11 Feb Best Dystopian Books for Teens
In some worlds, we see the worst timeline play out. Whether it be through environmental failure, or the outbreak of a terrible disease, check out these teen dystopias stories where revolution flourishes.
Shatter Me
by Tahereh Mafi
Juliette hasn’t touched anyone in 264 days. Her lethal touch got her imprisoned by The Reestablishment for murder. No one knows why it kills, and in a world falling apart from disease, famine, and environmental decay, no one really cares about a dangerous 17-year-old girl.
As war looms and survivors begin to resist, The Reestablishment reconsiders. Juliette may not just be a cursed prisoner– she might be exactly what they need.
Coldwire
by Chloe Gong
As rising seas and epidemics devastate the world, the wealthy escape into a gleaming virtual “upcountry,” while the poor are left behind in the crumbling “downcountry.” A cold war between Medaluo and Atahua fuels the divide, and Medan orphans in Atahua are forced into Nile Military Academy: serve or be branded a spy.
Eirale follows the path laid out for her after graduation, joining NileCorp’s private forces downcountry, until she’s framed for assassination by Atahua’s most wanted anarchist. Her choice: help him hunt a dangerous program in Medaluo or face treason.
Upcountry, cadet Lia is determined to graduate valedictorian, but her final assignment– an infiltration of Medaluo to track an Atahuan traitor– goes disastrously wrong.
Moving through different layers of reality, Eirale and Lia uncover a conspiracy that may collide their worlds, and shatter them both.
Uglies
by Scott Westerfield
On the brink of sixteen, Tally is eager for the operation that will transform her from an ugly into a beautiful pretty and grant her a carefree life in a high-tech paradise.
But when her friend Shay runs away rather than submit to the procedure, Tally uncovers a dark truth behind the pretty world. Forced to choose between betraying Shay or losing her chance to become pretty, Tally must make a decision that will change her world forever.
Among The Hidden
by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Luke has lived his entire life in hiding. As a forbidden third child under the Population Law, he has no school, no friends, no freedom, and now not even the outdoors.
When Luke spots a girl in a neighboring house, he discovers he’s not alone. Jen, another shadow child, is willing to risk everything to fight back. Drawn into her dangerous plan, Luke must decide whether to stay hidden, or step into a world that could cost him his life.
The Knife of Never Letting Go
by Patrick Ness
Todd Hewitt is the only boy in a town of men, all infected by the Noise germ that makes their thoughts audible. With only his dog for company, Todd senses the town is hiding a terrible secret. When he learns the truth, he’s forced to flee.
Hunted by the men who raised him, Todd encounters something impossible: a silent girl. As they run, Todd must question everything he’s been taught to discover who he truly is.
Matched
by Ally Condie
In the Society, every choice is made for you: who you love, where you work, even when you die. Cassia has always trusted the system, until a glitch in her Matching reveals two possible partners.
Torn between Xander and Ky, and between safety and uncertainty, Cassia must choose between the perfect life she was promised and a dangerous path of her own.
Unwind
by Neal Shusterman
After the Second Civil War, life is protected from conception until age thirteen– but between thirteen and eighteen, children can be “unwound,” their bodies harvested in the name of survival.
Connor is marked for being uncontrollable, Risa for being expendable, and Lev as a willing sacrifice. On the run together, they may have their only chance to escape– and stay alive.
Internment
by Samira Ahmed
In a near-future United States, seventeen-year-old Layla Amin and her family are sent to an internment camp for Muslim Americans.
With help from fellow detainees, her boyfriend on the outside, and an unexpected ally, Layla rises to challenge the camp’s brutal leadership, and fight for freedom.
Skyhunter
by Marie Lu
The Karensa Federation has conquered most of the world, turning its enemies into monstrous Ghosts and sending them to destroy the last free nations. Mara stands nearly alone, defended by the elite Strikers, though defeat seems inevitable.
Talin Kanami, a Striker robbed of her voice and home by Karensa’s cruelty, refuses to surrender hope. When a mysterious prisoner arrives from the front, Talin suspects he may be either Karensa’s deadliest spy– or Mara’s last chance at survival.
The Maze Runner
by James Dashner
Thomas wakes in the lift with no memory except his name, surrounded by boys in the Glade– none of whom remember their pasts either.
Beyond the Glade’s towering walls lies a deadly, ever-changing maze that no one has ever survived.
Everything changes when the first girl arrives with a terrifying message: Remember. Survive. Run.
– written by Ajax T, Teen Central Library Assistant
