The Extraordinary Colors of Auden Dare

Bethell, Zillah. The Extraordinary Colors of Auden Dare. Feiwel Friends, 2018.

Auden Dare can't see color, but that's the least of his worries. His world is in the midst of the Water Wars, and his father is away fighting against the enemy over the small amount of water left on the planet. Auden and his mom move into his late uncle's home, and Auden uncovers a mystery there. He's certain this mystery will lead to his uncle's experiments to help Auden see color, but perhaps there are bigger things at stake.

This book started very, very slowly, without much of the explanatory world-building that happens in a story set in a world so different from our own. Auden's voice wavers between sounding like a child and sounding like an adult reminiscing about childhood, so it was hard to discern whether he sounds right for his age. The end of the book certainly picks up its pace and becomes very readable and interesting; it's just disappointing that the first third of the book is such a slog, because many readers will abandon a book if it isn't interesting early enough. The whole issue with Auden being colorblind has led some to say this is a great read alike for The Giver, but it isn't remotely the same kind of story, so I don't think that's an accurate suggestion. I would give this book to kids who enjoyed The War that Saved My Life or possibly the HiLo graphic novels, but I would likely read the first third of the book aloud together until it gets to the interesting parts so that the child would be compelled to finish the story.

Recommended for: tweens, middle grade
Red Flags: some intense action scenes
Overall Rating: 3/5 stars

I received a complimentary copy of this book through Netgalley for the purpose of review.

Dry

Shusterman, Neal. Dry. Simon & Schuster BYR, 2018.

California's drought has continued for years now, and when neighboring states block access to the Colorado River, suddenly everyone's water is gone. No water from the tap. No toilets. No showers. And inevitably people begin panicking. The government and the talking heads on the news assure Californians that they will be fine, that help is on the way, but it is taking a very long time for that help to arrive, and in the meantime, this crisis is bringing out the worst in people.

I lived in California for three years near the beginning of the real drought, and this story is terrifying in how true it reads. I could see things developing in a manner very similar to what is described in this book, and all I can say is that this is exactly why I no longer live in California. This is a compelling page-turning story filled with plenty of action. I can highly recommend this book to readers who enjoy survival stories or dystopian tales that focus on the creation of the dystopia rather than the "tearing down the corrupt government" a la The Hunger Games. Highly recommended.

Recommended for: teens
Red Flags: language, violence, a character is threatened with rape on at least one occasion
Overall Rating: 5/5 stars

Read-Alikes: Life As We Knew It, Ashfall, Hungry

The Calculating Stars

Kowal, Mary Robinette. The Calculating Stars. 2018.

A meteorite crashes to Earth during the 1950s and obliterates Washington, D.C., killing hundreds of thousands of people and leaving many more homeless and injured. The resulting steam and ash in the air sets off several years of cold weather, which will soon be followed by accelerated global warming. Elma is concerned that this is an extinction event, and she and her husband convince the fractured U.S. government to focus on colonizing the moon and Mars while there is still a chance to get off Earth. Elma served as a WASP during the second world war and would make a fantastic astronaut, be she and the other female pilots she knows are routinely passed over because of their gender. Will she be able to convince the good old boys that women would make excellent astronauts?

I was the first one to check out this book from my local library, and I finished it in less than a day, often choosing not to eat or sleep because I wanted to find out what happened. This book is set in the same general time period as Hidden Figures, so if you liked that story where "computer" refers to a woman who does math by hand and there is rampant sexism but women are fighting back, you'll love this one. If you enjoyed any of the myriad dystopian disaster books that followed on the heels of the Hunger Games (a la Life as We Knew It), then you'll enjoy this one. If you like astronauts and space and thinking about how they train and how they build the rockets and actually get them into space, you'll like this book.

With well-rounded characters, appropriate amounts of world-building, and a compelling plot, this book is highly recommended.

Recommended for: adults and teens
Red Flags: Not many as it's set in the 1950s and the characters are adults. Rampant sexism is obvious - more than one person refers to the female astronauts as "astronettes" and asks how they'll do their hair and makeup in space.
Overall Rating: 5/5 stars

Read-Alikes: Hidden Figures, Life as We Knew It,

Ready Player One

Cline, Ernest. Ready Player One. Crown Publishers, 2011.

It's 2045 and the world is falling apart. Wade is a high school senior who lives at the top of a stack of mobile homes. He goes to school online via the OASIS, a virtual reality world invented by a genius game designer. When the game designer dies, he leaves a cryptic message and puzzle for the world: the first person to find three keys to go through three gates will inherit his fortune. Wade becomes a gunter (egg hunter) looking for this hidden "Easter egg" in the game. But as he gets closer to finding answers, he discovers that others are also searching and are willing to do whatever is necessary to get him out of the way.

