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Core Collection: Dystopian Fiction for Youth.
Chipman, Ian (author).
FEATURE. First published May 15, 2009 (Booklist).Perhaps reflecting the unease in every society that something darker lurks beneath the veneer of civilization, a growing body of dystopian literature has recently dominated the YA science-fiction and fantasy genres. In the same spirit as Lois Lowry’s now-classic The Giver (1993), these booksnot only offer teens excellent escapist farerife withsurvivalist adventure andgrim imaginings offuture worlds but also an opportunity to reflect on how the issues in theirown lives and societies are mirrored in these worlds gone horribly wrong. For adult books on this topic, seeKeir Graff’s“Core Collection: Before and After The Road” in the May15, 2008, issue of Booklist.
Bloodsong. By Melvin Burgess. 2007. Simon & Schuster/Simon Pulse, paper, $7.99 (9781416936169). Gr. 10–12.
This stand-alone YA sequel to the adult book Bloodtide (2001) places Viking mythology into a futuristic, war-torn England populated by human-animal hybrids and organic machines, where young Sigurd embarks on a hero’s quest to restore peace to the kingdom.
The City of Ember. By Jeanne DuPrau. 2003. Random, $16.99 (9780375822735). Gr. 5–7.
Embedded in acompletely darkened world, a 241-year-old domed city built to ensure a home for humanity is running out of provisions, and the escape plan left by the original builders has been lost. The first book in the Books of Ember follows 12-year-olds Lina and Doon as they navigate a way out.
The Declaration. By Gemma Malley. 2007. Bloomsbury, $16.95 (9781599901190). Gr. 6–10.
In an overpopulated future, a wonder drug has been created that prevents most deaths, the caveatbeing that to get the drug, one must agree not to reproduce. Illegal “Surplus” children live on the fringes until two teens become aware of the massive injustice surrounding them. The Resistance (2008) continues their tale.
The Diary of Pelly D. By L. J. Adlington. 2005. Greenwillow, $16.99 (9780060766153). Gr. 8–12.
Inspired bythe Holocaust and buried diaries found in the Warsaw Ghetto, this grim tale tells the story of a young girl who seems to have it all until her planet decrees that the population be sorted into one of three genetic strains, and she finds herself among the despised Galrezi. Though set well after the action here, Cherry Heaven (2008) explores a different angle in the same world.
Exodus. By Julie Bertagna. 2008. Walker, $16.95 (9780802797452). Gr. 6–10.
After a century of global warming, mostof the Earth’s surface is covered by water. When Mara’s tiny home island finally submerges, she and her neighbors set sail and become refugees trapped outside a heavily walled, floating haven whose residents live in affluence, oblivious to the suffering outside. A sequel (Zenith, 2009) as well as a planned final volume complete Mara’s saga.
Feed. By M. T. Anderson. 2002. Candlewick, $16.99 (9780763617264). Gr. 9–12.
In a premise that seems to be more scarily relevant almost by the minute, this satire posits a future where information is directly transmitted to peoplevia feeds hardwired into their brains, diluting their thoughts into a vapid stream of consumerism, complacency, and conformity.
The Hunger Games. By Suzanne Collins. 2008. Scholastic, $17.99 (9780439023481). Gr. 9–12.
After an unspecified apocalypse remaps the U.S. into the 12 territories of the ultrapowerful state of Panem, each region must send two children to compete in an annualtelevised death match,and Katniss finds herself thrust into the horrifying reality show. There is likely no more eagerly anticipated book than the next volume, Catching Fire, due in September.
The Knife of Never Letting Go. By Patrick Ness. 2008. Candlewick, $18.99 (9780763639310). Gr. 8–12.
In a settlement where the women have been wiped out and men’s thoughts are audible to all, Todd Hewitt is on the run, trailed by townsfolk who are determined to force him into compliance and complicity in their horrendous acts, in this first book in the Chaos Walking series.
Little Brother. By Cory Doctorow. 2008. Tor, $17.95 (9780765319852). Gr. 8–12.
Perhaps most frightening for the fact that it takes place in the nearly here future rather than decades or centuries away, this thrilling anti-establishment anthem follows several teenagers as they bothuse and dodge technology, trying to buck the yoke of governmental hypersurveillance following a terrorist attack.
The Other Side of the Island. By Allegra Goodman. 2008. Penguin/Razorbill, $16.99 (9781595141958). Gr. 6–9.
Flipping traditional generational roles on their heads, this tale’s rigidly conformist society does not include Honor’s parents, who attemptto break their child of her orthodoxy, while she agonizes over their refusal to follow the rules and her own desire to belong.
The Sky Inside. By Clare B. Dunkle. 2008. Atheneum/Ginee Seo, $16.99 (9781416924227). Gr. 4–8.
With his every need finely tended to, 13-year-old Martin doesn’t have much to worry about inside his steel-domed suburb. Until, that is, there’s a recall on a set of genetically engineered children, and he begins to wonder what’s outside his media-drenched oblivion. A sequel, The Walls Have Eyes, is due in August.
Uglies. By Scott Westerfeld. 2005. Simon & Schuster/Simon Pulse, paper, $8.99 (9780689865381). Gr. 7–10.
In an image-obsessedfuture in which every 16-year-old is surgically enhanced, authorities threaten to withhold Tally’s cosmetic makeover unless she agrees to infiltrate the Smoke, rebelswho embrace their ugliness and rail against the sterilization of beauty. Others installments include Pretties (2005), Specials (2006), and Extras (2008).
Unwind. By Neal Shusterman. 2007. Simon & Schuster, $16.99 (9781416912040). Gr. 6–9.
After a war is fought between pro-life and pro-choice factions,abortionbecomes outlawed, but unwanted teens can be signed away by their parents to be “unwound,” a process in whichtheir bodies are harvested for parts. Three teens doomed to such a fate attempt to evade the authorities until their eighteenth birthdays, when they’ll be safe.
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