The Supernaturalist by Eoin Colfer

(267 p., Call Number: Y FICTION COLFER, EOIN)

In a future dystopia, cities have become for-profit businesses. Orphanages are not exempt from the struggle to make money, and at the Clarissa Frayne Institute for Parentally Challenged Boys, kids without sponsors are forced to endure product testing and frequently end up injured as a result. With orphans facing an average life expectancy of 15, 14-year-old Cosmo Hill knows that he is on borrowed time; unfortunately, his escape attempt nearly proves fatal. Surviving with the help of a streetwise trio on a mysterious mission to exterminate Unfortunately, his escape attempt nearly proves fatal. While he's lying there dying, a small, hairless blue creature lands on his chest and begins to feed. He is rescued by the Supernaturalists, a motley crew of young people who have dedicated their lives to destroying the creatures, called Parasites, which feed on the essence of the living. Cosmo joins the group as a "Spotter", someone who can actually see the creatures and thus destroy them. However, facts soon emerge that cause the Supernaturalists to question everything they believe in. Is it possible that the Parasites don't feed off of the energy of dying people, but remove pain? Are they actually beneficial to society? And if so, why has a mega-corporation with designs on their unique abilities has mounted a misinformation campaign against them?

Hunger Games fans who enjoyed the teens-versus-society themes of that book will find a lot to like in The Supernaturalist.

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

(425 p., Call Number: YA FICTION WESTERFELD)

15-year-old Tally Youngblood lives in a futuristic society that conditions teens to believe that they are ugly until age 16, where they are given extreme makeovers to make them beautiful, pleasure-seeking "pretties", supposedly conferring equivalent evolutionary advantages to all. While awaiting this happy transformation, Tally meets Shay, another female "ugly", who shares her enjoyment of hoverboarding and risky pranks. But Shay also disdains the false values and programmed conformity of the society and urges Tally to defect with her to the Smoke, a distant settlement of simple-living conscientious objectors. Tally declines, yet when Shay is found missing by the authorities, Tally is coerced by the cruel Dr. Cable to find her and her compatriots–or remain forever "ugly." Tally's adventuresome spirit helps her locate Shay and the Smoke, and it also attracts the eye of David, the aptly named youthful rebel leader to whose attentions Tally warms. However, she knows she is living a lie, for she is a spy who wears an eye-activated locator pendant that threatens to blow the rebels' cover.

As it also forces its protagonist to question what is considered "right" and "normal" in an ethically challenged society, Uglies proves to have much in common with the Hunger Games.

Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi

(326 p., Call Number: YA FICTION BACIGALUPI, PAOLO)

In a world in which society has stratified, fossil fuels have been consumed, and the seas have risen and drowned coastal cities, 17-year-old Nailer scavenges beached tankers for scrap metals on the Gulf Coast. Every day, he tries to “make quota” and avoid his abusive, drug-addicted father. In this violent world where people do anything for money, Nailer's future seems bleak until he discovers Nina, the wealthy, attractive survivor of a shipwreck. Rather than kill Nina and steal the salvage, Nailer opts to save her, triggering a harrowing journey to the submerged cities of Orleans to find people loyal to Nina, while protecting her from the ravages of his father. And through it all remains the question--can he trust her?

Another tale of a world collapsed and in ruin, and a teen struggling to survive in an awful situation, Ship Breaker is worth a look by anyone who enjoyed The Hunger Games.

Unwind by Neal Shusterman

(335 p., Call Number: YA FICTION SHUSTERMAN, NEIL sci-fi)

Set after the Second Civil War in which abortions are outlawed but parents have the option of signing over their 13- to 17-year-olds to be used as organ donors in a process called "Unwinding"; their body parts will go to other people who need them, and they will be both terminated and "technically" kept alive, only in a separated state, which is covered under the Bill of Rights. In this setting, 16-year-old Connor falls in with other prospective Unwinds and finds a temporary refuge (thanks to a clandestine organization with its own peculiar agenda) before being captured and sent to Happy Jack Harvest Camp. Their story of escape and struggle to survive in a society that lauds itself on the protection of life, but which has reduced human body parts to market commodities, unrolls against a bleak background of indifference, greed, and rebellion.

