Dystopian Novels
in Riverside Middle School Library 3/2010
Adlington, L. J. Cherry Heaven 2008 Kat and Tanka J
leave the war-torn city, move with theiradoptive parents to the New Frontier, and are soon settled into a home calledCherry Heaven, but Luka, an escaped factory worker, confirms their suspicionthat New Frontier is not the utopia it seems to be.
Diary of Pelly D. 2005 Toni V, a construction worker on a futuristic colony,finds the diary of a teenage girl whose life has been turned upside-down byholocaust-like events, and he begins to question his own beliefs.
Anderson, M.T. Feed 2002 In a future where most people have computer implants in their heads to control their environment, a boy meets an unusual girl who is in serious trouble.
Armstrong, Jennifer The keepers of the flame 2002 (Fire-us trilogy; bk. 2) After a virus destroys most of the world's adult population, a group of children are delighted to discover a colony of adult survivors in a Florida shopping mallbut soon
find that they are not as friendly as they appear.
The kindling 2002 bk. 1 In 2007, a small band of children have joined together in a Florida town, trying to survive in a world where it seems that all the adults have been killed off by a catastrophic virus.
The kiln 2003 bk. 3 After a virus destroys most of the world's adult population, a band of children travels in search of an explanation for the dark mystery that forms the heart of their existence. Bodeen, S.A. The compound 2008 Fifteen-year-old Eli, locked inside a radiation-proof compound built by his father to keep them safe following a nuclear attack, begins to question his future, as well as his father's grip on sanity as the family's situation steadily disintegrates over the course of six years.
Bradbury, Ray Fahrenheit 451 1953 Guy Montag, a bookburning official in a future fascist state, finds out that books are a vital part of a culture he never knew, and he clandestinely pursues reading, until he is betrayed.
Butler,Susan The hermit thrush sings 1999 After a natural disaster has all but destroyed the earth,the orphaned and"defective" Leora, while searching for her sister, defies the oppressive laws of the land and joins a band of rebels trying to
overthrow the government.
Card, Orson Scott Ender's game 1991 Ender, who is the result of genetic experimentation, maybe the military genius Earth needs in its war against an alien enemy.
Collins, Suzanne The Hunger Games 2008 (Hunger Games, bk. 1) Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen accidentally becomes a contender in the annual Hunger Games, a grave competition hosted by the Capitol where young boys and girls are pitted against
one another in a televised fight to the death.
Catching Fire 2009 bk. 2 By winning the annual Hunger Games, District 12 tributes Katniss Everdeen and Peeta Mellark have secured a life of safety and plenty for themselves and their families, but because they won by defying the rules, they unwittingly become the faces of an impending rebellion.
DuPrau, Jeanne The city of Ember 2003 (Book of Ember,bk.1) In the city of Ember, twelve-year-old Lina trades jobs on Assignment Day to be a Messenger to run to new places in her decaying but beloved city, perhaps even to glimpse Unknown Regions.
The diamond of Darkhold 2008 bk. 4 After obtaining an ancient book with only a few pages remaining, Lina and Doon return to Ember seeking the machine described in the book that might be able to aid their new community, Sparks, through the winter.
The people of Sparks 2004 bk. 2 Lina and Doon are thrilled to see their people join them above ground in the vibrant village of Sparks, but suspicion and prejudice soon turn the villagers and newcomers against each other.
The prophet of Yonwood 2006 bk. 3 While visiting the small town of Yonwood, North Carolina, eleven-year-old Nickie makes some decisions about how to identify both good and evil when she witnesses the townspeople's reactions to the apocalyptic visions of one of their neighbors.
Farmer, Nancy The Ear, the Eye, and the Arm 1994 In 2194 in Zimbabwe, General Matsika's three children are kidnapped and put towork in a plastic mine, while three mutant detectives use their special powersto search for them.
House of the Scorpion 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.
Gilmore, Kate The exchange student 1999 When her mother arranges to host one of the young people coming to Earth from the planet Chela, Daria is both pleased and intrigued by the keen interest shown by the Chelan in her work breeding
endangered species.
Goodman, Allegra The other side of the island 2008 Honor, living with her mom and dad on Island 365 in the Tranquil Sea, an environment controlled by the Earth Mother
corporation in a post-apocalyptic world, becomes more fearful as she grows older and realizes that her nonconformist parents are putting the entire family at risk.
