20 Unlikely YA Heroes We Love

Throne of Glass, by Sarah J. Maas
As far as heroes go, Celaena isn’t exactly poster child material: she’s Endovier’s baddest assassin, and she’s a prisoner. But when the Crown Prince and the Captain of the Guard offer her a chance at freedom, she takes it. She just has to defeat 23 other hardened criminals and spend four years in the King’s service first. No big deal. When she winds up fighting to save the world from evil, well, you can’t help but fall in love with her.

Eye of Minds, by James Dashner
Michael is a rich, laid-back kind of guy who spends most of his time hacking VirtNet, the total immersion virtual reality gaming world he and his friends are obsessed with. After he witnesses an in-game suicide that carries over into real life (an occurrence that’s growing more and more common), Michael finds himself in the middle of a plot to track down the dangerous hacker behind it all. Sure, most heroes don’t have to be threatened by the government before they start saving the world, but hey, nobody’s perfect.

We All Looked Up, by Tommy Wallach
Who wants to leave the world full of regrets? Peter, Eliza, Andy, and Anita all have pretty one-dimensional reputations, but when an asteroid threatens the existence of all life on earth, they decide to change. Are they going to save the world? Not exactly. But sometimes heroes are ordinary, and we could all use a few good examples of how to live without worrying about how we’ll look to other people. If you’ve ever wondered what would happen if The Breakfast Club met the apocalypse (and who hasn’t?), this book is for you.

All Fall Down (Embassy Row #1), by Ally Carter
If you’ve read anything else by her, than you know Ally Carter is pretty much the queen of unlikely hero(in)es. Grace Blakely’s mother was murdered three years ago, but nobody believes her. Instead of looking for the killer, Grace’s family wants her to look pretty while she stays with her grandfather on Embassy Row. When she sees the man who killed her mother, Grace starts looking for answers—and uncovers some secrets that just might threaten all the countries on Embassy Row.

Young Elites, by Marie Lu
Adelina is one of the few survivors of the blood fever that swept through her nation when she was a child. Like the other survivors, she bears scars that mark her as a malfetto, and she endures the hatred and persecution that comes with them bitterness. Enter Enzo, the leader of a secret group of malfettos who gained special powers as a result of the blood fever. With his help, Adelina learns to use her powers to save other malfettos from being hunted down. But can she really be a hero when she’s too busy wanting to destroy everyone who’s ever wronged her?

Outsiders, by S. E. Hinton
Ponyboy is the ultimate unlikely hero. A sensitive kid trying to stay tough in a world of rival gangs and street fights, Ponyboy is always on (you guessed it) the outside. Of everything. The only thing he really knows he’s a part of are the Greasers, so when he witnesses one of his Greaser friends kill a member of the Socs, he starts to question the only real allegiance he has. Proof that even your heroes can cry, Ponyboy is always golden in our eyes.

Steelheart, by Brandon Sanderson
There are superheroes in David’s world—called Epics, they’re gifted with extraordinary powers and revered by regular men and women…only they aren’t exactly heroes. They’re actually kind of evil. Especially Steelheart, the Epic who killed David’s father. He’s just an ordinary boy in a world full of high-powered creeps, but when he teams up with the Reckoners to get revenge, he might be able to fight back with more firepower than you’d expect. And because Sanderson’s writing is epic in its own right, you’re gonna love it.

The Testing, by Joelle Charbonneau
In a dystopian world where only a select few teenagers are allowed to continue their education, Cia is thrilled to be chosen for the Testing. That is, until her previously-Tested father lets her know the Testing is actually awful, and that Cia should trust no one, ever. So she heads off for adventure like a burst balloon, unsure of what to expect, but totally confident she can still trust her childhood friend, Tomas. Ready to think things through and then act, Cia is the strong, smart Ravenclaw heroine you’ve always wanted.

All the Bright Places, by Jennifer Niven
Violet and Finch both want to die. When they meet on their school’s bell tower, something changes, and as they spend more time together, they start to find ways to enjoy living after all. They’re not exactly battling evil or taking down supervillains, but sometimes the heroes we need are just people who are brave enough to keep living when it seems hopeless.

The Novice, by Taran Matharu
Fletcher is just a regular ole orphaned blacksmith’s apprentice, until the day he discovers he can summon demons. (Don’t worry; they’re not as scary as you’d think.) Forced to flee his village, Fletcher winds up at the Military Academy, training to become a battlemage so he can fight in the war against the Orcs. Faced with snotty children and scary challenges, he’s sort of like a demon-wielding Harry Potter (minus the glasses) with slightly stronger battle skills (sorry, Harry).

