"A place or time in which people's lives are devalued or dehumanized.”

That's basically what a perusal of a few dictionaries will yield when searching for "dystopia.” You may find additional keywords like "totalitarian,” but at the root, a dystopia is simply the opposite of a utopia. Classic adult dystopias like George Orwell's Nineteen Eighty-four and Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451 are cautionary tales that envision future authoritarian societies when personal freedoms are severely limited. Dystopian fiction for youth also has a long history, moving from early titles like William Sleator's House of Stairs through Lois Lowry's The Giver to more recent titles like Nancy Farmer's House of the Scorpion. Graphic-novel dystopias have been on the rise ever since Frank Miller's Batman: The Dark Knight Returns and Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons's Watchmen.

While the cautionary element is present in dystopic novels for young people, they also serve a bibliotherapeutic purpose, allowing teens to face their fears of the future, whether outlandish or all too possible. As history rolls onward and the world changes, fears of possible futures also change. Not only are readers concerned with future totalitarian states but also with anarchy, environmental degradation or collapse, and infringement on emotional and reproductive freedom. Dystopias are set not just in the near future, but also on other planets and in times so far in the future that technology is a thing of the past. Dystopia can now be combined with other popular elements such as magic, horror, or historical fiction, or serve as a backdrop rather than a focal point. It is even possible for authors to create dystopias that are humorous. It is important to note, though, that in our hyperconnected world, teens understand at some level that the anarchy, terror, and oppression presented in these titles that they read for entertainment or escape are very real for other people on our planet right now.

FICTION

ANDERSON, M. T. Agent Q, or the Smell of Danger. illus. by Kurt Cyrus. (A Pals in Peril Tale). S & S/Beach Lane Books. 2010. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-1-4169-8640-9; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-1-4391-5609-4. Gr 5-8—Jasper Dash, Boy Technonaut, and his friends Lily Gefelty and Katie Mulligan just want to leave Delaware and get home to New Jersey. The monks of Vbngoom and the Resistance are glad to help, but the Autarch's spies and the agents of the Ministry of Silence are everywhere. A humorous dystopia with funny black-and-white illustrations. Audio version available from Listening Library.

ANTHONY, Joëlle. Restoring Harmony. Putnam. 2010. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-399-25281-5. Gr 6 Up—It's 2041 and 16-year-old Molly must leave the safety of her family and Canadian farm to travel to Oregon to bring her doctor grandfather back to tend to her pregnant mother. Since the world economic collapse of 2031, crime has become rampant and the roads dangerous. Molly's wits, music, and newfound friends help her through.

BACIGALUPI, Paolo. Ship Breaker. Little, Brown. 2010. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-316-05621-2. Gr 7 Up—On a future Gulf Coast beach, Nailer spends his time scavenging ships and avoiding the murderous rages of his father until he and his crewmate, Pima, discover the wreck of a wonderful clipper ship. Is Nita, the sole survivor, the key to a better life for them? Audio version available from Brilliance Audio.

BEAKE, Lesley. Remembering Green. Frances Lincoln. 2010. Tr $15.95. ISBN 978-1-84780-114-2. Gr 5-8—Abducted from her African village and taken to The Island, Rain serves the Tekkies by caring for her lion, Saa. When she discovers that the Tekkies believe they can preserve their technology-driven way of life by sacrificing Saa, she knows she must escape, even if that means trusting people she's only just met.

CARD, Orson Scott. Pathfinder. Simon Pulse. 2010. Tr $18.99. ISBN 978-1-4169-9176-2; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-1427-3. Gr 7 Up—As he is dying, Rigg's father asks him to find his sister in the capital. Both Rigg and his friend Umbo have abilities that warp time itself, but they may not be enough to evade the Revolutionary Council whose power is greatest in the capital and whose agents roam far afield. Audio version available from Brilliance Audio.

COLLINS, Suzanne. Mockingjay. (The Hunger Games Trilogy). Scholastic. 2010. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-1-439-02351-1. Gr 7 Up—In this final volume in the saga, Katniss has been rescued by the resistance only to learn that her home has been destroyed and that her friend Peeta has been captured. In District 13 she accepts the role of Mockingjay, the rebellion's symbol, but is she still a pawn in a larger game? Audio version available from Scholastic Audio.

CONDIE, Ally. Matched. Dutton. 2010. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-525-42364-5. Gr 7 Up—The Society controls every aspect of its citizens' lives. Their food is delivered at set times. All but 100 songs, poems, and historical moments have been purged. Through matching, the Society even selects a person's mate. Somehow, though, Cassia sees not one face but two when she is Matched. Audio version available from Penguin Audio.

