Your FAVE Young Adult "Dystopian" Books??

[WishboneDawn]

[Chrysalids]

 

 

 

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.

 

And The Trouble With Lichen. :)

 

I really don't understand why he is not better known.

 

[joannqn]

 

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.

 

They weren't bad, just not as good as I hoped. Maybe you'll like them.

[trinchick]

A PP mentioned the Unwind series by Neal Shusterman. I found the series to be really thought-provoking but also with a strong story line that keeps the reader's interest.

 

Here's the summary from Amazon:

 

In America after the Second Civil War, the Pro-Choice and Pro-Life armies came to an agreement: The Bill of Life states that human life may not be touched from the moment of conception until a child reaches the age of thirteen. Between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, however, a parent may choose to retroactively get rid of a child through a process called "unwinding." Unwinding ensures that the child's life doesn’t “technically†end by transplanting all the organs in the child's body to various recipients. Now a common and accepted practice in society, troublesome or unwanted teens are able to easily be unwound.

With breathtaking suspense, this book follows three teens who all become runaway Unwinds: Connor, a rebel whose parents have ordered his unwinding; Risa, a ward of the state who is to be unwound due to cost-cutting; and Lev, his parents' tenth child whose unwinding has been planned since birth as a religious tithing. As their paths intersect and lives hang in the balance, Shusterman examines serious moral issues in a way that will keep readers turning the pages to see if Connor, Risa, and Lev avoid meeting their untimely ends.

[trinchick]

Sorry that text is so tiny! For some reason, I can't edit it.

[melbotoast]

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.

 

I'll second The White Mountains series.

[Seasider]

Dystopia = dysfunctional utopia

 

Just being futuristic doesn't qualify. The story must make have some comment/theme that speaks on the societal level to be truly dystopian. That's why I'm not sure I'd put Maze Runner in that category. It's more a science fiction/reactionary solution type of plot. Bur maybe I will change my mind when I get through the third book and prequel!

 

[AngieW in Texas]

I've read most of the series listed so far on this thread. I really need to try Day of the Triffids and Chrysalids, because I haven't read them before and I had never even heard of Day of the Triffids until it was mentioned on Welcome to Sanditon's Monday broadcast (the new series isn't nearly as good as LBD).

 

Birthmarked and its sequel (still waiting for the 3rd) was excellent, but probably wouldn't have much appeal for a teen boy.

 

Unwind and its sequel (still waiting for the 3rd) is the creepiest series I have ever read. It is superb.

 

Hunger Games, Ender's Game, Divergent, House of Stairs, The Uglies, City of Ember, and The White Mountains are all very good. I would recommend all of them. The later books in Ender's Game and City of Embers are not as good as the 1st book.

 

Matched really went downhill after the first book as did Withered.

[LostSurprise]

And The Trouble With Lichen. :)

 

I really don't understand why he is not better known.

 

 

 

Maybe because Day of the Triffids is dated and hokey?? :tongue_smilie:

[kentuckymom]

I agree with the suggestion of THE DEAD AND THE GONE by (I think) Susan Beth Pfeffer. That and its two companion novels are my favorites among the more recently written YA dystopian fiction. As a bonus for your DS, it has a male teen narrator. THE GIVER is also a potential winner (besides being great overall) because it's written from the POV of a male main character. Since The Hunger Games is narrated by a girl, I think it would be less likely to be enjoyed by a reluctant boy reader. I myself enjoyed the series immensely. You might also want to consider THE CITY OF EMBER. I didn't like the rest of the books in the series as much as the first, and it's written from a girl's point of view, but there's at least a primary character who's a boy and not a love interest (unlike the whole melodramatic love triangle in the Hunger Games series).

[tex-mex]

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.

 

Oooh... very good point. And he is a reluctant reader. ;)

 

The last book series he read on his own were the Warrior (Cat book series) books. I, myself, would love to sit and read Farenheit 451 as a Summer read!

[Word Nerd]

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.

 

You based that opinion on only one chapter? The book is fast-paced (DH read the whole series in 3 days), full of action, and a good choice for reluctant readers in my experience.

[Lady Florida.]

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.

 

My teen boy loved all three Hunger Games books, and convinced his dad and me to read them. He can hardly wait for the second movie to come out in November. I think it's a story that appeals to both genders.

 

 

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.

 

Animal Farm is excellent, but possibly not "now" enough for a kid who isn't an avid reader. I voted Hunger Games for that reason. I agree that this could lead to three books being read instead of one. They're hard to put down!

 

I loved Animal Farm when I read it in high school, but it really is dated. It won't make a lot of sense to kids who have never lived under the threat of the spread of communism. Or at the very least, they won't get out of it what Orwell intended.

[freeindeed]

I would start him with The Hunger Games triology, then move to 1984 and then Animal Farm. Let him work his way up.

[Seasider]

...

 

I loved Animal Farm when I read it in high school, but it really is dated. It won't make a lot of sense to kids who have never lived under the threat of the spread of communism. Or at the very least, they won't get out of it what Orwell intended.