Like the Hunger Games, Unwind features teenagers forced to struggle for their lives against a system that sees them as little more than resources to be used and abused at will.

The Declaration by Gemma Malley

(300 p., Call Number: Y FICTION MALLEY, GEMMA)

In 2140, almost everyone on the planet has access to Longevity—a drug that arrests the aging process. Energy, food, and other resources are scarce, so around the world, humanity has made the same choice-no new humans can be allowed. In the U.K., any children born to Legals are "Surplus". Catchers capture them and send them to horrid places like Grange Hall, where they are taught that their very existence is a sin and to make up for the resources that they steal from "Legals" they must pay with a lifetime of abject servitude. 14-year-old Surplus Anna has spent most of her years inside Grange Hall, where she has learned to hate not only herself but also the parents who selfishly broke the Declaration in giving life to her. But the arrival of a rebellious Surplus named Peter, who has lived on the Outside, brings Anna disturbing revelations about the world and her particular place in it.

The Declaration will appeal to those readers of The Hunger Games who enjoyed that book's themes of alienation, repression, and rebellion against a controlling society.

Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve

(310 p., Call Number: Y FICTION REEVE, PHILIP sci-fi)

In the distant future, the Sixty Minute War resulted in many deaths and the loss of technological knowledge. Years later, most people dwell in Traction Cities, metropolises built in tiers like wedding cakes that move across the ground on huge caterpillar tracks, chasing and absorbing smaller locales in a practice known as "Municipal Darwinism". The mighty city of London, in danger of running out of "prey," looks toward the east, where an enormous wall protects the static cities of the Anti-Traction League—the "heretics" who have chosen the barbaric practice of living on the bare earth. But London's mad Lord Mayor develops a plan to get through the wall: he resurrects a vicious and ancient technology, a post–20th-century update of the nuclear bomb, all the more horrible with time and refinement, and mounts it in the dome of St. Paul's Cathedral. Against this wildly original backdrop plays the story of Tom, a young Apprentice Historian who helps mine the museum vaults of the juggernaut London. Tom becomes embroiled with his idol, the elder Historian Valentine, and also with the scarred girl Hester who owes Valentine a debt of vengeance as he works desperately to try to set things right.

Featuring a ruined future and a young hero attempting to fight back against his amoral leader, Mortal Engines is worth reading for fans of The Hunger Games.

The Secret Under My Skin by Janet McNaughton

(264 p., Call Number: Y FICTION MCNAUGHTON, JANET sci-fi)

In the year 2368, Newfoundland, teenager Blay Raytee works in the landfill mines, digging for remnants of the human society that was devastated by a manmade, technology-induced ecological disaster. The Earth is only beginning to recover from the ecological depredations of previous centuries; meanwhile, survivors live in isolated colonies, under the thumb of a faceless "Commission" thanks to an orchestrated, wholesale slaughter of scientists, billed the Technocaust, a few years before. Due to her love of reading, Blay is chosen to help Marella, the new bio-indicator, with her studies. In the past, these individuals, whose bodies react to poisons in the environment, served as warning mechanisms for others, but now, as the Earth heals and the danger lessens, they are expected to collect and interpret scientific data. As she helps Marella pass a series of tests, Blay discovers that she has a natural talent for science. As she starts to live a more normal life, she realizes how misled she has been by the people in charge of her society, and uncovers secrets about history and her own past that the Commission wants to keep buried.

Hunger Games fans will quickly pick up on the themes of a strong teenage protaganist rebelling against a draconian order that dictates the rules of society.

