Your FAVE Young Adult "Dystopian" Books??

[tex-mex]

I'm about to do some Summer Reading choices for my teen son as part of his English credit, but am leaning to my old fave book, 1984 by George Orwell. Would my choice be stodgy and dull? Any ideas?

[ChristusG]

Loved Divergent and its sequel Insurgent. There's a third coming out sometime this year too.

[ChristusG]

Loved Divergent and its sequel Insurgent. There's a third coming out sometime this year too.

[Sparkle]

The Giver? The Maze Runner?

 

I personally think Animal Farm is boring, but I did read it with my ds. It's been a long time since I read 1984, but I recall liking that one better. Have not read Hunger Games.

[Moxie]

Loved Divergent and its sequel Insurgent. There's a third coming out sometime this year too.

 

 

Allegiant comes out in the fall. Awesome series. They are making a movie that will probably ruin it.

[Seasider]

I honestly think The Hunger Games is going to be permanently added to this category, to be in company with Animal Farm, 1984, Fahrenheit 451, et al.

 

I just finished the second book of The Maze Runner series (The Scorch Trails), and while it is futuristic, I have yet to form an opinion about it being lumped with the other dystopian classics. We'll see what the rest of the series brings. About to hop in the car and pick it up, my library hold on it just came through. How conveeeeeeeeenieeeeent!

[Word Nerd]

1984 was a great book, but I also hated it. I was depressed for at least a week after I finished it and had to read Wodehouse to snap me out of it. I'd start with something not quite so bleak. The Hunger Games hardly has a happy ending, but at least there is some hope. Fahrenheit 451 would be a good one too. Brave New World is another must-read dystopian book, but I wouldn't necessarily start with it.

[ErinE]

Why not a few choices?

 

Hunger Games would be my number one choice.

Unwind would be my second

Divergent third.

 

1984 and Animal Farm I think are better as a combination literature/historical study.

[teachermom2834]

My 15 yo ds just read The Hunger Games, Fahrenheit 451, 1984, The Ender's Game, and the Maze Runner. He enjoyed them all but 1984 was a tougher read. He did well with it, though.

[Kathryn]

My favorite was Fahrenheit 451.

[theYoungerMrsWarde]

I got to see Animal Farm as a play in 6th grade. What they did to gradually morph the look of the pigs was really awesome. (It wasn't a school play, it was a professional production.) 1984 seems a bit....thick deep ummm....something as a introduction to the topic. (Don't forget there is also sex in it if you object to that for young teens.)

[Anne in CA]

Honestly, I chose the Hunger Games, but the Dead and the Gone is really good and might lure in a teen boy better than the Hunger Games.

[Excelsior! Academy]

I got to see Animal Farm as a play in 6th grade. What they did to gradually morph the look of the pigs was really awesome. (It wasn't a school play, it was a professional production.) 1984 seems a bit....thick deep ummm....something as a introduction to the topic. (Don't forget there is also sex in it if you object to that for young teens.)

 

 

Yes, this.^

 

 

Hunger Games and the subsequent books would be my first choice. I can't remember if your son is an older teen or younger. I would wait on 1984 if he is still pretty young.

 

Anthem is a quick read. It is a bit odd, though.

[Matryoshka]

Loved Farenheit 451. Also loved 1984, but agree with the others that it might not be the best "first" dystopia?

 

Hunger Games is also good, and to add a YA dystopia that probably no one's heard of, I liked House of Stairs by Sleator.

 

If you want to go less modern, there's also The Time Machine by Wells.

[*Lulu*]

I voted Hunger Games.The pop culture "now-ness" gives it appeal, but the themes and writing are solid. Bonus, if he enjoys the first book you will be able to offer him the next two and he will be able to walk away with three books under his belt instead of one.

 

Fahrenheit 451, which was not an option, is one of my all time favorites and I discovered it around the time I was 14.

[Hoot]

I would have chosen Hunger Games based on the choices you gave; however, I chose Animal Farm instead because, from the perspective of my 14 yr. old son, it is one of the best books of all time. Around that time I really enjoyed Fahrenheit 451.

[PrincessMommy]

I also agree with Fahrenheit 451. It's a faster read for someone who doesn't enjoy reading. I don't consider 1984 to be a YA book. I read it in high school, but it was in the 12th grade. I think 14 might be too young, but that's just my opinion. I've never read Hunger Games, so I can't speak to that one.

