What is a preferred age for a main character in a teen novel?

I'd say it actually depends on your target audience. When I was 12, I liked to read about 11-16. Now I usually go for the adult bookshelves, but I'll still read books with protagonists as young as 15, but generally not younger. (I'm currently sixteen...) So I guess I'd go for middle numbers. 15-17.

Personally it should range from 16 to 19. That gives a range for older characters to be brought into the story. 13 to 15 is better if you are writing with the sole intention of that age group reading it However Maximum Ride has characters in there younger teens and is a very successful series

I personally would say 16-17 because that is when the drama of high school really starts. But in the novel have some characters that are younger, and some characters that are older.

I'd say 17-18 because that is the age that younger teens look up too and older teens relate too.

I'm 17 and I prefer to read about someone who is min. of 15 but max. of 18 because this is the time where they start discovering who they are while they lose their innocence of childhood and struggle with the difficulties of adulthood. It just sets the book up for a good story.

I'd say 16-18. I'm 15 and even I don't like reading about teens through13-15 :]

i believe 16-17 is a perfect age since there is more to the lives of teenagers at that time ..besides your young readers wont feel they are too old and your older readers wont feel as if they were too young....they would be better at understanding what is going on with your characters

12, 14, 15

i prefer 16-17.