Book Lists
This post was originally published on my old blog, which no longer exists.
The opinions expressed in this list are mine and mine alone. I’m sure that many of you will disagree. I respect that. But I’m the one making this particular list, which means that I can rank the following novels in whatever order I please. Thank you for understanding. Feel free to express any disagreement or make any recommendations in the comments. Dystopia is the new vampire novel. Post-apocalyptic literature is dominating the shelves of bookstores, libraries, and the bookshelves of teens (and adults) everywhere. And I couldn’t be happier. All of the dystopian novels I’ve read so far have easily surpassed the aforementioned vampire novels (you know who you are) in terms of writing style, character development, and plot. These books are reaching off the shelves, grabbing teens by the collars, and forcing themselves on the population as a whole. They’re succeeding where so many teachers and parents have failed: dystopian novels are being visually devoured by reluctant readers. In fact, the most successful unit I’ve ever taught involved literature circles over dystopian novels. But how do these novels hold up against one another? Some believe that if you’ve read The Hunger Games, you’ve essentially read every other dystopian novel currently in print. In some ways, I can’t argue with this. However, the authors of these books have managed to weave unique themes and ideas into their novels, making each book stand out from its contemporaries. The following list is my ranking (from best to worst) of the dystopian novels (most of which are the first in a series) that I’ve read up to this point. 1. The Road by Cormac McCarthy 2. The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau (trilogy) 3. Pure by Julianna Baggott (trilogy) 4. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (trilogy) 5. Unwind by Neal Shusterman (series) 6. Cinder by Marissa Meyer (series) 7. The Secret Hour by Scott Westerfeld (trilogy) 8. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro 9. The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan (trilogy) 10. The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer (series) 11. Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix (series) 12. The Giver by Lois Lowry (series) 13. Enclave by Ann Aguirre (trilogy) 14. Feed by M.T. Anderson 15. Uglies by Scott Westerfeld (series) 16. City of Bones by Cassandra Clare (series) 17. The Maze Runner by James Dashner (series) 18. 1984 by George Orwell 19. Divergent by Veronica Roth (series) 20. Matched by Ally Condie (trilogy)
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