Dystopian stories are really popular at the moment, and there is a fabulous range of young adult stand-alone stories or series to pick from.

These stories are set in imagined post-apocalyptic worlds where society has broken down, people are often repressed and downtrodden and survival is tough. This inevitably leads to rebellion in the hope of a better life. You may have already read The Hunger Games, the Divergent series and the Maze Runner series, but there are lots of fresh books to try too. If you are interested in dystopian books, here are some of the newer titles and lesser known series that you might be interested in:

Arc of a Scythe series – Neal Shusterman: In the future, death has been eradicated, so Scythes exist to keep the population under control. Two young apprentices enter this world and discover the corruption that lies beneath…

Legend series – Marie Lu: In the New Republic of America, there is a huge divide between the rich and poor. When June and Day cross paths, they begin to discover the secrets their country is keeping.

Winter Trilogy – Mark Smith: Finn lives alone, avoiding the vicious Wilders after a virus wiped most people out. When a girl finds him and asks for safety, he must decide whether to jeopardise his own life to help.

Cell 7 series – Kerry Drewery: In the future the fate of criminals is decided by the public on a game show called Death is Justice. When Martha is accused of killing a celebrity, she finds herself on the show…

Escape from Furnace series – Alexander Gordon Smith: Alex is trying to escape from an underground prison, but until he destroys the mastermind of the hellish prison, he will never find freedom.

Rains Brothers – Gregg Hurwitz: Two brothers fight against horrific zombie-like beings in the hope of discovering a cure before one of the brothers turns 18 and becomes infected himself.

Alone series – James Phelan: New York City has been destroyed and survivors have been infected by a virus. A group of teens must survive long enough to escape the violent creatures humans have turned into.

All of these are available in the school library for borrowing now…