Haddix, Margaret Peterson Among the hidden 1998 (The Shadow Children, bk 1) In a future where the Population Police enforce the law limiting a family to only two children, Luke has lived all his twelve years in isolation and fear on his family's
farm, until another "third" convinces him that the government is wrong.
Among the imposters 2001 bk.2 In a future where the law limits a family to only two children, third-born Luke has been hiding for the entire twelve years of his life, until he enters boarding school under an assumed name and is forced to face his fears. Among the betrayed 2002 b. 3 Thirteen-year-old Nina is imprisoned by the Population Police who give her the option of helping them identify illegal “third-born” children or face death.
Among the barons 2003 bk. 4 In a future world of false identities, government lies, and death threats, Luke feels drawn to the younger brother of the boy whose name Luke has taken.
Among the brave 2004 bk. 5 A group of third-borns tries to save themselves and other like them.
Among the enemy 2005 bk. 6 Third child Matthias joins the Population Police in order to infiltrate the system. Among the free 2006 bk. 7 When thirteen-year-old Luke Garner unwillingly sets off a rebellion, which sweeps the country and ousts the Population Police from power, he quickly realizes that the new regime is corrupt and he may hold the only key to true freedom.
Hautman, Pete Hole in the sky 2001 In a future world ravaged by a mutant virus, sixteen-year-old
Ceej and three other teenagers seek to save the Grand Canyon from being flooded, whilet rying to avoid capture by a band of renegade Survivors. Rash 2006 In a future society that has decided it would "rather be safe than free,"sixteen-year-old Bo's anger management problems land him in a tundra jail where he survives with the help of his running skills and an artificial intelligence program named Bork.
Huxley, Aldous Brave new world 1946 A satirical novel about the Utopia of the future,
when babies are decanted from bottles and the great Ford is worshipped.
Lasky, Kathryn Star split 1999 In 3038, thirteen-year-old Darci uncovers
an underground movement to save thehuman race from genetic enhancement technology.
Lindbergh, Anne Nick of time 1994 Thirteen-year-old Jericho, whose father runs an unconventional school in their home, passes an invisible gateway into the year 2094 and discovers a future world of uniformity and overpopulation, where his school has been
made a national monument.
Lowry, Lois The giver 1993 Given his lifetime assignment at the Ceremony of Twelve, Jonas becomes the receiver of memories shared by only one other in his community and discovers the terrible truth about the society in which he lives. McNaughton, Janet The secret under my skin 2005 In the year 2368, humans exist under dire environmental conditions and one young woman, rescued from a work camp and chosen for a special duty, uses her love of learning to discover the truth about the planet’s future and her own dark past.
O’Brien, Robert Z for Zachariah 1974 Seemingly the only person left alive after the holocaust of a war, a young girl isr elieved to see a man arrive into her valley until she realizes that he is at yrant and she must somehow escape.
Orwell, George 1984: a novel 1949 Winston Smith, a worker at the Ministry of Truth in the future political entity of Oceania, puts his life on the line when he joins a covert brotherhood in rebelling against the Party that controls all human thought
and action.
Pace, Sue The last oasis 1993 In a future world of shortages and decay, two young people set off through unknown dangers toward a better life in Idaho.
Patterson, James The angel experiment 2005 (Maximum Ride, bk 1) After the mutant Erasers abduct the youngest member of their
group, the “birdkids,”who are the result of genetic experimentation, take off in pursuit and find themselves struggling to understand their own origins and purpose. School’s out– forever 2006 bk. 2 After a short stay with an FBI agent who gives them a chance to attend school and live a normal life, the six genetically-altered, winged youths head toward Florida and Max’s ultimate destiny – to save the world, whether she wants to or not Saving the world and other
extreme sports 2007 bk. 3 The time has come for Max, Fang, Iggy, Nudge, Gasman, and Angel to face their ultimate enemy and, despite many obstacles, try to save the world from a sinister plan to re-engineer a select population into a scientifically superior master race.