DASHNER, James. The Scorch Trials. (The Maze Runner Trilogy). Delacorte. 2010.Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-385-7387-0; PLB $20.99. ISBN 978-0-385-90745-3; ebook $17.99. ISBN 978-0-375-89611-8. Gr 7 Up—In this sequel to The Maze Runner (Delacorte, 2009), Thomas and the Gladers have survived the Maze but now WICKED has set them another task. They must travel 100 miles through a barren desert and a devastated city full of crazed victims of the Flare disease to win the Flare cure for themselves. Audio version available from Listening Library.

DESTEFANO, Lauren. Wither. S & S. 2011. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-0905-7. Gr 9 Up—In the near future, genetic engineering has given one generation long life, but successive generations die as women reach age 20 and men reach 25. Sixteen-year-old Rhine is kidnapped to be a bride for wealthy Linden Ashby, but she is determined to escape from her "husband” and his sinister father.

DONNELLY, Jennifer. Revolution. Delacorte. 2010. Tr $18.99. ISBN 978-0-385-73763-0; PLB $21.99. ISBN 978-0-385-90678-4; ebook $10.99. ISBN 978-0-375-89760-3. Gr 9 Up—Andy is in Paris conducting research for her senior thesis on a 19th-century guitarist. While in France, she is distracted by the diary of Alexandrine, the last dauphin's companion, and Virgil, a Tunisian-French hip-hop artist. When she is transported back in time to the terror of the French Revolution, things get dangerous. Audio version available from Listening Library.

FISHER, Catherine. The Dark City. (Relic Master #1). Dial. 2011. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-8037-3673-3. Gr 5 Up—Relic Master Galen and his apprentice Raffi are on a quest to the city of Tasceron, once the home of their order, now covered in perpetual gloom and guarded by the Watch. Carys, a Watch spy, joins the pair under false pretenses. Will she betray them or save them? Sequels will complete this quartet in August 2011.

GEE, Maurice. The Limping Man. (The Salt Trilogy). Orca. 2011. Tr $18. ISBN 978-1-55469-216-3. Gr 7 Up—The Limping Man rules by bending people's minds and kills anyone who may have similar powers. Fleeing the city after her mother's death, Hana forms a mental bond with a hawk as she gathers allies to keep the villain's armies from conquering the known world. Last in a trilogy but can stand alone.

GOTO, Hiromi. Half World. illus. by Jillian Tamaki. Viking. 2010. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-670-01220-6. Gr 7 Up—Melanie Tamaki must travel to a magical dystopia to rescue her mother. Half World is literally bereft of color and every being is a grotesque parody of humanity, and Melanie's only ally is a jade rat with unknown powers.

GRANT, Michael. Lies. (Gone Series). HarperCollins. 2010. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-06-144910-9. Gr 9 Up—The community of Perdido Beach was cut off from the rest of the world at the same moment that all the adults disappeared. Food, fuel, and fresh water are running low. In this follow-up to Gone (2008) and Hunger (2009), a prophetess promises a way out, and the dead begin to walk.

HALL, Teri. The Line. Dial. 2010. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-8037-3466-1. Gr 6-10—Rachel has lived her entire life on the Property, far away from cities with their random taxes and Enforcement Officers and right next to the Line, the invisible barrier between the Unified States and Away. It is almost impossible to Cross, but now one of the Others who live beyond the line needs her help.

ITOH, Project. Harmony. tr. by Alexander O. Smith. Haikasoru. 2010. Tr $14.99. ISBN 978-1-4215-3643-9. Gr 9 Up—The older generation has remade society by replacing nation-states with smaller "admedistrations” that use nanotech "medicules” and societal pressure to ensure that each person is as healthy as possible. Inspector Tuan, who once fought the system, discovers that there may be something even more repugnant than a world of perfectly healthy people.

KARP, Jesse. Those That Wake. Houghton/Harcourt. 2011. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-547-55311-5. Gr 9 Up—Things are bleak in New York City ever since the explosion that destroyed Con Edison and the two-week aftermath of darkness, rioting, looting, and murder. One day high-school senior Laura finds that no one remembers her existence. With a handful of others, she must face an enemy too frightening to imagine.

KARR, Julia. XVI. Penguin/Speak. 2011. pap. $8.99. ISBN 978-0-14-241771-3. Gr 9 Up—In 2150, 16-year-old girls must get an XVI tattoo to show that they are legally of age, but Nina's mother has always warned her that being 16 can be dangerous. Now her mother has been murdered, and it is up to Nina to keep herself and her little sister safe.

LANDON, Kristen. The Limit. S & S/Aladdin. 2010. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-0271-3; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-0273-7. Gr 5 Up—Violations of Federal Debt Ordinance 169 may be corrected by several methods. When his family spends beyond their limit, Matt is subject to option D—the youth workhouse. He must use his computer and math skills to help reduce his family's debt or to find a way out. Audio version available from S & S audio.

