Harry Potter would be a very different series if I was the main character

 A few weeks ago, I read a book where adult characters were doing magical mischief and causing problems, and the 12-year old heroine, despite being encouraged to leave it to the adults, didn't have any confidence in the adults and of course solved all the problems on her own.

A few days later, I watched a few episodes of the show Holly Hobby, because Holly Hobby was totally a thing from my childhood. We had a Holly Hobby record player--that's how classic I am.* So, yeah, let's watch the TV show! 

For the record, the TV show is not the Holly Hobby of my youth. Which is fine--they've modernized Strawberry Shortcake, My Little Pony, Legos, and dozens of other things, and kept them alive for the younger generation so we can share that connection. And it's a great family show. But here's my thing. Why on earth is a 13-year old in charge of the town's open mic night, including catering, scheduling performers, etc.? Basically, this 13-year old is running the town, because the adults are incompetent, I guess? 

I'm not sure if this is just a "let's empower young girls" thing--which if it is, it's a fail for me. I can't relate to that at all, and I'm too tired to even want to be the 13-year old running the town. 

Maybe it's just a storytelling device, though. I mean, take Harry Potter. If the hero in that book was based on me, as soon as I found out that there was a troll in the building and a girl was in the bathroom where the troll was likely to be, I would have told a teacher and gotten out of there. That is the whole point of adults--they have to deal with the hard problems. A prisoner who broke out of wizard jail and is lurking around the school? I definitely wouldn't be searching him out.** Which would make for a very boring (and probably much shorter) series. Who would want to read the series about the girl who lived a normal life and didn't save the world because she was just a kid?

Well, me, maybe. It would be nice to see myself represented in literature. Thank goodness for Beverly Cleary's Ramona series, Lois Lowry's Anastasia Krupnik, and all the other ordinary characters out there!***

*I think it was actually my sister's record player. But, it's been a few decades, so now it can be claimed by "we". 

**Basically, I am one of the hundreds of other students who don't even get a name in the Harry Potter series because they are doing what normal kids do, which is leaving adult problems to the adults. Which is why Harry is the chosen one, and not me. 

***I would still love to see a book where there is magical mischief and mayhem and the main character is just like, "Not my problem. I'm a kid." And they keep coming to the main character, and they just keep saying, "For reals? What don't you get about this? I'm twelve! Seriously! What can I do that you can't?" It could be hilarious.