By Leslie Grant, Graduate Assistant, McLure Education Library
Stories set in dystopian societies are wildly popular right now, with books like The Hunger Games and Divergent becoming blockbuster hits at the box office. If you’re done re-reading Mockingjay before the release of part one later this month, then you might want to check out some of these other young adult dystopian novels available at the library.
Pills and Starships
by Lydia Millet
(PZ7.M63923 Pi 2014)
“Seventeen-year-old Nat and her hacker brother Sam have come to Hawaii for their parents’ Final Week. Global warming has devastated the planet, and the disintegrating society that remains is run by “corporates” who keep the population complacent through a constant diet of “pharma.” The few Americans who stil live well also live long — so long that older adults, like Nat’s parents, blow out not by natural means but by buying death contracts. While Nat grapples with the bizarre ritual of her parents’ slickly engineered last days, Sam begins to uncover a secret, wilder Hawaii hidden beneath the high-gloss corporate veneer. Their family’s Final Week races toward its climax in the face of a looming hurricane as Nat struggles to protect herself and the people she loves — Along the way forging her own surprising path to hope.”
Matched series
by Ally Condie
(PZ7.C7586 Ma 2010)
“All her life, Cassia has never had a choice. The Society dictates everything: when and how to play, where to work, where to live, what to eat and wear, when to die, and most importantly to Cassia as she turns 17, whom to marry. When she is Matched with her best friend Xander, things couldn’t be more perfect. But why did her neighbor Ky’s face show up on her match disk as well?”
Tankborn series
by Karen Sandler
(PZ7.S2173 Tan 2011)
“Kayla and Mishalla, two genetically engineered non-human slaves (GENs), fall in love with higher-status boys, discover deep secrets about the creation of GENs, and find out what it means to be human.”
T
he House of the Scorpion series
by Nancy Farmer
(PZ7.F23814 Mat 2002)
“In a future where humans despise clones, Matt enjoys special status as the young clone of El Patrón, the 142-year-old leader of a corrupt drug empire nestled between Mexico and the United States.”
Shatter Me series
by Tahereh Mafi
(PZ7.M2695 Sh 2011)
“Ostracized or incarcerated her whole life, seventeen-year-old Juliette is freed on the condition that she use her horrific abilities in support of The Reestablishment, a postapocalyptic dictatorship, but Adam, the only person ever to show her affection, offers hope of a better future.”
Ship Breaker series
by Paolo Bacigalupi
(PZ7.B132185 Sh 2010)
“In a futuristic world, teenaged Nailer scavenges copper wiring from grounded oil tankers for a living, but when he finds a beached clipper ship with a girl in the wreckage, he has to decide if he should strip the ship for its wealth or rescue the girl.”
Life As We Knew It series
by Susan Beth Pfeffer
(PZ7.P44855 Lif 2006)
“Through journal entries sixteen-year-old Miranda describes her family’s struggle to survive after a meteor hits the moon, causing worldwide tsunamis, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions.”
These are just a few books to get you started, all of which are available at McLure in the Education School Library downstairs. Enjoy, and let us know your favorite dystopian reads.
