Why Kids Need to See Flawed Characters in Books

Before purchasing one of my books, a parent once told me she didn’t want her 10-year-old to read any books that exposed her to rude behaviour.

Well… if you know my books, you’ll understand why I gently suggested she read one first before deciding.

And it got me thinking: why are tweens so drawn to characters who aren’t perfect? Just look at books like Lottie Brooks, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Trixie and Thabo, the Space Dude – they're full of them!

Clearly, kids love a little mischief. So let’s explore why flawed characters matter.

Perfect Role Models are Boring

Kids love characters with big personalities – the ones who get up to mischief, talk back, whine, put up “KEEP OUT” signs on their bedroom doors, burp and whisper in class.

Why? Because it’s relatable.

Kids are imperfect, and they enjoy seeing that reflected on the page.

Humour is Key

The goal is to get kids reading, and laughter is often the fastest route to that.

Think of The Treehouse Series. Andy and Terry constantly interrupt each other, call each other silly names, and avoid work at all costs.

It’s chaotic, hysterical and completely irresistible to young readers.

Entertainment is the name of the game.

Even ‘Bad’ Characters Grow and Learn

Bullies and mean characters are common in tween fiction. A classic example is MacKenzie in Dork Diaries.

But characters don’t always need long lectures or dramatic punishments. Often, their schemes simply backfire. The mean girl or boy ends up embarrassed. The trickster gets caught out.

That’s poetic justice enough.

Show, Don’t Lecture

The last thing a tween wants is a moral lecture. They already know right from wrong – they’ve heard it all their lives.

It’s far more powerful to show consequences through the story.

In Vampi, the Flying Guinea Pig, Vampi chomps down on Boden’s toe after Boden commits foul play – well, he got what he deserved.

Message delivered. No sermon required. 

Why Kids Need Flawed Characters to Recognise Right Choices

Books are safe places to explore bad behaviour.

Kids can watch characters make poor decisions, see what happens, and quietly file that knowledge away without real-world consequences. In SLOOTHS, Barry and Kiaan have a bad doggie doo-doo encounter as a result of their meanness.

Stories let kids test “what if?” in their imagination.

Will Kids Copy Bad Behaviour from Books?

The answer is simple: no.

Parents and teachers constantly reinforce values. Kids know it isn’t cool for Greg Heffley to treat Rowley as a sidekick. They also know, for example, that lying to look good isn’t admirable.

Kids need flawed characters in books because stories aren’t instruction manuals for real life – they’re written to entertain and, in my case, to encourage reading.

When we trust kids to understand the difference between fiction and real life, we allow them to enjoy messy, imperfect characters who make them laugh and feel seen, and, as a result, grow in confidence as individuals.