 

Does it make you wonder if the earbud generation will think, "What's the big deal?" about parts of Fahrenheit 451?

[ErinE]

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"....

 

A Clockwork Orange was disturbing, but if you can, don't read the "revised" author version. The American publishing company insisted on the removal of the last chapter on its initial publication. It was the right decision; the last chapter was a complete disappointment and ruined the book for me.

[AHASRADA]

My ds read Animal Farm in 9th grade (last year). He really enjoyed it and got a lot out of it, but we read it together and discussed it using study questions. He might not have made all the symbolic connections without discussion, but his lack of a full grasp of life under Stalin in no way impeded his ability to understand the deep meaning of the story. In fact, it likely made it easier for him to apply the lessons to any situation where the oppressed revolt, gain relative freedom, but are ultimately oppressed anew in the name of the revolution (lots of historical examples).

 

This year (grade 10) we read Anthem, which was a quick and easy read. The symbolism is very clear and easy to follow, but provides a lot of meat for discussion/reflection on its meanings and implications. Very similar message to Animal Farm, without the animals :). Anthem would be very appropriate for summer independent reading, since the student can get a lot out of it without study questions, etc.

ETA: There is a "love story" component, but all is implied, nothing graphic. Fine for ages 12+, IME.

[theYoungerMrsWarde]

feed by M.T. Anderson might be a good book for him. I consider it dystopic and not just futuristic.

 

Amazon description: Identity crises, consumerism, and star-crossed teenage love in a futuristic society where people connect to the Internet via feeds implanted in their brains.

 

For Titus and his friends, it started out like any ordinary trip to the moon - a chance to party during spring break and play with some stupid low-grav at the Ricochet Lounge. But that was before the crazy hacker caused all their feeds to malfunction, sending them to the hospital to lie around with nothing inside their heads for days. And it was before Titus met Violet, a beautiful, brainy teenage girl who has decided to fight the feed and its omnipresent ability to categorize human thoughts and desires. Following in the footsteps of George Orwell, Anthony Burgess, and Kurt Vonnegut Jr., M. T. Anderson has created a not-so-brave new world — and a smart, savage satire that has captivated readers with its view of an imagined future that veers unnervingly close to the here and now.

 

 

It's a bit more modern than a lot of the classics mentioned on here. But it, I think, would hit a young teen close to home and get him engaged in thinking about how close we are to something like that.

[Lady Florida.]

Does it make you wonder if the earbud generation will think, "What's the big deal?" about parts of Fahrenheit 451?

 

I can't imagine that they would think it's horrifying.

[nmoira]

I've been mulling this one over, and I'd go with either The Hunger Games or Feed. They're both very accessible and pull you through the book. IMHO The Hunger Games gets unfairly knocked for simplistic structure and lack of "beautiful" prose, but Katniss hardly has time to take a breath much less muse poetically.

 

The only other book I'd throw in the mix (at least I don't think it's been mentioned) would be The Postman, especially if he's interested in American history.

[tex-mex]

Thanks everyone for the wonderful suggestions!! :hurray:

 

This most likely dates me as an old f@rt... but, back when I was in high school, we had to read Earth Abides. That was a great read. Not sure if 21st Century kiddos would enjoy it, tho'?

[TXBeth]

If he is a young teen (middle school), I would do either The Giver or Among the Hidden (that one has a whole series that he might get drawn into).

For a high school reluctant reader, I would do Hunger Games first, but use it as a lead in to reading at least one of the others as well.

[LeslieAnneLevine]

Oooh... very good point. And he is a reluctant reader. ;)

 

The last book series he read on his own were the Warrior (Cat book series) books. I, myself, would love to sit and read Farenheit 451 as a Summer read!

 

 

My son loves the Warriors series (as do I!) and he also liked The Unwanteds. On the cover there is a quote about it being Harry Potter crossed with The Hunger Games and it kind of is, only quite a bit less dark. I'm not saying it's a literary masterpiece (eta: nor am I saying it's poorly written), but he might like it if he's a young teen.

[Punchie]

CHRYSALIDS,CHRYSALIDS,CHRYSALIDS!!!!!!!! It is one of my all time favorite books. I read it for the first time around the age of 12.

 

Day of the Triffids is great too. It starts out slow, but builds up. It never reaches a frenetic pace, but is more of a character study set in a post-humans-completely-messed-everything-up-with-their-technology kind of way.

 

I liked Hunger Games and Divergent. The Maze Runner trilogy was just meh. It started out alright, but then kind of petered out. Genesis (by Bernard Beckett) was interesting, as was Restoring Harmony. Maybe Mortal Engines? Thought that could be classified as post-apocalyptic steam-punk.

 

ETA: I have The 5th Wave on my to read list at the moment.

[Seasider]

After all these endorsements I am going to put Chrysalids on my library request list.

[Crimson Wife]

IBirthmarked and its sequel (still waiting for the 3rd) was excellent

 

 

I agree that Birthmarked was excellent, but I *LOATHED* the second book, Prized. Don't read it unless you are pro-abortion and casual s*x. Total disappointment and I didn't bother with the 3rd book in the series.