small part at the beginning of The Knife of Never Letting Go Ben and Cillian, Todd’s adoptive fathers’, are extremely important to his character development throughout the entire series. It is Todd’s memories of Ben and Cillian that later end up saving him in so many different ways when facing the Spackle and the Mayor.
Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
Cath and Wren both have a strong relationship with their father, and it was interesting seeing that relationship change when they went to university. Cath becomes more and more concerned about her father with so many miles between them, whereas Wren pushes her newfound freedom from both her sister and her father to its limits.
Half Bad by Sally Green
Nathan’s search for his father is an important part of the story and his character development. The way Nathan thinks of his father is the way any child abandoned by a parent would; imagining scenarios which explain their absence or brings them back. Despite Marcus not being present in the first book seeing their relationship through Nathan was interesting to read.
Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins
Lola has an incredibly close relationship with both of her fathers. She respects their opinions and at the beginning of the book it is extremely important to her that they give her relationship with Max their blessing. In turn they give her the space needed to fully express herself, and explore her personality and her ambitions.
Holding Up the Universe by Jennifer Niven
After losing her mother it seemed like Libby’s father forgot how to speak to his daughter, how to help her deal with the pain of what she was going through. Then Libby became “America’s Fattest Teen” and now she’s in a better place her father is determined not to make the same mistakes again and try to grow a better relationship with his daughter.
To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before by Jenny Han
After losing their mother Lara Jean’s father works hard to keep her and her sister’s in touch with that side of their culture; he cooks Korean food for them and they all celebrate Korean thanksgiving with their extended family. It’s not a major part of the story but it shows a lot about how he values his daughters’ heritage and culture.
The Square Root of Summer by Harriet Reuter Hapgood
Although Gottie has a good relationship with her father the one I’m featuring for this week’s Top Ten Tuesday is her relationship with her grandfather. After losing him Gottie is a little lost and determined to bottle up everything she feels . Grey was an important part of her life, almost more of a father figure to her than her actual father was.
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
I mentioned Starr’s relationship with her mother in my Mother’s Day Top Ten Tuesday post, however her relationship with her father is just as important. As much as he might want to protect his daughter in the end Starr’s father is the one who gives her the courage to speak up about what she’s seen, despite the risks to their family.
So what do you think? Did you take part in this week’s Top Ten Tuesday, if so let me know what you picked for this week’s themed free-for-all, or what your favourite father/child relationships in YA are.
.
I’ve really been behind on your posts (again), so sorry!! 😰 But this was a lovely post Beth, and I agree with so many of your choices. Starr had such beautiful relationships with both her parents, and the one she had with her father was so beautiful!! 😍 And ooh I didn’t know their was a parent child relationship in The Girl From Everywhere! Makes me more excited to pick it up. 😊 But the relationship between Cath and her father and Wren as well was so great!! Loved the contrast between the two sisters and their respective relationships with their father. It was so interesting to read! LOVED this list Beth!! ❤
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s all right, 🙂 and thanks so much Analee. The Hate U Give was an amazing book in so so many different ways, but the dynamics between the whole of Starr’s family was a major plus point for me. Yeah there’s a father/child relationship in The Girl From Everywhere, it’s not a close one but it’s really well developed so I loved reading it. 🙂
It really was, contemporary books with strong parent/child relationships are always going to be a favourite of mine, it was no different with Fangirl! 😀
Thanks so much Analee! 🙂 ❤
LikeLike
This was such an interesting list. I’m stunned that you managed to find so many father-child relationships for this TTT. I don’t think I’d have even managed to complete such a post within a month of reflection!! Great list. 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks so much Lashaan. There seem to be more contemporaries on this list than anything else because in YA I’ve found the best father/child relationships are in the YA contemporary genre. There are some good ones out there, just takes a bit of digging I guess. Thanks! 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh wow I think I’m going to have to put a bunch of books on this list onto my TBR!
Also I’m glad to find another book with LGBTAIQ* parents in Lola and the Boy Next Door! I was so stumped when I went looking for my TTT post this week!
LikeLiked by 1 person
In that case I really hope you enjoy any of these books you add to your TBR list! 🙂
Well Lola and the Boy Next Door and The Knife of Never Letting Go are the only two books I’ve read with LGBT+ parents, so if you know any more please let me know. 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
I hope so too!