Little Brother by Cory Doctorow

(382 p., Call Number: Y FICTION DOCTOROW, CORY)

Seventeen-year-old techno-geek w1n5t0n (aka Marcus), chats secretly with friends on his IMParanoid messaging program, bypasses the school's gait-recognition system by placing pebbles in his shoes, and routinely evades school security with his laptop, cell, WifFnder, and ingenuity. While skipping school, Markus is caught near the site of a terrorist attack on San Francisco and held by the Department of Homeland Security for six days of intensive interrogation which includes physical torture and psychological stress, and who also “disappear” his best friend, Darryl, along with hundreds of other U.S. citizens. Moved in part by a desire for revenge and in part by a passionate belief in the Bill of Rights, Marcus vows to drive the DHS out of San Francisco. Using the Internet and other technologies, he plays a dangerous game of cat and mouse, disrupting the government’s attempts to create virtually universal electronic surveillance while recruiting other young people to his guerrilla movement.

Featuring teenagers fighting back against a brutally corrupt system, Little Brother offers fans of The Hunger Games familiar territory with some contemporary commentary freedom vs. security.

Epic by Conor Kostick

(364 p., Call Number: Y FICTION KOSTICK, CONOR sci-fi)

In a society where violence is banned, people must settle their disputes in a massive computer game called Epic. In addition, all forms of commerce and justice take place between characters inside Epic. Fourteen-year-old Erik is spurred into action when Central Allocations, the ruling power, exiles his father for an old crime (a single moment of justified violence). Erik creates a new Epic character, Cindella, and takes her along nontraditional paths inside the game: rather than drudge for years accruing tiny bits of money like his friends, spirited Cindella attempts world-changing adventures. Erik finds a loophole that allows him to defeat a red dragon, making him one of the wealthiest players around; suddenly he is a threat to Central Allocations, a team of powerful players that are the world's de facto rulers, even though they do not fully understand the system they are manipulating. As the game becomes self-aware, there are whispers of a revolution among those who would use the game's technology for conversations and elections rather than endless fighting.

Like The Hunger Games, the heroes of Epic are forced to participate in a game that will determine their prosperity by a dictatorial rulership. Fans of the former book should consider checking out this one.

The Maze Runner by James Dashner

(375 p., Call Number: YA FICTION DASHNER, JAMES)

Thomas wakes up in an elevator, remembering nothing but his own name. He emerges into a world of about 60 teen boys who have learned to survive in a completely enclosed environment, subsisting on their own agriculture and supplies from below; a new boy arrives every 30 days. The original group has been in "the glade" for two years; no one knows why they’re there, or where they came from, but each day they send out runners into the constantly shifting labyrinth to search for a way out. Bizarre technological monsters called Grievers patrol the Maze's corridors, almost certain death for any who encounter them. Just when they have begun to give up hope, a comatose girl arrives with a strange note, and their world begins to change.

The Maze Runner features a group of teens struggling for survival in a hostile environment; readers who enjoyed that aspect of The Hunger Games should strongly consider picking this book up.

Sharp North by Patrick Cave

(518 p., Call Number: Y FICTION CAVE, PATRICK sci-fi)

In a future Great Britain vastly altered by dramatic climatic changes, the Great Families and the Fertility Board rule. Mira, an adopted teen, flees a remote power-generating village after seeing a woman, who dropped a piece of paper with four names written on it (including Mira's), murdered by the police; the list is the key to realizing the mystery that is her life. An arduous trek over snowy mountains, around flooded valleys, and by sea takes her to the city where Kay Saint, scion of one of the Great Families who roams the streets at night doing drugs and escaping his bodyguard, gives Mira food and other gifts. He eventually sneaks her into his palatial home, where she finds that Kay's mother and sister and Mira herself were cloned from the same person. But why? And for what purpose?

Sharp North features a dystopian future and environmental hazards not dissimilar to those featured in The Hunger Games and should be worth a look by fans of that book.

The Knife of Never Letting Go by Patrick Ness

(479 p., Call Number: YA FICTION NESS, PATRICK)

Growing up on an alien planet where war with the natives has killed all the women and infected the men with a germ that constantly broadcasts their thoughts aloud for all to hear, referred to as "Noise". 12-year-old Todd is the last boy in a town of men; he quickly goes from outcast to target after finding two surprises in Prentisstown's swamp: a wrecked colony spaceship and Viola, the first girl he has ever seen. The first of many secrets is revealed when Todd discovers an unsettling hole in the Noise, and quickly realizes that he must keep the silence secret from the town leaders. His and Viola's terrified escape from Prentisstown with an army in pursuit makes up the backbone of the plot.

