Many young adults are drawn to dystopian novels because they offer a glimpse into a world that may be possible in the future.
While their content can cause anxiety for some readers, dystopian novels for young adults can also provide a kind of therapeutic benefit–a kind of practice–for visualizing and navigating an uncertain world. They also often center a younger person as a central character (compared to adults)–a teenager, for example, empowered to solve crucial challenges and overcome obstacles in order to persevere fantastically cataclysmic circumstances.
Below is a collection of some of the most popular young adult dystopian novels available today.
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44 Thrilling Dystopian Novels For Teen Readers
An Ember In The Ashes (Book 1 of 4: An Ember In The Ashes series) by Sabaa Tahir
Battle Royale: The Novel by Koushun Takami
Blindness (Book 1 of 2: Blindness series) by Jose Saramago
Bluescreen (Book 1 of 3: Mirador series) by Dan Wells
Brave New Girl (Book 1 of 2: Brave New Girl series) by Rachel Vincent
Cinderella Is Dead by Kalynn Bayron
Diverse Energies by Paolo Bacigalupi, Ursula K. Le Guin & Malinda Lo
Dry by Neal Shusterman & Jarrod Shusterman
Maze Runner (Book 1 of 5: The Maze Runner series) by James Dashner
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
Noughts and Crosses by Malorie Blackman
Oryx and Crake (Book 1 of 3: MaddAddam Trilogy) by Margaret Atwood
Parable of the Sower (Book 1 of 2: Parable series) by Octavia Butler
Ready Player One (Book 1 of 2: Ready Player One series) by Ernest Cline
Scythe (Book 1 of 3: Arc of a Scythe series) by Neal Shusterman
Shatter Me (Book 1 of 6: Shatter Me series) by Tahereh Mafi
Skyward (Book 1 of 3: The Skyward Series) by Brandon Sanderson
The Darkest Minds (Book 1 of 4: The Darkest Minds series) by Alexandra Bracken
The Hunger Games (Book 1 of 4: The Hunger Games series) by Suzanne Collins
The Program (Book 1 of 6: The Program series) by Suzanne Young
The Testing (Book 1 of 3: The Testing trilogy) by Joelle Charbonneau
The 100 (Book 1 of 4: The 100 series) by Kass Morgan
Uglies (Book 1 of 4: The Uglies series) by Scott Westerfeld
Under the Never Sky (Book 1 of 3: Under the Never Sky series) by Veronica Rossi
Way Down Dark (Book 1 of 3: The Australia trilogy) by James P. Smythe
We Set The Dark On Fire (Book 1 of 2: We Set the Dark on Fire series) by Tehlor Kay Meija