[Crimson Wife]

Ender's Game. It centers on a male character rather than a female, so I think a boy might like it better than The Hunger Games. The movie is coming out this fall and the

looks promising.

[WishboneDawn]

The Chrysalids by John Wyndam.

 

Fast moving story with a male lead to appeal to your son. It was written about 60 years ago but my dd, dh,and I (we all read or reread it within a month) were surprised by how up-to-date it felt. It deals with some very heavy themes but is a slim book because it's so tightly and brilliantly written. Wyndam is fantastic at building a sense of horror in a scene without actually describing the horrible event.

 

It ruined The Hunger Games for my daughter and I because that series just sort of dries up and blows away in the memory after The Chrysalids. You wouldn't think so because The Chrysalids seems like such a small unassuming little book...

 

Forget the others. Go with The Chrysalids. :D

[Cinder]

Ds2 read The Giver for 9th grade English. (He goes to b&m school.) They read 1984 in 11th (a bit heavy, would be a slog for a non-reader) and Brave New World in 12th.

 

We both enjoyed Hunger Games but ds was put off by it's popularity. (ok, whatever)

 

He hasn't tried Ender's Game but I enjoyed that one and would recommend it too.

[Erica in OR]

Hunger Games is also good, and to add a YA dystopia that probably no one's heard of, I liked House of Stairs by Sleator.

 

Loved House of Stairs during my teen years and re-read it so many times from the library. I finally stumbled across a copy at a thrift store, so now DD1 has been able to read it.

 

Erica in OR

[unfrumpable.]

How about The Uglies Trilogy? I picked one up in a thrift store a couple of years ago and ended up reading the whole series. It is pretty good, a bit different than some of the others.

 

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/493455.The_Uglies_Trilogy

[unfrumpable.]

1984 was a great book, but I also hated it. I was depressed for at least a week after I finished it and had to read Wodehouse to snap me out of it. I'd start with something not quite so bleak. The Hunger Games hardly has a happy ending, but at least there is some hope. Fahrenheit 451 would be a good one too. Brave New World is another must-read dystopian book, but I wouldn't necessarily start with it.

 

 

The movie is even more depressing than the book! I still read it once every couple of years though.

 

How about Brave New World?

[Mergath]

 

Hunger Games is also good, and to add a YA dystopia that probably no one's heard of, I liked House of Stairs by Sleator.

 

 

I've read House of Stairs. :D It was good. It sort of reminded me of those Cube movies, but without the, er, gore.

 

I agree that Hunger Games would be a good intro to the genre. Much more interesting and, in my mind, relevant to the times than the older dystopian stuff. There's a ton of good YA dystopian books out there now, though. I'm not sure on all the authors, but off the top of my head, I liked Blood Red Road, Across the Universe, Birthmarked, Life as We Knew It, and Incarceron.

[klmama]

Would he like some short stories? "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson or "Harrison Bergeron" by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

[Ravin]

Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

Starship Troopers and/or The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein

[theYoungerMrsWarde]

Would he like some short stories? "The Lottery" by Shirley Jackson or "Harrison Bergeron" by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr.

 

 

^^^That is a GREAT short story and it really sticks with you and makes you think! Also agree with the PP who recommended The Giver if he hasn't read it yet and Ender's Game.

[diplomum]

Here's another that hasn't been mentioned. We had a lot of discussions about this. It involves cloning so might be for a more mature teen, though mine read it at 13 or 14. The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer. http://www.amazon.co...r/dp/0689852231

 

ETA: It is a Newberry Award Winner and won the National Book Award for Young Adult Literature.

[joannqn]

Hunger Games and it's sequels from your list. We really liked them and saw the movie and will see the other movies.

 

Divergent and Insurgent are favorites in our house. My kids liked them better than The Hunger Games. We've already preordered Allegiant and will be seeing the movie. We drove about 40 minutes to meet the author, and DD paid for a book with her own money to get her signature.

 

Ender's Game is awesome. DS11 loved it more than DD13. He wants to see the movie. Ender's Game has two prequels, the second of which just came out. There are also three sequels. And there is a parallel series, the Shadow series, told from the viewpoint of other characters, which is neat.

 

Maze Runner was just ok. I ended up feeling disappointed over that one.

 

The Giver series was odd in a way that left me thinking for a while after I was done.

 

Matched was pretty good. The sequels, Crossed and Reached, were disappointing.