I could maybe have linked this in my first comment, but I wrote last week’s Top Ten Tuesday about books with LGBT+ parents: https://alexreadsboooks.wordpress.com/2017/06/13/top-ten-tuesday-books-with-lgbtaiq-parents/
LikeLiked by 1 person
In that case I will have to go and check out your TTT post now, or when I’m on my laptop again and not my phone. I need to add more books with LGBT parents to my to-read list I think! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
There are so few good father figures in YA, which is such a darn shame! I agree with the ones I’ve read from this list – especially the fathers from The Knife of Never Letting Go! I’d never read a book with two dads before, and I loved them both so much in that series. Also, yes to Fangirl and To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before. 🙂
~ Aimal @ Bookshelves & Paperbacks
LikeLiked by 1 person
There really are, and there definitely needs to be more because these books are some of my favourites because of the great parent relationships they have. I’ve read a couple of books with two fathers but The Knife of Never Letting Go was an amazing one, and I loved both Fangirl and To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before as well. 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
such a great list! thanks for sharing!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks so much! 😀
LikeLike
Lara Jean’s father is one of my favourite in literature. There’s a lot of books in this list that I haven’t read before, but am meaning to get to. For example, The Knife of Never Letting Go, that has been on my shelf for so long! I love the fact that you included imperfect fathers too. We must remember that parents are human and struggle too, sometimes its seeing them develop and learn how to help their children that can be really heart-warming. ^.^
LikeLiked by 1 person
Lara Jean’s father is one the best I’ve read in the YA contemporary genre as well. I still need to read the last book in the series but I imagine he’l be just as amazing a father as he was in the first two books.
Oh The Knife of Never Letting Go is amazing, I really hope you enjoy that book.
Yeah for a book to make it on my list there didn’t need to be a perfect relationship between father and child, just a well developed one, and there are plenty of books where the relationship between parent and child isn’t easy but it is still incredibly written by the author. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
The familial relationships in The Hate U Give were EVERYTHING! I think I was so excited about the portrayal because so often we hear about how black men are bad fathers or are locked up, and Starr’s father is an engaged and caring parent, like my dad.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Oh they really are. Everything about THUG was amazing but it was the relationships Starr had with both her parents that really stood out in this book for me. Starr’s dad may have made some mistakes in the past but he was definitely an engaging caring parent and it was brilliant to read wasn’t it? 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
It totally was. Honestly, besides the family, it was nice to know that people reading this would have to rework their perceptions of inner cities. People there do, in fact, care about each other. And people aren’t always in gangs because they like destroying things and killing people. Thomas offered a nuanced look at the motivations behind people’s actions that I don’t think is often afforded to black people.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ohh, that’s an interesting way of thinking about it and one I hadn’t thought of myself but you’re right. The Hate U Give is such a stand-out book for so so so many different reasons isn’t it, one I think it’s important for everyone to read. 🙂
LikeLike
I agree with your choice of Lara Jean’s father and Starr’s father. They both are so supportive, loving, and understanding.
LikeLiked by 1 person
They really are, the relationship Lara Jean and Starr each have with their parents was brilliant to read! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Such a great post, Beth! ❤ I really enjoyed the fathers/daughter relationship in Lola and the boy next door just as well – loved how protective they were of her, yet comprehensive and trying to let her do her own thing, find her own path, while still being there for her when needed.
And yes to Lara Jean's father – he is so, so great, I love him. I can't wait to read the last book 😀
LikeLike
Thanks so much Marie! 😀 ❤ Yeah the father daughter relationship in Lola was brilliant, I loved the way they all interacted because they were each determined to let her choose her own path and it was almost refreshing to see.
