Hunger Games Read-alikes Part 2--Good Teen Reads!

About a week ago, I wrote a blog about adult titles that are similar to The Hunger Games and other post-apocalyptic books.  The response was fantastic, so I didn't want to miss this chance to introduce you to some wonderful teen titles as well.

Drought by Pam Bachorz
Ruby dreams of escaping the Congregation, but without her blood her community is condemned to certain death.

Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick
Three teens join forces after an electromagnetic pulse kills most of the world's population, turning some of the survivors into zombies.

Taken by Erin Bowman
In the mysterious town of Claysoot, every male is mysteriously "Heisted" on his eighteenth birthday. 17-year-old Gray Weatherby is determined to find out why.

The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau
16-year-old Cia Vale is chosen to participate in The Testing to attend the University. However, she is fearful when she discovers that those who failed--are disappearing.

Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
After being interrogated for days after a major terrorist attack, Marcus uses his computer hacking skills to set things right.

Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix
In a future where the Population Police limit families to only two children, Luke has lived all of his twelve years in hiding and isolation.

The Line by Teri Hall
The Line is an invisible border of the United States.  When Rachel has an opportunity to Cross into the forbidden zone, she is both frightened and intrigued.

The Eleventh Plague by Jeff Hirsch
15-year-old Stephen, his father, and grandfather scavenge in post-Collapse America.  When tragedy strikes, Stephen's life is turned upside down.

The Unidentified by Rae Mariz
In a futuristic alternative school, Katey "Kid" Dade struggles to figure out where she fits in or even if she wants to.

Delirium by Lauren Oliver
Lena looks forward to receiving the cure that prevents the delirium of love. Then ninety-five days before treatment she falls in love.

Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
In her journal, 16-year-old Miranda describes her family's struggle to survive after a meteor hits the moon.

Variant by Robison Wells
After years in foster homes, 17-year-old Benson Fisher applies to Maxfield Academy in hopes of securing a brighter future.  What he discovers is that the school is a prison and no one is who they seem.

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
Tally is about to turn 16 and get the operation that makes her "pretty".  Her friend Shay doesn't want the operation and runs away. And Tally learns a whole new side of the pretty world--and it isn't very pretty.

Some staff favorites:

The Maze Runner by James Dashner
16-year-old Thomas wakes with no memory and in the middle of a maze. How will he escape?

Gone by Michael Grant
In a small town, everyone over the age of fourteen suddenly disappears, setting up a battle between the remaining groups of young people.

Legend by Marie Lu
In a dark future where North America has split into two warring nations, two 15-year-olds--one a famous criminal and the other a prodigy soldier, discover they have a common enemy.

Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi
"In a world of danger, an unlikely alliance."  "Outsider" Perry rescues Pod-dweller Aria in this dystopian tale about an ecological collapse.

Divergent by Veronica Roth
In a future Chicago, 16-year-old Beatrice must choose one of five factions to define her identity. A choice made more difficult when she discovers she doesn't fit into any one group.

The 5th Wave by Richard Yancey
Cassie Sullivan, the survivor of an alien invasion, must rescue her young brother with the help of a boy who may be one of "them".

Blood Red Road by Moira Young
Saba and her family scavenge the dried up wastelands of Silverlake.  When her twin Lugh is kidnapped, Saba embarks on a dangerous quest to get him back.

What is your favorite?  Let me know if you can add any to the list.
 

Hunger Games Read-Alikes and Other Post-Apocalyptic Sci-Fi

If you have already read the Hunger Games trilogy multiple times, eagerly watched the movie, and can't wait until November for Catching Fire to be in theaters then here are some good reads to tide you over:

The Year of the Flood by Margaret Atwood
A religious leader has long predicted an Earth altering disaster.  Now it has occurred.

The Windup Girl by Paolo Bacigalupi
Bangkok is struggling for survival in an era of rising sea levels and mutations run amok.

Jennifer Government by Max Barry
In a future where people take the names of companies, Hack Nike tries to get out of a deadly contract.

Armageddon's Children by Terry Brooks
In a futuristic world, evil controls the ruins of the United States and one man must search for a child that could save the world. A trilogy.

Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler
In 2025, after her neighborhood is destroyed, a young woman named Lauren begins a journey.  Sequel is Parable of the Talents.

Player One: What is to Become of Us by Douglas Coupland
During a global disaster, an airport cocktail lounge becomes a refuge for five total strangers.

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
A hopeful science experiment exacts a terrible price in this moving story of love and friendship.

The Children of Men by P. D. James
In 2021 humans are infertile and a historian and an unlikely band of rebels may hold the key to survival.

When She Woke by Hillary Jordan
The story of a stigmatized woman struggling to navigate an America of a not-too-distant future.

The Long Walk by Stephen King
In a futuristic America, 100 boys must endure a 500 mile, lethal race in order to win fame and fortune.

1Q84 by Haruki Murakami
A love story, a mystery, a fantasy, and a psychologically charged tale that draws on Orwellian themes.

Blindness by Jose Saramago
A city is hit by an epidemic of "white blindness" and the victims are confined to a vacant mental hospital.

Player Piano by Kurt Vonnegut
An engineer must find a way to live in a world dominated by a supercomputer and run completely by machines.

Some classic titles:


Planet of the Apes by Pierre Boulle
In 1963 this terrifying novel launched one of the greatest science-fiction franchises in history.

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
A future in which books are illegal and firemen burn books.

Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
This novel about a futuristic utopia, explores themes that still remain relevant even 70 years after it was published.

The Road by Cormac McCarthy
Set in a futuristic world in which all wildlife is extinct and cannibals roam about, a man and his young son journey to the sea.

Nineteen Eighty Four by George Orwell
One man's journey through a world that controls not only information but all individual thoughts and memories.

Dies the Fire by S. M. Stirling
A tale of the aftermath of the failure of engines, electricity, and gunpowder.  What will humans do without their precious conveniences?

When the Sleeper Wakes by H. G. Wells
An 1890's printer falls asleep for 200 years.  He awakes and is master of the world and adored by all.  Or is he?

Ready Player One

Imagine a world thirty years from now where things have devolved.  The recession has only gotten worse, the education system has fractured, and class differences have become entrenched. Entire communities have grown from stacking mobile homes on top of each other to the height of skyscrapers, held together only by weak scaffolding. Imagine being a teenaged orphan living at the top of the stacks, having to hide your valuables so that your aunt and uncle don't pawn them for drug money. Clearly, the only way to escape this bleak reality is an obsessive knowledge of 1980s pop culture trivia. 

Not following? I probably should've mentioned that James Halliday, a legendary billionaire video game creator from Middletown, OH, died with a will that bequeaths his entire estate to the person who is able to find the "Easter egg" inside the virtual reality he created, and in which many people spend most of their time and money. The video game creator was a child of the 80s whose affinity for video games and movies of that time were well-documented. The race to beat the system and find the hidden clues is serious business in 2045.

Ready Player One by Ernest Cline is pure homage to 1980s geekdom. Wade, the 18-year-old protagonist and narrator is likable and sympathetic, and his virtual friends are entertaining. Cline is a clever writer, and it's easy to imagine that Halliday's obsessions and interests are his own. I'm not sure how people who didn't grown up in the 80s would relate to it, but the references to John Hughes movies were gold for me. I've never played Dungeons and Dragons, rarely played video games, and my knowledge of movies like Blade Runner has come entirely from conversations with my husband, so I'm certain there are references I missed, but I was still able to appreciate the story. If you've got an appreciation for 80s pop culture and dystopian future all wrapped in one tidy package, this is definitely the book for you.

I'm not embarrassed to read teen books

I kept waiting for the punchline in a recent New York Times online debate. Joel Stein, columnist for Time magazine, wrote, "The only thing more embarrassing...is seeing a guy on the plane reading The Hunger Games." He compared YA fiction with books like Dr. Seuss's Horton Hatches the Egg in lacking complexity and depth. He then acknowledged that he's made this judgment without ever having read any YA books. Maybe he's too mature for teen books, but my children are not yet 10 years old and they already know you shouldn't make up your mind about something before you try it, whether it's broccoli or a book. Frankly, I'd be more embarrassed to be caught making decisions based out of ignorance than to be seen reading a book. 