Like The Hunger Games, The Knife of Never Letting Go features teens rebelling against society as they know it.

Exodus by Julie Bertagna

(343 p., Call Number: Y FICTION BERTAGNA, JULIE sci-fi)

At the dawn of the next century, 15-year-old Mara has lived with the realization that the world is drowning. Growing up on Wing, she has watched her North Atlantic island become smaller each year, and people have long ago abandoned technology in their struggles to subsist. After a particularly bad ocean surge, another part of the village is lost; this spurs Mara to convince the villagers that they will have a chance at a new life in the Sky Cities, which she has located on the now-defunct version of the Internet. But after terrible losses, the refugees arrive at the New World city of New Mungo (which towers above the mostly submerged Glasgow) to find a dreadful situation. Refugees barely survive, starving and diseased, forbidden from entering the city except when they are press-ganged into forced labor. With the help of matriarchal tree-dwelling primitives outside the city and an attractive young man inside, Mara hopes to rescue her friends and find new hope for humanity.

Like The Hunger Games, Exodus features a strong young female protagonist as she attempts to fight for survival and the prosperity of her people.

Hole in the Sky by Pete Hautman

(179 p., Available Through Interlibrary Loan)

In 2028 a killer flu ravages the human race, wiping out more than five billion people and leaving only the unexposed, those who have yet to contract the disease, and the Survivors, who are now immune but suffer losses ranging from sensory impairment to delusions. Now, in 2038, with the flu on its third wave, four teens living in refuge in the Grand Canyon--Ceej, an unexposed; his friend Tim; his girlfriend, Isabella, the last Hopi; and his Survivor sister Harryette, left mute by the disease--desperately search for a way to keep the Canyon from being flooded while avoiding the Kinka, Survivor cultists who consider themselves "chosen" and seek to spread the disease among the unexposed. Added to this is Isabella's unshaken belief in the existence of a Hopi portal that will lead her, and Ceej, to a better world.

Fans of the Hunger Games will appreciate this tale of teenagers facing impossible odds of survival in a world left to ruin.

The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer

(380 p., Call Number: YA FICTION FARMER)

In a possible near future, the United States and Mexico have dealt with their continuing border troubles through the creation of a third nation called "Opium". In Opium, mind-controlled slaves--"Eedjits"--labor in fields of poppies, and clones are universally despised. Young Matt has spent the first six years of his life in isolation until the day he is discovered by three children and taken to the big house. There, 7-year old Matt learns that he is a clone of the original Matteo Alacran, the 142-year-old absolute ruler of Opium, who has gained his longevity through transplanted organs harvested from clones like Matt who have had their brains stunted from birth. Spared this fate by El Patron's conceit, Matt is educated and indulged, though never allowed to forget that he is not completely human. With the death of the old man at age 14, Matt flees Opium but is caught and contained in a work camp. With the help of new friends, Matt attempts to return to Opium and try to write the wrongs of the past.

Like the Hunger Games, The House of the Scorpion features a dystopian future where life is devalued, and the story of one teen attempting to rise above his fate.

Blood Red Road by Moira Young

(464 p., Availiable Through Interlibrary Loan)

This novel is the first in the Dustlands series. In a distant future, 18-year-old Saba lives with her twin brother Lugh, her annoying nine-year-old sister Emmi and her star-watching father, when four horsemen ride into their isolated desert homestead, kill her father and kidnap Lugh. Now, with Emmi trailing after her, Saba sets out across the blasted wasteland of the Sandsea. Eventually, Saba is captured and forced to participate in cage matches for the amusement of the maniacal King Vicar (who styles himself after an ancient portait of Louis XIV), who keeps the populace in his thrall thanks to copious amounts of the chewable drug chaal. Its up to Saba to escape with the help of her new allies--including a handsome and infuriating male warrior named Jack--and rescue Lugh from sacrifice at the hands of the King.


Those who enjoyed The Hunger Games will find much to like in Blood Red Road, which also features a young girl struggling to survive and retain her humanity in the face of a savage future.