Recommendations for KS3 Dystopian Fiction

[lollybongbong]

We're moving back to the UK in the summer from overseas and my two boys will be going to a UK school for the first time. There is quite a lot of difference in schooling where we are and the UK so using the next few months to prepare them. My eldest 12 and I are working through the KS3 curriculum and I wondered if anyone can recommend some Dystopian fiction that we could do together as guided reading. I'm trying to cover different genres, which we're both enjoying but I'm not a huge dystopian fiction fan. Any ideas? Especially from any secondary teachers out there.

I loved The Chrysalids (still reread it from time to time). Other dystopian fiction I’ve particularly enjoyed has been The Giver, Z for Zachariah and On the Beach. When I was about 14 I read the Handmaids Tale but perhaps 12 is a bit young.

I'm not a teacher but DS really liked the Mortal Engines series by Philip Reeve.

There's also:

• The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, and Mockingjay (Suzanne Collins)
• Divergent, Insurgent and Allegiant (Veronica Roth)
• Legend, Prodigy and Champion (Marie Lu)

Hh

We read Brother in the Land when about 13 in English class.

Phone slipped from my hands...

• The Maze Runner (James Dashner)

I second the crysalids
How we live now
The Declaration
The day of the Tryphids

Brilliant-thanks for all the recommendations.

The Hunger Games are good for the age group. I like the language too.

Thinking of classic dystopian works - 1984, We, Brave New World or Farenheit 451. - I'm sure I read all of those at about that age.

And 'A Canticle for Leibowitz'

There's a short story by Kurt Vonnegut called Harrison Bergeron that's brilliant.

My daughter when doing this topic for year 7 read Animal Farm

Other books where the set of books by Scott Westerville’s, Pretty’s, Uglies, Specials - I loved them as well !

The Tripods series by John Christopher
Peter Dickinson's Changes series (what happens when adults turn against machines)
Another vote for The Giver

1984
Brave New World
Divergent

And although it’s more sci-fi than dystopian fiction:

I am Number 4
And the Time Riders series

When older, The Handmaid’s Tale

My DCs loved all these in their early teens.

Empty World
The Giver
Invitation to the Game

Ds2 has just done a book called The Knife of Never Letting Go in y7.

Reading a printed excerpt was enough to make me think it was a really odd choice to use for y7 as further research suggested it was better aimed at 13-14 yr olds and reading more of it (found a free copy online very easily) did nothing to dissuade me that it it’s not suitable for anybody - was possibly one of the worst books I have ever had the misfortune to read.

However it has won prizes and when I complained to the English teacher I was basically told that it’s a standard y7 text and that there’s nothing to worry about... However it glorifies violence, genocide, and a whole load of other nasties that I don’t think are suitable as a book to read as your first book in senior school when the teacher has no idea about their students.

Suspect it might be a marmite book that people love or hate... and I have to disagree with ds’s teacher about!