 

Animal Farm was ok, but probably the most boring for us. We read it as part of our literature/history studies, which I try to combine as much as I can.

 

I liked Fahrenheit 451, but haven't had my kids read it yet.

 

We haven't read 1984 yet, but it is on the list.

 

Both of my older kids and I love dystopian so I'll be watching this thread for more titles.

[Onceuponatime]

My son read Animal Farm this year and loved it. However, I had made him read a biography of Stalin first. He thanked me for that. :-) Animal Farm is relatively easy reading compared to some of the other choices, but I think it needs to be put in context.

 

He did not like The Hunger Games, and only read it so he could know what all his friends were talking about.

 

I personally think The Giver is one of the most accessible dystopian books for young people and covers a lot of issues.

[kewb]

My 9th grader is currently reading 1984 and is enjoying it. I may remmeber 1984 more fondly then most since my high school class was the class of 1984 (yes, I am that old). He also liked Animal Farm. I think Animal Farm is more enjoyable when you understand the communist/socialist connection.

 

Brave New World is also on my list of books for him to read.

 

I like the short story suggestion. The Lottery is a good one.

[Lizzie in Ma]

Good choices, I loved these too, think Red Dawn but in Australia

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tomorrow_series

[Wildcat]

I honestly think The Hunger Games is going to be permanently added to this category, to be in company with Animal Farm, 1984, Fahrenheit 451, et al.

 

 

:iagree: I think 1984 will be my all time fave (that sounds horrid to have a 'fave' dystopian book!), but The Hunger Games series is a close "second".

 

My 9th grader is currently reading 1984 and is enjoying it. I may remmeber 1984 more fondly then most since my high school class was the class of 1984 (yes, I am that old). He also liked Animal Farm. I think Animal Farm is more enjoyable when you understand the communist/socialist connection.

 

Brave New World is also on my list of books for him to read.

 

I like the short story suggestion. The Lottery is a good one.

 

 

I also read 1984 *in* 1984 (9th grade). I didn't appreciate it then as I didn't understand the importance of the message. Once I read it again before ds (also 9th grade), it hit me just how scary it was, and remains, in its spot-on-ness. Once I started showing ds some of the things that have happened even since I ead it in high school, the book shook him and he couldn't believe how it seemed to be 'coming true'. Just the other day, when the NSA story broke, he commented on how 1984 we have become.

 

OP, 1984 is a great read, but it is very, um, meaty?gooey? It's hard to slog through and to understand just *why* it's such an important book, so it might be better saved for an older high schooler.

 

While I loved Animal Farm (read with my dc in their high school years), I seriously wonder if most of today's kids 'don't get it'. I think it would be better done along side a history study.

 

So, while I voted "1984" as *my* fave choice (because my coffee hadn't kicked in and I voted for *me* rather than for a young reader, duh), I would actually assign The Hunger Games (series). It 'speaks' to today's kids in a way they can understand. "Their" generation has grown up on violent video games (whether they play them or not, the kids know they are out there) and have seen how desensitized most of us (especially their generation) have become towards violence. It's an easy leap to see how we can go from 'today' to The Hunger Games, so it's more likely to impact your ds in the way you want. JMO.

 

By the way, I haven't heard of some of the books mentioned in the thread, so I have added some to *my* reading list! :D

[TexasRachel]

In addition to all of the above, check out Enclave and it's sequel Outpost.

[WishboneDawn]

Don't listen to the others.

 

The Chrysalids by John Wyndam. Trust me.

 

:D

[vonfirmath]

I voted Hunger Games.

 

I'll add Ender's Game which I'll be having ds read this summer. I really enjoyed it. It has a boy as the lead which can sometimes make a difference. I read the Maze Runner series which was good, but I don't think it was nearly as good as Hunger Games or Ender's Game. It does keep a good pace and it's a series.

 

(I always feel weird saying I enjoyed a dystopian story)

 

 

Ender's Game is a Dystopian book? Is that because the world is about to be destroyed? I'd never thought of it that way before.

[vonfirmath]

I also agree with Fahrenheit 451. It's a faster read for someone who doesn't enjoy reading. I don't consider 1984 to be a YA book. I read it in high school, but it was in the 12th grade. I think 14 might be too young, but that's just my opinion. I've never read Hunger Games, so I can't speak to that one.

 

 

The Dystopian (And I think they did some Utopia books too) unit I did was in 8th grade.

