Our Favorite Fathers and Father Figures

In honor of Father's Day being this last Sunday and thanks to the inspirational prompt from the Top 5 Wednesday group, we're talking about our favorite literary fathers and father figures today. It wasn't easy to make this list because it seems that literature loves the absentee parents and deadbeat/evil father tropes a little too much. Although, they do love their found family/father figures trope. After much consideration, here are our top ten favorite literary dads and substitute fathers.

Isaac Grant from The Illuminae Files

Isaac Grant is hands down my favorite father in YA. While he is Kady's father, by the third book, he has become a kind of father figure to the whole group. He was a great character on his own but I love how he seemed to unofficially adopt the rest of the cast and look out for them the same way he looks out for Kady. He doesn’t hesitate to take on the responsibility, and his interactions with the teenagers were so much fun to read! Isaac Grant is the gold standard for future fathers in YA.

Adam Hauptman from The Mercy Thompson Series

The Mercy Thompson Series has a lot of great fathers and father figures with Zee and Bran but my favorite father in this series is hands down, Adam Hauptman. Adam is the Columbia Basin Alpha and he is fiercely protective of his pack, his territory, Mercy, and most of all his daughter, Jessie. He's doing the single dad thing and he's doing a spectacular job of it. Jessie knows she's loved and safe and important to her father. Adam wins at the dad thing even if he can be overprotective at times.

Walker Lauren from The Psy-Changeling Series

The Psy-Changeling series has a lot of great fathers and father figures in it but hands down my favorite is Walker Lauren. Walker has fiercely loved his family despite having to be Silent most of his life. He is the patriarch of the Lauren family and does everything he can to take care of his daughter, his Arrow brother, and his deceased sister's kids. He even fakes his and his family's deaths and goes into hiding in order to protect them. His quiet love and support for his family is everything. You can't help but love him for it.

Arthur Weasley from The Harry Potter Series

Arthur is another of the YA father greats. He's this soft man who loves his wife and kids as well as Muggle culture. What I love about him is that he didn't even think twice about including Harry in his family as just another son. He was there from Christmas presents to a ticket to the Quidditch cup to cheering Harry on in the Triwizard Tournament. He was always there for Harry, Hermione, and his family and taught them to fight for what they believe to be right. He has the dad thing totally down.

Hans Hubermann from The Book Thief

Hans may not be Liesel’s biological dad, but he’s an amazing father figure for her. He taught her how to read, introduce her to books, and taught her about kindness. More than that, he taught Liesel about love, compassion, and standing up for your own principles. He cared so deeply for Liesel and treated her like she was his own daughter. He is one of my favorite literary fathers for that alone.

Jack Spier from Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda

Simon's dad doesn't always get it right but he tries and he owns up to the mistakes he makes. The thing he always gets right is his fierce love and support for Simon. I love Simon's whole family but I have a soft spot for his dad. I just love him so much.

Atticus Finch from To Kill A Mockingbird

I loved Atticus from the moment I first read To Kill a Mockingbird and the way he treated Scout like an adult. He always took her seriously and taught her important life lessons without being overly strict. I loved how he allowed his children to be curious and to be thoughtful instead of telling them what was right and what was wrong.

Colm Fahey from Crooked Kingdom

Colm is one of my dear sweet summer children. He was such a great father to Jesper and only wants the best for him. Unfortunately, he has no idea what he's getting himself into when he gets involved with the gang in Crooked Kingdom. But you have to respect him for not letting himself drown and being an asset while protecting his son and his friends.

Jonathan Wadsworth from Stalking Jack the Ripper

Audrey Rose's uncle, Jonathan, was more of a father to her in his clinical and absent-minded way than her own father. He encouraged her to pursue forensic medicine despite it not being a lady like field of study and even taught her everything he knew personally. I don’t want to say anymore in case you haven’t read the book, but know that he was just a great father figure to her.

Lon Butler from The Arcadia Bell Series
It's not too often we see single fathers as the love interest in UF/PNR books and it's a shame! Not only is Lon Butler an awesome character in the Arcadia Bell books but he also has sole custody of his teenage son, Jupe. It’s clear how great a father Lon is because Jupe is confident, friendly, and goofy and he has no problem butting into his father’s love life. There’s no doubt about how much Lon loves his son and how protective he is of him. I'm not done with the series yet but I'm loving watching Lon and Jupe find a new normal with Cady in their life.

Who are your favorite literary fathers and father figures?