The Best Dystopian Novels for Middle School Book Clubs

Classroom Ideas

Sep 28

In 8th grade language arts, our first major reading unit of the year is a Dystopian Series Book Club unit. Students read the first two books in a dystopian series, participating in weekly book club meetings to explore the genre, make real-world connections & more.

Not only is this one of my favorite units ever, but it’s also frequently cited as a favorite on my students’ end-of-year surveys. Though I’d like to believe it’s due to our engaging lessons and activities, I know the real MVPs are the book choices.

That being said, here are a list of the top dystopian novels my middle school students have loved throughout the years.

Friendly heads up that this post contains Amazon affiliate links, which means I’ll earn a few cents (at no extra cost to you) if you purchase a book through one of the links below. Thanks for supporting my work. :)

Scythe

Despite being the longest novel offered as a book club choice, Scythe by Neal Shusterman is the hands-down favorite among my students every year. Many students who have chosen other novels end up reading Scythe when the unit is over because of all the hype from the Scythe club.

I personally love this novel series as well (a close second to The Hunger Games for favorite series ever), and I highly recommend the audiobook. The narrator does a phenomenal job and made me fall in love with the series even more.

Amazon Description: “A world with no hunger, no disease, no war, no misery: Humanity has conquered all those things and has even conquered death. Now Scythes are the only ones who can end life - and they are commanded to do so in order to keep the size of the population under control.”

Legend

Legend by Marie Lu is another favorite among students. It has a hybrid narration which alternates between the two main characters, which is great for exploring perspective and author’s craft. Legend is also available as a graphic novel.

Amazon Description: “What was once the western United States is now home to the Republic, a nation perpetually at war with its neighbors. Born into an elite family in one of the Republic's wealthiest districts, fifteen-year-old June is a prodigy being groomed for success in the Republic's highest military circles. Born into the slums, fifteen-year-old Day is the country's most wanted criminal. But his motives may not be as malicious as they seem.”

Among the Hidden

Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix is a great read for students who tend to gravitate towards shorter novels. This 7-book series has hooked many of my self-proclaimed “non-readers” over the years.

Amazon Description: “In a future where the Population Police enforce the law limiting a family to only two children, Luke, an illegal third child, has lived all his twelve years in isolation and fear on his family's farm in this start to the Shadow Children series from Margaret Peterson Haddix.”

Unwind

Unwind by Neal Shusterman is a unique novel that weaves in various news clippings throughout the pages, making it ideal for connecting to real-world issues.

Amazon Description: “In America after the Second Civil War, the Pro-Choice and Pro-Life armies came to an agreement: The Bill of Life states that human life may not be touched from the moment of conception until a child reaches the age of thirteen. Between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, however, a parent may choose to retroactively get rid of a child through a process called "unwinding." Unwinding ensures that the child's life doesn’t “technically” end by transplanting all the organs in the child's body to various recipients. Now a common and accepted practice in society, troublesome or unwanted teens are able to easily be unwound.”

The Giver

The Giver by Lois Lowry is a classic. There are 3 other books in the series, although they follow different characters and storylines. For our unit, students generally read the first 2 books in the series they choose, but we have them read The Giver and Son (technically the 4th book in the series) together due to the character connections in Son.

Amazon Description: “The haunting story centers on twelve-year-old Jonas, who lives in a seemingly ideal, if colorless, world of conformity and contentment. Not until he is given his life assignment as the Receiver of Memory does he begin to understand the dark, complex secrets behind his fragile community.”

The Testing

The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau was added to our book club choices last year and quickly became a student favorite. This is another one that many students opted to read on their own once our unit was over.

Amazon Description: “It’s graduation day for sixteen-year-old Malencia Vale, and the entire Five Lakes Colony (the former Great Lakes) is celebrating. All Cia can think about—hope for—is whether she’ll be chosen for The Testing, a United Commonwealth program that selects the best and brightest new graduates to become possible leaders of the slowly revitalizing post-war civilization. When Cia is chosen, her father finally tells her about his own nightmarish half-memories of The Testing. Armed with his dire warnings (”Cia, trust no one”), she bravely heads off to Tosu City, far away from friends and family, perhaps forever. Danger, romance—and sheer terror—await.”

Honorable Mentions:

Here are some dystopian books my middle school students love, but that aren’t part of our book club unit (in large part because many students have already read them by the time they reach 8th grade).