Dystopian and Post-Apocalyptic Recommendations for Middle Grade and Teen Readers
(Or the answer to: “I liked The Hunger Games; what should I read next?”)
Middle Grade and Younger Teen Readers:
The Ear, The Eye, and the Arm by Nancy Farmer
House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer
The Giver by Lois Lowry
The True Meaning of Smekday by Adam Rex*
The Mysterious Benedict Society by Trenton Lee Stewart*
The Bar Code Tattoo by Suzanne Weyn
Teen Readers:
All of the above suggestions
Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
The Blending Time by Michael Kinch
Nation by Terry Pratchett
Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
Mature Teen Readers and Adults:
Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood
The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood
A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
1984 by George Orwell
Branching out to fantasy with similar social commentary:
The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor
Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins
Incarceron by Catherine Fisher
Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta
Dark Fantasy for Teens:
The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor
Gregor the Overlander by Suzanne Collins
Incarceron by Catherine Fisher
Reckless by Cornelia Funke
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman
Finnikin of the Rock by Melina Marchetta
The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff
Also see: https://susanthelibrarian.com/lists/new-science-fiction-titles-2010-2011/
*Significantly lighter tone than The Hunger Games