I cannot believe I didn't read this book when it came out. I must have picked it up and put it back down a dozen times, but it wasn't until this past weekend that I actually tried to read it. And then I couldn't put it down. And I wasn't paying attention to anything else - food, sleep, sunshine - because I just had to find out what happened. Once I finished it, I turned back to the front and started reading again, which is something I don't think I've ever done. This book is simply fantastic. It is certainly an homage to all that made the 1980s what they were, but inside of that there is the adventure story and the mystery of the different riddles Wade and his friends had to solve. I haven't seen the movie yet, as most of the time when I love a book I do not love the movie, but I do highly recommend this book.

UPDATE: On page 173 of the paperback edition, Parzival and Art3mis are having a conversation, and Parzival asks Art3mis: "Are you a woman? And by that I mean are you a human female who has never had a sex-change operation?" This is unbelievably transphobic and once my spouse pointed it out to me, it left a bad taste in my mouth. The story itself would be fine without this ridiculous line. 

Recommended for: teens
Red Flags: lots of threats of violence, both in the real world and in the game
Overall Rating: 4/5 stars

Read-Alikes: Ender's Game, Scythe, Proxy

Spill Zone

Westerfeld, Scott. Spill Zone. First Second, 2017.

I have yet to be disappointed by anything published by First Second, and this book is no exception. I haven't read it yet simply because it's been so popular that it hasn't stayed on our library's shelf long enough for me to snag it.

The story is set in post-apocalyptic America. Some kind of "spill" - we're never really told what it was - happened in one town, which means that town is now completely off-limits. The people who lived there did not survive. Addison is a photographer and visits the town to take pictures, which she then sells to wealthy patrons. This is how she is able to care for herself and her sister. Her sister was in the spill zone when it happened and has not spoken since then. But when a wealthy patron offers Addison a million dollars to retrieve an item from inside the spill zone, she can't resist. This would help her care for her sister for the rest of her life. But will she even make it out of the zone to enjoy her riches?

The illustrations in this book are spot-on; I especially appreciated the muted pastel palette used for the spill zone areas. I am glad this is a series, as I am curious to find out what happens next. This book will have wide appeal for teens, and it's short enough that many different readers would find it readable. Recommended.

Recommended for: teens
Red Flags: language, some gore
Overall Rating: 4/5 stars

Red Queen

Aveyard, Victoria. Red Queen. HarperTeen, 2015.

Mare Barrow has red blood and is a commoner. Those with silver blood are the elite; they each have some sort of superpower, and they use their powers to rule over the red blooded common people and keep them in line. Then it's discovered that Mare, although red-blooded, also has a superpower. The Silvers want to keep her secret and avoid revolution. Mare is trapped between a new Silver life and loyalty to her Red family.

Have you read The Hunger Games? Then you've read this book, from the "girl with special powers who alone can save the poor people from the rich people" to the typical love triangle. It's not a new story. It's not a bad story, especially for those who love dystopian literature, but don't expect anything new, because it's not new.

For me, this book was saved by the narrator. The narration on the audiobook is awesome, and I continued to listen to it on my commute because of the narrator, not the story. If you have a long commute and enjoy dystopian YA lit, I'd recommend this one. Otherwise, I'd pass.

Recommended for: teens, fans of dystopian lit
Red Flags: violence
Overall Rating: 2/5 stars

Read-Alikes: The Hunger Games, Divergent, Matched, The Selection

Stranger

Brown, Rachel. Stranger. Viking Juvenile, 2014.

The world has undergone a major change, governments have fallen, and now people are picking up the pieces and attempting to survive and thrive in a different and dangerous world. The western U.S. has turned into an Old West type of atmosphere, with each town having its own unique government and dangerous critters roaming the wild. A new boy comes to the town of Las Anclas (formerly Los Angeles); he's carrying a secret, and a powerful king from the east wants it. Is this boy worth saving, or should he be turned over to pacify the king?

This book fits into the second category of dystopian fiction. Unlike the standard Divergent or Hunger Games-style books, where the world has been taken over by a corrupt government, this book tells of a cataclysm that sort of reset the world and stole its technology. People, plants, and animals have many different kinds of mutations, and each town has its own rules. This story is told from five different viewpoints, each of which adds an interesting perspective on the larger story.

