The most popular fiction genre in the world is dystopian fiction. It inspires us to reconsider social and political cultures, while it covers all aspects of emotional distress in teenagers, including melancholy, mortality, justice, and loyalty. The world of dystopian literature is vast and diverse, which often makes it difficult to decide what to read. If you’re confused, we’ve got you covered with our must-read list of teen dystopian books. Take a look and see which world you want to become part of.
1. THE HUNGER GAMES BY SUZANNE COLLINS
The Hunger Games will always be at the top of any list of teen dystopian novels. It is the best teen dystopian novel and series of all time, inspiring other authors to write about teen dystopia as a result. The plot centers around a nation, Panem, and its ruling branch, District 1, that houses all the country’s wealth. Every year, two children from each state are chosen to battle to the death. Katniss volunteers to fight in place of her younger sister. A great book with strong characters!
2. THE 100 BY KASE MORGAN
This story is set in a future where a nuclear war has rendered the globe uninhabitable. The storyline follows the survivors as they attempt to live in a spaceship with resources running out. That‘s why 100 teenage passengers have been chosen to be dispatched to Earth to investigate the situation.
3. THE 5TH WAVE BY RICK YANCY
After The Hunger Games, this is another excellent teen dystopian novel about the impending 5th wave of earth destruction caused by an alien force, which includes earthquakes and tsunamis. Cassie, a teenage girl, is ready to save her younger brother with the help of another survivor named Evan Walker.
4. DRY BY NEAL AND JARROD SHUSTERMAN
After years of warnings to save water, California is set to enter a water scarcity war. Both Neal and Jarrod, father and son, envision a dire situation if wells run empty.
5. LEGEND BY MARIE LU
This dystopian thriller leads us to a nation at war, where they devised a cat and mouse game for two teenagers who are opposed to one another: June, who comes from a wealthy family and wishes to join the military, and Day, who comes from the slums and is a wanted criminal.
6. MATCHED BY ALLY CONDIE
Matched is a teen dystopian novel that follows young Cassie as she searches for her match on her computer screen. She can’t decide between the face on the screen and the face that flashed into her head.
7. THE KNIFE OF NEVER LETTING GO BY PATRICK NESS
This teen dystopian novel is set in a world where everyone’s thoughts are heard by everyone else. Todd Hewitt, a child from a village of all males, is at the core of the plot. He is aware of a secret that everyone keeps hidden. It also discusses Todd’s peculiar meeting with a girl in the woods.
8. DELIRIUM BY LAUREN OLIVER
Delirium is a dystopian teen romance novel set in a world where love has been outlawed due to health concerns. THE CURVE is a procedure that monitors teenagers once they turn 18. Lena Haloway, a teen girl, has fallen in love with a strange boy from the wild who has not been treated to prevent getting the disease “love.”
9. THE MAZE RUNNER BY JAMES DASHNER
This is a fun young adult novel about a guy who wakes up alongside other boys inside a strange labyrinth and loses his memory. The story follows those who are trying to discover a way out by sending solo runners through a perilous maze.
10. UGLIES BY SCOT WASTERFELD
This book explores the anxiety of self-image difficulties in teenagers. Tally is about to turn sixteen and wants to have extensive surgery to transform her appearance from ugly to beautiful because she feels self-conscious about her appearance.
11. THE HOST BY STEPHENIE MEYER
This gripping thriller by Stephanie Meyer centers on an alien onslaught that steals people’s minds while leaving their bodies intact. Melanie takes on the aliens and makes Wanderer the host of Jared’s thoughts, beginning the search for the missing Jared.
12. RED QUEEN BY VICTORIA AVEYARD
Red Queen is a genetic twist on mankind that is divided into two bloodlines: one SILVER that is more powerful and the other that is red-blooded like normal humans. Mare Borrow discovers her exceptional powers and embarks on her quest to become the Silver Princess.
13. THE GRACE YEAR BY KIM LIGGETT
This story is set in a male-dominated society where 16-year-old girls are put into seclusion for their grace year to prepare them for eligible bachelors. Tierney James is one of them, but she is determined to permanently alter this dystopian world.
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Other things you might want to know about.
Why are dystopian novels banned?
Libraries often ban dystopian novels for even a small portion of the book having sexual content, offensive language, or the content being unsuited for the age group. Check out docs.lib.Purdue.edu for other classics that the libraries have banned over the years. You can type in the search bar “banned novels.”
Why are dystopian novels popular with teenagers?
The main reason is that teens find dystopian novels exciting. The Hunger Games started the fascination for this genre, although this isn’t new according to theguardian.com. A Winkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle (1962), House of Stairs by William Sleator (1974), and The Giver by Lois Lowry (1993) are three other examples.
Another reason that teens are drawn to dystopia is that the books are based on things that are strictly controlled in their everyday lives, like school, home, and peers. Going into a world of the future with a hero that includes darkness and danger is just exciting for the reader.
What is a dystopia and utopia?
quizlet.com describes dystopia as “an imaginary futuristic world in which society lives under the oppression and control of a totalitarian government, a repressive society, a force of technology, or a corrupt business cooperation.” Utopia is an “illusion of a perfect society that turns out to be the opposite.”
Check out quizlet.com for a set of flash cards for dystopian novels. You could create your own dystopia trivia game.
