(Im)Perfect Worlds: Teen Dystopias
A perfect society can prove to be anything but. Check out these titles for examples of worlds that get everything right—and go wrong anyway.
Exodous by Julie Bertagna
In less than a hundred years, the buildup of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere will speed the greenhouse effect and melt the polar ice caps. The planet will drown. This is the bleak reality of Mara's island community: the sea is rising, and the people on Wing are running out of high ground. Mara has been studying, though, digging through the Weave on her outdated computer, and has found evidence of a new world built high above the ocean. If her people are to survive, they need to move there. But even after the perilous journey is over, they still can't make it past the wall...
The Compound by S.A. Bodeen
When Eli’s family learns that a nuclear bomb has been launched, they have, at most, about 40 minutes to find shelter. Fortunately, Eli's billionaire father saw this coming: he's
constructed, and stocked, an underground compound that can support them for the next fifteen years while they wait for the radiation to clear. Now six years in, the food stores have been contaminated—or sabotaged. Dad’s acting a little weird, and his smooth answers about the sporadic internet access seem too rehearsed to be the truth. There's only one way out—and the person who knows it is the one who won't let them leave.
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Fireman Guy Montag understands his job: he’s responsible for burning books that people hide, because books—and knowledge, and intellectual thought—really just make people unhappy. But then Montag meets Clarisse, a young neighbor who is interested in the world around her and wants to share it with him. When Clarisse disappears suddenly, Montag starts hoarding books of his own, even making plans to print new copies of old classics. Can he get away with it? Is there anyone who can help him?
The Sky Inside by Clare B. Dunkle
Martin really likes his little sister, Cassie, even though he knows she’s better than he is in every way—she’s smarter, friendlier, and more patient than he is. So when the stranger enters the protective dome of suburb HB1 and takes all the children Cassie’s age and younger away as part of a product-recall on these genetically-engineered kids, Martin knows that he has no choice but to go after her. Not that he knows where to go, besides just out. Cassie may have the brains, but Martin has grim
determination on his side—and that will have to be enough to save his sister.
City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau
Ember has been running smoothly for over 250 years, an oasis of light surrounded by inky blackness in all directions. They have no trouble with food or
supplies, and while the city has never been bright, they’ve always had 12 hours of “day” provided by streetlamps. But now it seems that supplies are dwindling, and 12-year-olds Lina and Doon are the only ones who are concerned. But when Lina finds an old paper cryptically labeled “Instructions for Egress,” they know that something is up, and their city is no longer a safe place to live. But can they convince the rest of the townspeople of that? And how do they get out?
(Read more about Ember’s society in The People of Sparks and The Diamond of Darkhold, and the prequel The Prophet of Yonwood.)
The Giver by Lois Lowry
Jonas’s world is a happy one: there is no
unemployment, no shortage of food, no crime or poverty or discontent. At age 12, he sits on a stage with his classmates and waits for his career assignment. While his friends are
assigned various jobs as teachers and janitors, scientists and gardeners, Jonas gets skipped over. But then he gets an unusual assignment: he will be the Keeper of Memories. As he meets with the previous Keeper—now the Giver—Jonas learns many joys and pains that his world has managed to forget. Slowly he understands what this well-ordered society actually costs, and must decide if it’s a price he can afford to pay.
(If you enjoy this, pick up the companion books, Gathering Blue and The Messenger.)
The Declaration by Gemma Malley
We’re well into the twenty-second century, and with the advent of longevity drugs, old age is a thing of the past. But with nobody getting older, few if any people die—which means that without population control, the world will become a crowded place. Anna is a Surplus, a child born to parents who signed the Declaration (longevity drugs in exchange for a promise not to have children). But then she meets Peter, a new boy brought to
Surplus Hall—a boy who claims to know her parents, and who suggests Anna’s life could be much, much more than it is…
(Older teens who enjoy this might also like Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale; younger teens might like the Shadow Children series by Margaret Peterson Haddix.)
The Secret Under My Skin by Janet McNaughton
Blay has little past and, as far as she can tell, little future. She lives in the government-controlled work camps, picking through landfills for recyclable bottles and paper, while wearing heavy gear to protect her from the damaged environment. All she knows for sure is that she was brought to the camp after being found on the streets, an apparent orphan born shortly after the technocaust. Blay’s neat, if bleak, world changes rapidly, though, when she is chosen to tutor the new Bio-Indicator Marella. William, Master of the Way, is trying to prepare Marella for her new role, while William’s wife Erica is still deeply involved with the resistance movement. Blay needs to absorb every opportunity she can, if she is to find her place in this household—and in the world.
Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
At the age of 16, every citizen gets plastic
surgery to become Pretty. Pretties live in their Pretty cities and have their Pretty parties, and it’s all pretty great—no worries, no responsibilities, and best of all, no Uglies. But for those few people who don’t want to be made into Pretties, the only option is to leave society all together. Tally Youngblood wants nothing more than to be made Pretty, but her only chance to have the surgery hinges on betraying her friends who have left.
(Tally’s story continues in Pretties, and concludes in Specials; the companion book, Extras, is also available.)
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