What I Liked: Lots of diverse characters. Lots of Latino culture with smatterings of Asian and Native American cultures thrown in. Gay and lesbian people mentioned without it being a big deal at all. One of the main characters thinks she might be asexual, which her dad tells her is completely normal, until later on when she is in a relationship with both a boy and another girl. The multiple perspectives on the story sounded different and were emphasized with different fonts as well, making it easier to transition between characters.

What I Didn't Like: This book wasn't that much different from Killer of Enemies or Inhuman. It would be a good read-alike, but I found myself rapidly skimming the last pages in the book, because I didn't really care what happened. The reading wasn't as compelling as I expected, although it is indeed a good story. Due to both the popularity of dystopian stories as well as the need for diversity in literature, I would add this book to my library's collection if it weren't already there.

Recommended for: teens
Red Flags: violence
Overall Rating: 4/5 stars

Read-Alikes: Inhuman, Killer of Enemies

A Girl Called Fearless

Linka, Catherine. A Girl Called Fearless. St.Martin's Griffin, 2014.

Avie is growing up in a home without a mother, but her situation is reflected in most homes throughout the United States. After a hormone in beef killed most of the women and teen girls (except for vegetarians or those without ovaries, obviously), the new generation of girls who have grown up in motherless homes are now priceless treasures. They are carefully protected, since everyone wants access to a disease-free womb. Avie is happy going to school and is excited about attending college when her father breaks the news to her: she has been promised to a man as part of a business deal her father has made. Not wanting to marry this man, Avie has to decide how she can save herself.

This is another book in a long line of dystopias. It's not a bad story, per se, but it's so similar to a million other books that it's not that interesting anymore. Also, for those who have grown up in patriarchal cultures like the fundamentalist and evangelical Christian cultures of the United States, this story will sound all-too-familiar and possibly triggering. For example, college becomes forbidden to girls because it's too dangerous for them to be outside the home, and when Avie is betrothed, she has to have a physical exam to prove that she's still a virgin and is told that she must give her husband sex whenever he wants it and however often he wants it. There are other, better dystopias out there, but for a patron who has read every dystopia and can't wait for the next Hunger Games or Divergent, this book would be acceptable.

Recommended for: teens
Red Flags: lots of triggering discussions of girls being treated like property.
Overall Rating: 3/5 stars

Hungry

Swain, H. A. Hungry. Feiwel and Friends, 2014.

Thalia has never eaten a meal in her life. The earth is destroyed, so people are inoculated against hunger and drink a product called Synthamil (like True Blood for humans). But the inoculations aren't working anymore. Thalia is feeling hungry and, for the first time in her very privileged life, is beginning to question what she's been told her whole life.

The only thing that sets this dystopia apart from others is that the MC is one of the privileged class instead of one of the lower class; it's like having the Hunger Games told from Effie Trinket's perspective. The MC really was clueless about how "the other half" lived. Also, she did the Uglies-esque transition from one tyrannical government system to another just as tyrannical cult-in-the-jungle. And eventually everyone lives happily ever after. Fortunately, this doesn't look like it's going to be a series, which is a relief.

Recommended for: fans of dystopia, teens
Red Flags: minor violence
Overall Rating: 2/5 stars

The Testing

Charbonneau, Joelle. The Testing. Houghton Mifflin Books for Children, 2013.

The planet has been ravaged by war; the survivors are huddled in small communities throughout the North American continent. As in other dystopian novels, there is a strict government in control and lots of rules everyone must follow. A few people are allowed to be highly educated in university, but to do so they must be chosen for, and then pass, the testing. Cia is chosen, and her father warns her to be careful. She goes through lots of trials and passes the testing, then a la Westerfeld's Uglies series, she has to remember what has been erased from her memory and why it's important.

This book is very, very similar to other dystopian novels. That doesn't make it a bad book; in fact, it's quite popular in my library because of its similarities. However, it doesn't bring anything new to the dystopian genre. I read this book, and we have it in our collection, but I am not going to rush out to read the rest of the series. This story has been told before.

Recommended for: teens

Red Flags: lots and lots of violence a la Hunger Games

Overall Rating: 3.5 stars

Killer of Enemies

Bruchac, Joseph. Killer of Enemies. Tu Books, 2013.

Lozen and her family have been taken in by the Ones, four superhumans who have created a sort of fort after the Silver Cloud came and wiped out all electronics. Many people died when electronics died, especially those rich enough to have cyber implants, but Lozen and her family have been accepted by the Ones because Lozen is a great hunter and the Ones keep her family hostage as she kills their enemies. Lozen ventures out where none else dare and kills all kinds of monsters, until one day when she decides she must rescue her family and escape the clutches of the Ones.

