YA fantasy with ordinary protagonists

[rachelmanija]

Can you all name me some comparatively recent (ie, less than 20 years old) YA urban fantasy (ie, not set in a fantasy world or post-apocalyptic world) in which the protagonist does NOT have any magical powers or attributes or devices (ie, no magic rings), does not develop any later, and is not a professional demon-hunter or anything like that?

I'm thinking of books like A Wrinkle in Time (but more modern) or Neverwhere (but for teenagers.) Also, ideally, more along the lines of Charles de Lint than "my vampire boyfriend."

The only ones I can think of offhand are Holly Black's Valiant, Flora Segunda, Fire and Hemlock (borderline - Polly does have a power, of sorts), and some of Charles de Lint's novels.

It's a little hard to write stories like that and not have the action be entirely driven by the magical characters, leaving the protagonist drifting passively in their wake. The characters with abilities are inherently going to be far more powerful. Tolkien used this type of plot very well, but even so, Frodo and Bilbo had the One Ring. I'm thinking of books in which someone like Sam is the protagonist.

Comments

[shalanna.livejournal.com]

I was going to mention Pamela Dean, too, but it just misses the dates. My own CAMILLE'S TRAVELS is urban fantasy set entirely in this world, but it would probably fall short because the maguffin is a "magical" item that turns out to actually be a being from another dimension, and it controls people, so my protagonist has to fight it and try to figure out how to either control it or get rid of it--all while running away from people who would like to get the item from her. So there is a magical item,but she has no powers, and she isn't able to use the magic herself, except when it does something on its own and she manages to cope with it. ENTER THREE WITCHES by Kate Gilmore is about a teen boy and teen girl who aren't witches, but whose PARENTS are. So there is magic going on sometimes, although they are not wielding it. Oops, that one misses the 20-year mark as well. Apparently I love a lot of older books! But we knew that! (grin)

Not very helpful, am I. . . .