Stargirl, by Jerry Spinelli
Stargirl is anything but normal. She’s strange and fascinating, and at first everyone loves her—especially Leo, who falls for Stargirl head over heels. But when the school turns on her, Leo has to choose between supporting Stargirl for her eccentricities or encouraging her to become just like everyone else. And Stargirl, brave, wonderful person that she is, gives it a shot: she tries to be normal. But can you stop being yourself, just like that? (Hint: maybe not.)

Gone, by Michael Grant
Sam doesn’t want to be a hero. He just wants to be a regular guy. But when all the adults suddenly disappear from the world, leaving only teenagers and children and strange boundary they can’t cross, he knows he has to step up to try to calm rapidly brewing fights and stop the bullies from taking over the world. Sure, every kid has wished at least once that those annoying grownups would just disappear…but when it actually happens? That’s when you need guys like Sam around.

Outrage (The Singular Menace #1), by John Sandford and Michele Cook
In series starter Uncaged, Shay successfully rescued her hacker brother Odin from evil research lab the Singular Corporation, but she didn’t stop there. She rescued Fenfang, too. And Fenfang happens to carry a few of Singular’s secrets in her experimentally altered brain. Of course, Shay and her group of troublemakers set out to finish what they started and take down Singular—but they’re still just teenagers (and broke ones, at that) in a corporate world, and even Shay’s ruthlessness might not be enough.

The Walled City, by Ryan Graudin
Jin, Dai, and Mei Yee are all trapped in the Walled City (based on a real historical place in Hong Kong), a labyrinth run by criminals and gangs and monsters. To survive, Jin and Dai try to stay out of the spotlight, taking part in the lawless goings-on as little as possible. Then Jin learns she may be able to find her lost sister, Mei Yee, and everything changes. Before she knows it, she’s racing against time to escape the maze they’re all stuck in. It’s hard not to love a heroine who’s fighting for her family, amiright?

Undertow, by Michael Buckley
When a horde of ocean-dwelling warriors arrive on Coney Island and stir up all sorts of fear and paranoia, Lyric is recruited to help Fathom, the crown prince, adjust to human society peacefully. Like star-crossed teenagers everywhere, the pair quickly fall in love…but it’s not exactly easy to catch dinner and a movie when your town is under martial law and you’re worried something even bigger and badder than 30,000 sea-warriors might be coming for a visit.

A Court of Thorns and Roses, by Sarah J. Maas
Feyre is just trying to feed her family when she kills the wolf. But when it turns out she murdered one of the Fae in disguise, she’s forced to live in the Faery realm with Tamlin, a member of the Spring Court. She’s half-starved, bitter, and more than a little unfriendly, but Feyre still can’t help falling for Tamlin, and getting involved in his battle to save the Faery realm from a mysterious blight. In a world of deadly magic, Feyre’s fragile human nature should count against her, but this time, it might be the only thing that can make a difference.

Clockwork Angel, by Cassandra Clare
If you’re looking for unlikely heroes, Cassandra Clare writes books full of them. Tessa Gray isn’t looking to battle vampires or warlocks or demons; she just wants to find her brother. But her search drags her into the world of the Shadowhunters, where she learns more about herself and her strange ability to transform her appearance. Of course, Tessa isn’t the only hero in the book—there’s also Will and Jem, two almost-brothers whose respectively thrill-seeking and introverted natures do nothing to get in the way of their bond with each other or their ability to be hardcore demon slayers. Together, the three of them just might save the world (or at least find out who Tessa’s parents are).

Legend, by Marie Lu
June and Day really shouldn’t team up; after all, Day is the prime suspect in the murder of June’s brother. But when June’s quest for revenge brings them together, they begin to learn more about each other and the dangerous, war-torn world they live in. Armed with secrets and conspiracy theories, June and Day find themselves on the run for their lives, with a slim chance at taking down the Republic along the way.

Panic, by Lauren Oliver
Heather is the last person you’d expect to see participating in Panic, the high-stakes game graduating seniors play to bring some life to boring old Carp, New York. She’s never been a risk-taker and thought she wasn’t interested…until suddenly she was. Weak, heartbroken, and aimless, Heather doesn’t seem like the kind of character who’s going to pull through. Enter Dodge, the theoretically bad boy who’s only in the game to win (and maybe get some revenge, too). Together, they make each other stronger, but are they strong enough to win?

After the Red Rain, by Barry Lyga
Deedra’s life is looking pretty bland and hopeless: the Earth is ruined, people are confined to giant, hulking cities, and Deedra has been forced to care for herself since she was twelve years old. Then she meets Rose, a strange boy with mysterious powers, and her bleak world gains a bit of color. No longer able to go along with her formerly purposeless life, Deedra sets about helping Rose explore his powers—and possibly change everything about the world they live in.
Who’s your favorite unconventional hero?