The 9 Best Dystopian Books Kids Haven’t Read Yet
The idyllic paradise that hides a dark secret. The future world where humans are no longer in control. The thrilling race to survive with danger around every corner. These are the elements that make dystopian and post-apocalyptic stories that kids can’t put down! If your kids are looking for a new action-packed adventure (and something possibly more age-appropriate than The Hunger Games), turn to some of these dystopian reads:
Forgotten City
Thirteen years ago, the world ended. A deadly chemical called Waste began to spread across the globe, leaving devastation in its wake. Millions died. Cities fell into chaos. Anything the Waste didn’t kill, it mutated into threatening new forms. Kobi has always believed he and his dad were the only survivors. But when his dad goes missing, Kobi follows his trail — and discovers a conspiracy even deadlier than the Waste itself.
The Giver
Twelve-year-old Jonas lives in a seemingly ideal, if colorless, world of conformity and contentment. Not until he is given his life assignment as the Receiver of Memory does he begin to understand the dark, complex secrets behind his fragile community.
The City of Ember
The city of Ember was built as a last refuge for the human race. Two hundred years later, the great lamps that light the city are beginning to flicker. When Lina finds part of an ancient message, she’s sure it holds a secret that will save the city. She and her friend Doon must race to figure out the clues before the lights go out on Ember forever!
Omega City
When Gillian Seagret discovers a space-themed riddle promising to lead to Dr. Underberg’s greatest invention, she enlists the help of her skeptical younger brother, Eric, her best friend, Savannah, and Howard, their NASA-obsessed schoolmate. Together they set off on a journey into the ruins of Omega City, a vast doomsday bunker deep inside the earth. But they aren’t alone inside its dark and flooded halls. For while Gillian wants to save her dad’s reputation by bringing Dr. Underberg’s secrets to light, there are others who will stop at nothing to make sure they stay buried . . . forever.
Masterminds
Eli Frieden lives in the most perfect town in the world: Serenity, New Mexico. Honesty and integrity are valued above all else. The thirty kids who live there never lie — they know it’s a short leap from that to the awful problems of other, less fortunate places. But when Eli bikes to the edge of the city limits, something crazy and unexpected happens that changes everything. Eli convinces his friends to help investigate further, and the clues mount to reveal a shocking discovery, connecting their ideal crime-free community to some of the greatest criminal masterminds ever known. The kids can trust no one — least of all their own parents.
Edge of Extinction
One hundred and fifty years ago, the first dinosaurs were cloned — and they soon replaced humans at the top of the food chain. Sky has only known life in an underground compound, where humans are safe from dinosaurs. But when she discovers a clue to her father’s disappearance that points directly to the surface, she and her best friend, Shawn, must break out of their underground home and venture topside to a land reclaimed by nature and ruled by dinosaurs.
Survivors
Lucky has always been a Lone Dog, roaming the busy city streets and relying on his instincts. Then the Big Growl strikes — a devastating earthquake that changes Lucky’s world forever. For the first time, he must team up with a Pack, a group of former Leashed Dogs who have been separated from their owners, in order to survive.
The Fog Diver
Once the Fog started rising, the earth was covered with a deadly white mist until nothing remained but the mountaintops. Thirteen-year-old Chess and his friends sail their rickety air raft over the deadly Fog, scavenging the ruins for anything they can sell to survive. But now survival isn’t enough. They must risk everything to get to the miraculous city of Port Oro, the only place where their beloved Mrs. E can be cured of fogsickness. Yet the ruthless Lord Kodoc is hot on their trail, for Chess has a precious secret, one that Kodoc is desperate to use against him.
The Scavengers
When the world started to fall apart, the government gave everyone two choices: move into the Bubble Cities…or take their chances outside. Maggie’s family chose to live in the world that was left behind. Deciding it’s time to grow up and grow tough, Maggie rechristens herself “Ford Falcon” — a name inspired by the beat-up car she finds at a nearby junkyard. But when Ford comes home one day to discover her home ransacked and her family missing, she must find the strength to rescue her loved ones with the help of some unlikely friends.
What’s your favorite dystopian novel? Tell us in the comments below!