I enjoyed this story. There is great dystopian world building, including the four very different characters of the Ones who rule the fort. Lozen embraces her Native American heritage throughout the book, and it's nice to see a nonwhite protagonist in a book that's not being preachy. Also, the Bigfoot character was a lot of fun. I enjoyed the fact that he called her Little Food when they spoke.

Recommended for: young adults, fans of Hunger Games
Red Flags: lots of violence
Overall Rating: 5/5 stars

Proxy

London, Alex. Proxy. Philomel, 2013.

Syd is a proxy. He is an orphan, so the government took care of him as a child but also placed him in debt for their services. He must serve as a proxy - a whipping boy - for a wealthy patron. His patron Knox has never seen Syd in person, but he is forced to watch each time Syd is punished for something Knox has done. Syd is trying to keep under the radar and just survive until his debt is paid, but then Knox does something that causes Syd to be brutally beaten, branded, and sentenced to another lifetime's worth of years in a prison. Syd can't imagine surviving this, so he attempts an escape that brings consequences no one could have imagined.

I really, really liked this book. First, Syd is gay, but this book is not about his coming out. Second, the Allegiant-esque ending was well done. Also, the dystopian world with a The Whipping Boy-style of punishment is interesting. I loved the world-building and enjoyed seeing both Syd's and Knox's perspectives on the various situations they found themselves in. I was surprised this book did not win a Stonewall award this year. This book would be very popular in my library if we had a copy.

Recommended for: teens, fans of Divergent,
Red Flags: drug/alcohol use, lots of violence
Overall Rating: 5/5 stars

The 5th Wave

Yancey, Rick. The 5th Wave. Putnam Juvenile, 2013.

The first four waves of alien invasion killed off most of the population of Earth. Now the survivors are trying to pick up the pieces and prepare for whatever's next. This book follows Cassie's story as she tries to reunite with her younger brother and avoid the alien assassin who has been following her.

This is a very long book, and as such the author did not spell everything out at the beginning. It takes a long time into the book to understand what happened in the first four waves of attack and how the people are preparing for the inevitable next attack. I enjoyed this story, but I could see its length making it a hard sell to any but my strongest readers.

Recommended for: fans of Hunger Games and Ender's Game, young adults
Red Flags: lots of violence
Overall Rating: 4/5 stars

When She Woke

Jordan, Hillary. When She Woke. Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill, 2011.

In this dystopian retelling of The Scarlet Letter, criminals are chromed instead of being imprisoned. The color is based on the type of crime a person has committed. Hannah Payne, convicted of murder for aborting her baby, has been sentenced to spend the next sixteen years of her life as a red. Not only will she face public scorn, but it will be difficult for her to find housing and a job with her obvious conviction. Furthermore, Hannah refuses to name the father, knowing that this man who was once her pastor and is now the Minister of Religion, would not be able to stand up to public scrutiny for having an affair with one of his parishioners.

Wow.  I really, really enjoyed this book, and I have said that about maybe five books in my entire life. I loved the parallels between this book and The Scarlet Letter, especially since I used to teach Hawthorne's classic and recognized many of the symbols used, like when Hannah sees the roses after leaving prison and is reminded of her chroming instead of comforted by their beauty. It was frightening to see what could happen if the U.S. became a theocracy instead of a democracy.  I sympathized with Hannah growing up in a fundamentalist world, escaping a fundamentalist "halfway house," and trying to make it on her own.  I was glad that she did decide at the end to do what was best for her, instead of following the lead of her pastor.  This book was engaging, fast-paced, and believable.

Recommended for: fans of dystopian lit, fans of The Scarlet Letter, cult survivors
Red Flags: Hannah and one of her friends are kidnapped and nearly sold as sex slaves, at one point during the kidnapping one of the men squeezes Hannah's nipple; Hannah has sex with a woman who rescues her, but it isn't described in detail
Overall Rating: 5/5 stars

Uglies: Shay's Story

Westerfeld, Scott. Uglies: Shay's Story. Del Rey, 2012.

This is the story of Shay, a character in Scott Westerfeld's original Uglies series. While the original story is told from Tally's point of view, this version follows Shay, one of Tally's friends. I didn't like Shay much in the original story, but seeing the events from her point of view in this book helped me to like her a bit more. I am certain this book will be popular with my patrons who are fans of dypstopian lit, as well as those who can't get enough of graphic novels.