Neither can I. I have the last book on my Kindle so I just need to get around to actually reading it! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Ah, this topic just makes me realize that in most of the books I read, the fathers are either absent or dead. I feel like I don’t read too much about fathers in YA fiction! I definitely do agree with THUG and the ACOTAR trilogy.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yeah it’s hard to come up with ten examples of well-developed father/child relationships when you mainly read fantasy books where the parents are either absent or dead. That’s why most of the books on this list are YA contemporary ones. 🙂
Yeah both THUG and ACOWAR have brilliant scenes between the fathers and their children, great to read! 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Omg I absolutely loved The Knife of Never Letting Go! It’s a pity we didn’t get more time with Cillian and Ben 😦
LikeLiked by 1 person
It’s an amazing book, and Todd, Cillian and Ben had a great dynamic too. I agree I wish we’d had more time with them! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great choices! I loved Starr’s relationship with her father the most. It’s not perfect, but that’s what makes it realistic. We all have good and bad moments with our family members, just like anyone else we interact with.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks so much, yeah Starr has a fantastic relationship with her parents, like you said it’s not always perfect but it was always well-developed. It felt real and no matter what you could tell they have a strong relationship as well. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I haven’t read the majority of these just yet, but I like that you mentioned Feyre’s father. He wasn’t all that present in the first two books but at least pulled through in the third book in a very grand way!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yeah Feyre’s father wasn’t a great father in the first two books but I think what he did in the third book for his daughter cemented his place on this list. He really did come through for them in the end! 🙂
LikeLike
A relationship doesn’t have to be perfect to be great, I agree! Love Fangirl. 🙂 My TTT
LikeLiked by 1 person
No it doesn’t, as long as it’s well developed I added it to my list this week. It’s why I included The Girl From Everywhere despite the relationship between Nix and her father not being perfect. 🙂
Thanks for the link, I’ll definitely check out your TTT! 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
Great post! Cath and Wren’s dad was literally probably my favorite aspect of Fangirl. He’s so great. Here is my T10T!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks so much. Yeah Cath and Wren had an amazing relationship with their father, I loved reading the dynamic between the three of them as the story unfolded.
Thanks for the link, I’ll definitely check out your TTT! 😀
LikeLike
Agreed! They were so great together. Thanks!
LikeLiked by 1 person
That’s all right! 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I am so sad I forgot Lola’s dads on my list. They’re my fave!
LikeLiked by 1 person
They’re both amazing parents aren’t they? 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
I loved your choices! I especially love the father/daughter relationships in TATBILB!!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Thanks so much! Yeah Lara Jean’s father in To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before is a standout YA contemporary father isn’t he? 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yeah for sure! Good families in YA are always a nice addition!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Why couldn’t I think of any these when I was trying to do this TTT?! So many good ones on this list. I loved Lara Jean and Cath’s dads. They were both awesome single dads, who obviously loved their kids. Ramona’s dad in Ramona Blue and Mr. Lee from I Believe in a Thing Called Love fit in with these two as well.
Sam @ WLABB
LikeLiked by 1 person
It took me a while to think of some of these. I was scrolling back and forth over my GR Read list looking for books that would fit the theme.
Thanks. Oh the dads in Fangirl and To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before are amazing, definitely two of my favourites in YA contemporary novels. 🙂
LikeLiked by 1 person
For a moment I was stumped on The Knife of Never Letting Go, but as soon as I read your comments it was like “oi! How could I have forgotten them?!”
We did our favorite dads in sci-fi and horror.
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yeah as far as father/child relationships go the one between Todd and his fathers was a small part of the book but still well developed. I just loved the dynamic between them.
Thanks for the link, I’ll definitely check out your TTT! 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
The Girl From Everywhere I didn’t even think of this one!! Fangirl I just love this book but totally forgot about her father too… I love Lara Jean’s dad! I think of him immediately when talking good dads!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
Yeah Nix and her father have a complicated relationship but it was still well developed and that was all I needed to add this to my list this week. Fangirl is amazing, and so is To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, they have some amazing father/daughter relationships don’t they?
LikeLiked by 1 person
We love the father-daughter relationships in The Hate U Give, Lola, and Fangirl!!
LikeLiked by 1 person
They’re amazing dynamics, I’d love to see more YA books with father/daughter relationships like these ones! 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person
The only book I’ve read of these is To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, but I totally agree! Lara Jean’s father is so kind and caring, and I love the relationship he has with the sisters. ESPECIALLY THE DAD JOKES. XD I heard awesome things about the parent-child relationship in THUG. The Girl From Everywhere, Fangirl, and The Knife of Never Letting Go are all on my TBR. I sort of want to read the Half Bad series, but sort of don’t??? HELP ME DECIDE. XD
LikeLiked by 2 people
Oh I loved To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before, I still need to read the last one though that’s just been released. I need more from Lara Jean and her family because they all have an amazing relationship.
Yes the whole family dynamic in THUG is brilliant, and the same with the rest of the books on this list. I’d recommend Half Bad May, it’s a little strange at first and you may find it difficult to get into the story but it’s amazing once you do, and it will break your heart in so many different ways! 😀 ❤
LikeLiked by 1 person
Agh, I TOTALLY need Always and Forever, Lara Jean! I must know MOOOOORE.
And good to know! I shall add Half Bad to my TBR. 😉
LikeLiked by 1 person
Same here, I’ve got to try and move it up my to-read list a little!
Great to hear, I hope you love it May! 😀
LikeLiked by 1 person