There's a soft spot in our hearts for Josh Hutcherson and Jennifer Lawrence [1] in Lionsgate's adaptation of The Hunger Games [2], but we definitely shouldn't forget about Suzanne Collins's dystopian novel [3] that started the entire franchise. It's a page-turner of a book about the society of Panem, where teenagers called tributes are forced to enlist in a high-stakes televised fight to the death called the Hunger Games.
While it might be overlooked as a young adult series, The Hunger Games actually discusses important themes like inequality and consumerism. It also features Katniss Everdeen [4] as its protagonist, a strong female character's who is as tough as she is vulnerable.
If you can really appreciate Suzanne Collins's themes and characters, you'll enjoy the following books, which range from dystopian teen series like Divergent [5] to classroom classics like Lord of the Flies.
1984
George Orwell's 1984 [6] is one of the most seminal books in the dystopian genre. 1984 takes place in a society in which Big Brother watches your each and every move and the government bans all individuality. The main character, Winston, breaks the law by recording his thoughts into a diary and developing a relationship with a woman named Julia.
The Handmaid's Tale
Admittedly, The Handmaid's Tale [7] is a hair more suited for adults than The Hunger Games. Margaret Atwood's critically-acclaimed novel follows the experiences of Offred, a woman who's forced to become a child-bearer in the fundamentalist theocracy of Gilead. While the novels are based on vastly different premises, The Hunger Games and The Handmaid's Tale [8] both have smart, resourceful female leads who are critical of their society's values.
Lord of the Flies
William Goldman examines the notion of survival of the fittest in the classic novel, Lord of the Flies [9]. The book zeroes in on a group of young English boys who try to govern themselves on an island after surviving a plane crash. Like The Hunger Games, Lord of the Flies fleshes out the relationship between the individual and the mob.
Matched
Exploring the theme of free will, Ally Condie's Matched [10] is a little bit like Black Mirror meets The Hunger Games. At 17, people are matched with their life partners. Cassia is matched with her best friend Xander, but discovers that she's been wrongly paired after reviewing her information. Her true match turns out to have secrets of his own that are deeply related to the matching system.
Feed
Feed [11], like The Hunger Games, leverages critical commentary about consumerism and environmental destruction. In M.T. Anderson's world, there's a computer network linked to the brains of the majority of Americans through a feed. While it allows people to customize their experiences, it also contributes to a world where corporations have the most power, and consumerism and ecological decay run rampant.
The City of Ember
Jeanne DuPrau, like Suzanne Collins, crafts a story about courage and survival in The City of Ember [12]. In the book, a group of architects, scientists, and doctors build Ember, an underground city with enough resources for its people to survive for 200 years. Almost 250 years later, there's a shortage of supplies, and two young members try to figure a way to save the city.
Fahrenheit 451
Ray Bradbury's literary masterpiece, like the Suzanne Collin's contemporary teen novel, features a protagonist who challenges the values upheld by their society. The main character of Fahrenheit 451 [13], Guy Montag, works as a fireman who burns books in a society where books are banned, only to later become disconcerted with the consequences of his work. Besides Ray Bradbury's novel, it's also worth checking out the upcoming HBO film adaptation of the book, which stars Michael B. Jordan and Michael Shannon.
The Maze Runner
If you're shopping around for teen dystopian books, pick up The Maze Runner [14]. In James Dashner's young adult sci-fi novel, a young teenager named Thomas wakes up with no memories, surrounded by strangers in the same predicament. They're all in the Glade, a neverending maze with four-mile high walls that are always changing. Then comes Tessa, the first girl to enter the maze.
The Underland Chronicles
Before The Hunger Games, Suzanne Collins wrote the widely adored The Underland Chronicles [15]. The series shares elements of the drastic with its sibling series. Centering on the adventures of a boy named Gregor, it's about the Underland, a world underneath New York City that's inhabited by both humans and giant animals. Like The Hunger Games, it explores serious political themes like war and genocide.
Trickster's Choice
Tamora Pierce might just be the queen of fantasy young adult novels. Trickster's Choice [16] takes place in the Copper Isles, which are ruled by an incompetent king with hedonistic and power-hungry heirs. It's a society where lighter skinned populations hold more power. The novel's lead, Aly, is an aspiring spy. When she leaves home, she gets captured by pirates, becomes enslaved, and fights to survive within the society's values.
Uglies
In Uglies [17], Scott Westerfeld imagines a nightmarish society where beauty is the only thing that matters. Tally Youngblood lives in a post-apocalyptic future world where teens, upon turning 16, receive a surgical procedure that makes them a "Pretty." Tally learns that the government nefariously uses these surgeries to brainwash its citizens to make them easier to control. Westerfeld's series also tells a coming-of-age story about a young female protagonist, much like The Hunger Games.
Divergent
Divergent [18] is another book series turned into films. Penned by Veronica Roth, the book takes place in a post-apocalyptic Chicago where people are divided into five factions based on their personalities and values. The trilogy focuses on the experiences of Tris Prior, who lives in the "brave" faction, where inhabitants undergo a harsh initiation process. Tris, the female protagonist with a whole lot of gumption, has a secret, though. She learns that she's actually a Divergent, someone who will never fit into any of the factions, and could be forced into poverty if anyone finds out about her status.