The final warning 2008 bk. 4 While on a mission to Antarctica to save the world from global warming, fourteen-year-old Maximum Ride and other members of the Flock – a band of genetically modified children who can fly – are pursued by their creator, the Uber-Director, who wants to auction them off to the highest bidder. Max 2009 bk. 5 When millions of fish start dying off the
coast of Hawaii and something is destroying hundreds of ships, the government enlists the Flock to help get to the bottom of the disaster before it is too late. Fang 2010 bk. 6 When Max and Flock discover an unscrupulous scientist who is experimenting on humans in an effort to “improve” the human race, they decide they must try to stop him in spite of Angel’s prediction about Fang dying.
Pearson, Mary The adoration of Jenna Fox 2008 In the not-too-distant future, when biotechnological advances had made synthethic bodies and brains possible but illegal, a seventeen-year-old girl, recovering from
memory lapses, learns a startling secret about her existence.
Pfeffer, Susan Beth The dead and the gone 2008 Afte ra meteor hits the moon and sets off a series of horrific climate changes,seventeen-year-old Alex Morales must take care of his sisters alone in the chaos of New York City.
Life as we knew it 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.
Philbrick, Rodman The last book in the universe 2000 After an earthquake has destroyed much of the planet, an epileptic teenager nicknamed Spaz begins the heroic fight to bring human intelligence back to the Earth of a distant future.
Reeve, Philip Mortal engines 2003 (Hungry City Chronicles, bk. 1) Tom, a third class apprentice in a distant future in which technology has been lost and tiered cities move about the Earth on caterpillar tracks, often absorbing smaller locales, has many dangerous adventures after being pushed off London byThaddeus Valentine, a historian who is trying to resurrect an ancient atomic weapon.
Predator’s gold 2003 bk.2 Tom and Hester hope that the ice city of Anchorage will reach the rumored haven of the Dead Continent – America – before the savage Huntsmen of Arkangel find them.
Infernal devices 2005 bk. 3 When fifteen-year-old Wren Natsworthy, bored with life in Anchorage, steals an Old-Tech book for a Lost Boy, she sets off a sequence of events that leads her parents, Tom and Hester, back into battle with enemies old and new.
A darkling plain 2007 bk. 4 While dealing with people from their past and treachery from unexpected sources, Tom, Hester, and Wren return to save the world.
Rex, Adam The true meaning of Smekday 2007 Twelve-year-old Gratuity “Tip” Tucci is left to fend for herself after Earth is colonized by aliens and her mother is abducted, and must try to stop another alien invasion with only the help of a
cat named Pig and an alien named J. Lo.
Shusterman, Neal Downsiders: a novel 1999 When fourteen-year-old Lindsay meets Talon and discovers the Downsiders world which had evolved from the subway build under New York City in 1867, she and her new friend experience the clash of two cultures.
Unwind 2007 Three teens embark upon a cross-country journey in order to escape from a future society that salvages body parts from children ages thirteen to eighteen.
Sleator, William House of stairs 1974 Five f ifteen-year-old orphans of widely varying personality characteristics are involuntarily placed in a house of endless stairs as subjects for a psychological experiment on conditioned human response.
Sutherland, Tui So this is how it ends 2006 Five teenagers from around the world are transported seventy-five years into the future and discover that they hold the key to saving the world, or ending it.
Weaver, Will Memory boy: a novel 2001 Sixteen-year-old Miles and his family must flee their Minneapolis home and begin a new life in the wilderness after a chain of cataclysmic volcanic explosions creates dangerous conditions in their
city.
Westerfeld, Scott Uglies 2005 (Uglies bk. 1) Tally is faced with a difficult choice when her new friend Shay decides to risk life as an outsider rather than submit to a future government’s
forced operation that turns sixteen year olds into “pretties.”
Pretties 2005 bk. 2 Tally’s perfect life as a Pretty is disrupted when she receives a letter from herself, written when she was an Ugly.
Specials 2006 bk. 3 Tally has been turned into a Special and is offered a chance to stamp out the rebels of the New Smoke permanently.
Extras 2007 bk. 4 Fifteen-year-old Aya Fuse’s popularity ranking is so low her only chance of moving up is to find a good story, so when she meets a group of girls who hide an explosive secret, Aya decides to expose the group and unknowingly puts her own life in danger.
Weyn, Suzanne The bar code tattoo 2004 Kayla is ostracized at school because she refused to get the required tattooed barcode and now she and her family must run to avoid the dangerous threats against them.
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