child protagonist
Story's youthful lead
A child protagonist is the central character of a story who is a child or young adolescent.
The term appears in literary criticism and discussions of fiction, particularly children's literature, coming-of-age narratives, and works exploring childhood experience: The novel's child protagonist navigates a world of adult secrets.
The perspective often emphasizes innocence, vulnerability, or fresh perception of events.
- narratorOne who tells events
- heroOne admired for courage
- unlikely heroImprobable savior figure
- innocenceFreedom from wrongdoing
- lost innocencePurity destroyed by experience
coming-of-age · young adult fiction · victim · witness · bildungsroman · growing pains · resilience · fantasy · curiosity · friendship · family bonds · morality · orphan · found family · explorer · imagination · dreamer · secret world
- protagonistshero, heroine, main character, lead role, leading man