Recommended for: teens, tweens, fans of Westerfeld's original Uglies series.
Red Flags: None
Overall Rating: 4/5 stars

More Than This

Ness, Patrick. More Than This. Candlewick Press, 2013.

Seth drowns, but then he wakes up in a new world.  How did he get here? Is this world real, or was the other one?  How will he find his way?

The narrative style of this book is very difficult to get into. I don't think many teens would get into this book, as a limited 3rd person narration when there's one main character is a bit odd. I disliked not knowing what was going on in Seth's head space, and I found the beginning of the book to be very boring; I read it because I wanted to review it, not because I enjoyed the story.

Recommended for: teens, strong readers

Red Flags: none

Overall Rating: 2/5 stars

Partials

Wells, Dan. Partials. 2012.

The human race has been all but eradicated by the disease RM, a disease which appeared during the war with the Partials, genetically engineered super humans who were designed as soldiers. The remaining humans live on Long Island, but there is a problem: every child born since the war has died within days because it becomes infected with RM. The humans need to find a way to save their race by saving their children, but even with every woman of child-bearing age giving birth as often as possible, they are no closer to a cure.  Will they ever find a way for the babies to survive while there's still people around to care for them?

This was an interesting and fast-paced science fiction read, very similar to Divergent, Inhuman, and other post-apocalyptic literature. I enjoyed the twists in the story, although I am content to be finished with this story line now that I've read the first book (there are at least three others in the series). This book would be very popular among my students who enjoy dystopian lit.

Recommended for: teens, tweens
Red Flags: violence, similar to the levels found in Divergent
Overall Rating: 4/5 stars

Allegiant

Roth, Veronica. Allegiant. 2013.

Tris's life has changed dramatically since her society broke apart. She and her friends escape their town and find the people responsible for creating their society, learn more about the divergent and the factions, and then try to overthrow everything and save the world.

I guessed at the ending of this book long before it happened, so I wasn't surprised, and I do think it was an appropriate ending to this story. This book was good, although I enjoyed Divergent much better. To be fair, I enjoyed The Hunger Games better than Mockingjay, too. I have a copy of this book in my library, and while it is popular with the students who have already read the rest of the series, it doesn't have as long a wait list as the latest Rick Riordan or Jeff Kinney book.

Recommended for: teens, fans of dystopian lit

Red Flags: lots of violence

Overall Rating: 4/5 stars

Sky Jumpers

Eddleman, Peggy. Sky Jumpers. Random House, 2013.

After the green bombs of World War III killed most of earth's population and rendered many places uninhabitable due to the "bomb's breath," a gas that settled in the air and kills instantly, settlements of survivors have sprung up.  Hope and her family live in White Rock, where everyone focuses on inventing new things that can help the community to recover in the wake of the war.  But when a group of bandits attack in the middle of winter and threaten to take the settlement's supply of medicine, it is up to Hope to sneak out and bring help.  Will Hope be able to save her family and community?

This book is a much more upbeat take on the typical dystopian novel.  Even though the world has changed and most of the population has died, the focus is on the community that has been rebuilt and the progress they have made in spite of their lack of resources.  Hope isn't a perfect character, but she is one worth applauding, and I enjoyed following her and her gang of friends as they tried to save their community from the bandits. I think this one would be popular in my library, and the short length combined with the action would guarantee that I could convince reluctant readers to give it a try, too.

Recommended for: tweens, middle grade

Red flags: minor violence when the bandits invade the town

Overall Rating: 5/5 stars

I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley for the purposes of review.

Inhuman

Falls, Kat. Inhuman. Scholastic, 2013.

A corporation that was attempting to create weapons accidentally unleashed a virus on the United States.  Now everything east of the Mississippi is wilderness and a great wall spans the United States from Canada to Mexico.  Lane's father is a Fetch; he ventures into the wilderness to obtain priceless paintings and other objects for people.  But when he doesn't return by his scheduled time, Lane has to venture over the wall to find him and complete his mission.

Wow.  This book is unbelievably suspenseful.  It's at least as good as The Hunger Games, and it's clearly going to require at least a sequel, if not several other books.  Kids who enjoyed The Hunger Games will love this book; I have a sneaking suspicion that I won't be able to keep this one on my shelves.

Recommended for: teens, fans of dystopian novels, fans of The Hunger Games

Red Flags: epic violence, descriptions of human/animal hybrids

Overall Rating: 5/5 stars

I received a complimentary copy of this book through NetGalley for the purposes of review.