Joel Stein seems to miss a few distinctions.  There is a difference between YA and children's fiction.  YA, or teen fiction, does not in any way resemble the picture books Stein references. (Incidentally, there are also great books written for children that I've read as an adult for my own enjoyment, not for my kids'. Breadcrumbs by Anne Ursu and A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle are two that stand out in my mind). Of course a Dr. Seuss book doesn't have the same impact on adults as David Foster Wallace does.  That's not its intent. Teen books, though, are not picture books.  They often tackle some of the big questions in life -- how to live, how to love, how to find your own path in the world.

Sure, some teen books -- even some of the most popular --are simplistic and shallowly treated but some are truly complex, intricately-plotted, and have well-developed characters. Couldn't you say the same thing about fiction marketed to adults? Let's acknowledge that there are good writers and...less good writers across the age spectrum. Some of the most compelling stories I've read in the past few years have been shelved in the YA area.  Don't believe me? Try reading The Fault in Our Stars by John Green and not being affected by it. Read Delirium and Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver for a fascinating consideration of the worth of love and the government's role in our personal lives. And, yes, you might want to try The Hunger Games trilogy. 

Joel Stein claims that he doesn't read teen fiction because he wouldn't get anything from it.  If he judged a book by its character rather than its location in the library, he might find that there is often more in a book geared toward children or teens than he thought. I can't find a better way to say it than to leave with a quote from Madeleine L'Engle.  When asked, "Why do you write for children?" she answered, "My immediate response to this question is, "I don't." ... If it's not good enough for adults, it's not good enough for children. If a book that is going to be marketed for children does not interest me, a grownup, then I am dishonoring the children for whom the book is intended, and I am dishonoring books. And words. Sometimes I answer that if I have something I want to say that is too difficult for adults to swallow, then I will write it in a book for children. This is usually good for a slightly startled laugh, but it's perfectly true. Children still haven't closed themselves off with fear of the unknown, fear of revolution, or the scramble for security..." Mr. Stein could learn a lesson from this.

Another Crossover Hit!

I just read, Divergent by Veronica Roth. This is her debut novel and it is an excellent dystopian fantasy.  If you enjoyed Hunger Games I am quite sure you will enjoy Divergent. It is a book about a teen girl who lives in a world divided into 5 factions. The factions include Dauntless who are brave; Candor who are honest; Erudite who are studious; Amity who are peaceful and fun-loving; and Abnegation who are selfless. The world was divided into factions after a major war. Each faction has an important societal role and together they promote peace. There is unrest in Beatrice’s world. Erudites are not at all pleased with Abnegations power and are doing all they can to create tension between the factions. Beatrice is a member of Abnegation. Yet she doesn't quite fit in. She is blunt, honest, and inquisitive and speaks up when she is not to speak.

The story opens showing us glimpses of Beatrice’s life and the choice she will soon need to make. All 16 year-olds take an aptitude test that determines which faction is right for her (usually). The aptitude test is always correct. Her results are inconclusive. She is determined off the records to be Divergent. She must choose a faction, but the test leaves her with 3 possibilities. If she chooses a different faction she gives up everything she’s known. It isn't like she moves across town or goes to a different school. Factions unless at school, don't intermingle. (Remember separate but equal? Hmm, not such a good thing right?) Divergents are dangerous. They don't fit in well with any one society and if she is discovered she will be killed. She is told to "Tell no one.” Now Beatrice is scared. She doesn't belong in Abnegation, but where will she fit and what will the choice she makes do to her family/world. Her choice leads her on a path fraught with danger and deadly intrigue.

This novel kept me turning pages. I read it straight through in one sitting. I needed to know who was truly Tris' friend, why would they do what they did and what it really meant to be divergent. As Tris' world begins to fall apart what will she do? Can she trust Christine, Al or Four? What about her brother and her family.

This is an excellent thriller that readers of any age will enjoy. You may be horrified, entranced, scared, laugh and just wonder why or how could this happen. How can it be stopped? I refuse to give you more information. Pick up the book and read it. If you enjoy excitement, intrigue and adventure. This is the book for you.
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