 

We read 1984, Animal Farm, Fahrenheit 451, and Brave new World that I can recall. We also read Jonathan Livingston Seagull that year though I don't remember if it was part of this unit.

 

We also read Shangra-La -- or at least a book about it. A utopian society in the mountains.

 

All in one 6 week grading period.

[Karen in CO]

These are in order of what I think is not only better but also better for a boy.

 

The Giver, if he hasn't already read it, is a perfect dystopian book. I would have this read before others in the genre.

Ender's Game

Starship Troopers is good to read after Ender's Game.

Hunger Games, but I think it appeals more to girls.

 

If he likes those then, Fahrenheit 451 is the best in this category. It is probably best in high school.

 

1984 and Animal Farm are still worthy books, but I would have them in a school reading list not a summer list.

[Karen in CO]

Ender's Game is a Dystopian book? Is that because the world is about to be destroyed? I'd never thought of it that way before.

 

 

It isn't post-apocolyptic.

 

Ender's game is in a world humans created trying to survive a future war. The world in the book is, at its heart, a frightening world which puts the book in a dystopian genre although it also belongs in sci/fi too along with many of the dystopian books. The antagonist in the book is the society itself.

 

 

eta: here is the good reads definition of dystopia:

Dystopia is often characterized by an authoritarian or totalitarian form of government. It often features different kinds of repressive social control systems, a lack or total absence of individual freedoms and expressions, and a state of constant warfare or violence.

 

My dd read a lot of dystopian books last summer. Happily, she's on to mysteries this summer because I was running out dystopian offerings for her.

[unfrumpable.]

Don't listen to the others.

 

The Chrysalids by John Wyndam. Trust me.

 

:D

 

 

 

They don't even have this book at my library! It is not available on PaperbackSwap either. Is it worth buying? :)

[unfrumpable.]

 

Ender's Game is a Dystopian book? Is that because the world is about to be destroyed? I'd never thought of it that way before.

 

 

 

I never looked at it that way either.

[LostSurprise]

For a young, non-reader, teen boy I like Animal Farm or The Hunger Games from the list. Animal Farm is an easy read, but may annoy very literal/factual children.

 

From others mentioned The Giver, Fahrenheit 451, The Maze Runner, and Ender's Game (not very dystopian IMO, more speculative) would also work. The Giver is excellent for this age group and also an easy read.

 

I would add Lord of the Flies, City of Ember, and I Am Number Four to the list.

 

I think 1984 and Brave New World are important books, but they they are heavy and not easy reads. I would save them for later.

[Whereneverever]

Brave new world, hands down.

[nmoira]

[Chrysalids]

 

They don't even have this book at my library! It is not available on PaperbackSwap either. Is it worth buying? :)

 

Yes! And if you're inclined, don't stop there: Chocky, The Day of the Triffids, The Midwich Cuckoos (upon which Village of the Damned was based... I pretend there's only the original, but it was filmed twice), and more. Also short stories.

 

None are terribly long, so omnibus editions of the novels are not terribly unwieldy.

[Ravin]

Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix is another really good one.

 

Honestly, I wouldn't subject a reluctant reader to the Hunger Games. Hundreds of pages of thick first-person...ugh, the style makes me cringe. I didn't make it past the second chapter and I usually like the genre.

[TKDmom]

The Giver.

 

Also, one of my favorite books that I haven't seen listed was The White Mountains by John Christopher. Its the first in a series of 3 or 4 books.

[Chelli]

I was thinking City of Ember or The Uglies like a pp mentioned.

 

I also liked Cinder. It would probably appeal to girls more, but the premise of the book is really cool.

 

Out of the choices you gave, I would choose The Hunger Games.

[Chelli]

Matched was pretty good. The sequels, Crossed and Reached, were disappointing.

 

Ugh. I just checked these out from the library to finish the series. I really liked Matched so I was looking forward to the rest.

[elfgivas]

no one has mentioned a clockwork orange yet.... i didn't like it AT ALL, but it sure stuck with me. ditto Lord of the Flies.....

 

day of the triffids would be one that i actually sort of liked. and there is a heinlein one called "nightfall"....

[WishboneDawn]

 

 

 

They don't even have this book at my library! It is not available on PaperbackSwap either. Is it worth buying? :)

 

Yes! Great story, wonderful writing and the story leaves you with lots of questions (ethical, political, religious) to ponder. It's also neat to read a book written in the '40s and have it feel so modern.