LLOYD, Saci. The Carbon Diaries 2017. Holiday House. 2010. Tr $17.95. ISBN 978-0-8234-2260-9. Gr 7 Up—The protagonist of The Carbon Diaries 2015 is back, and conditions have continued to decline. The British government is taking action against its citizens, and there are droughts around the world. Laura Brown's parents are resisting government controls, and even her band, which provides an outlet for her rage, is having difficulties. Audio version available from Audible.com.

MARIZ, Rae. The Unidentified. HarperCollins/Balzer & Bray. 2010. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-06-180208-9. Gr 7 Up—In Kid's near-future America, high school has been replaced by the Game where students compete to be the coolest in repurposed malls, hoping to become branded by corporate sponsorship. Kid never expected to be branded, but when she is, she becomes intrigued by the Unidentified, an anti-corporate faction of teens.

MCCORMACK, Una. The King's Dragon. (Dr. Who Series). BBC. 2010. Tr $11.99. ISBN 978-1-8460-7990-0. Gr 5-8—In this original "Doctor Who” novel, the Doctor, Amy, and Rory visit Geath, a preindustrial city republic that has enjoyed peace for 12,000 years, only to find it ruled by a king with a dragon at his feet. Citizens known for their hospitality and kindness now hoard golden Enamour. Can the Doctor restore paradise? Audio version available from audible.com.

NESS, Patrick. Monsters of Men. (Chaos Walking Series). Candlewick. 2010. Tr $18.99. ISBN 978-0-7636-4751-3. Gr 9 Up—In this trilogy finale, Mayor Prentiss no longer holds the women of the colony in subjugation, but now the colonists face the prospect of war with the native Spackles. A colonist scout ship must choose between Prentiss's army and the women's faction. Meanwhile teenagers Todd and Viola just want to broker a peace. Audio version available from Brilliance Audio.

O'BRIEN, Caragh M. Birthmarked. Roaring Brook. 2010. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-1-59643-569-8. Gr 7 Up—At 16, Gaia performs her midwife duties solo for the first time and dutifully turns the child over to the Enclave. When soldiers of the Enclave arrest her parents and she learns that they will be executed, she begins to question everything she ever believed about her society.

OLIVER, Lauren. Delirium. HarperCollins. 2011. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-06-172682-8. Gr 7 Up—In 17-year-old Lena's America, science has conquered the most pernicious disease of all—love. Also gone are laughter, dancing, and the appreciation of beauty. Lena is looking forward to being cured of her troublesome feelings until she meets a boy with golden eyes and hair the color of autumn. Audio version available from Audible.com.

THOMPSON, Kate. The White Horse Trick. Greenwillow. 2010. Tr 16.99. ISBN 978-0-06-200416-1; PLB $17.89. ISBN 978-0-06-200417-8. Gr 5-10—A trilogy conclusion that reads well alone. Rising seas have claimed much of the land, and alternating droughts and storms make growing food nearly impossible. In one corner of Ireland, though, Donal Liddy has a plan to evacuate people to his foster sister's home, the timeless land of T'ír na n'Óg.

WEYN, Suzanne. Empty. Scholastic. 2010. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-0-545-17278-3. Gr 7 Up—In Sage Valley, NY, gas is 40 dollars a gallon and rising. Food and medicine are scarce; the economy is a shambles; electricity can't be counted on, and a super hurricane is headed up the East Coast. What will teens Gwen, Tom, and Carlos have to do to survive? Audio version available from audible.com.

GRAPHIC NOVELS

AARON, Jason . Wolverine Weapon X, Vol. 3: Tomorrow Dies Today. illus. by Ron Garney and Esad Ribic . Marvel . 2011. Tr $24.99. ISBN 978-0785146506; pap. $19.99. ISBN 978-0785146513. Gr 10 Up—The Roxxon Corporation has taken over the world and enforces its will with superpowered zombie cyborgs. The cyborgs have come back to the present to eliminate any superheroes who may lead opposition to Roxxon. Will Wolverine and his drinking buddy, Captain America, be able to stop them?

CAMPBELL, Ross. Shadoweyes. Vol. 1. illus. by author. SLG Publishing. 2010. Tr $14.95. ISBN 978-1-59362-189-6. Gr 7 Up—In this future dystopia, Dranac is mired in garbage and beset by gangs. Teenager Scout Montana decides to fight crime as a masked Shadoweyes, but, after getting hit in the head, she transforms into a strange creature with superpowers. She can rescue the helpless but might never be normal again. Atmospheric monochrome art sets the tone.

KIBUISHI, Kazu. The Cloud Searchers. illus. by author. (Amulet Series). Scholastic Graphix. 2010. pap.$10.99. ISBN 978-0-545-20885-7. Gr 4-8—The once-peaceful land of Alledia is now controlled by the evil elf king. Like him, young Emily controls a magical amulet. Emily and her allies seek the hidden cloud city of Cielis. Can they reach its safety before the king's assassin and soldiers find them? Kibuishi's full-color art brings the story to life.

PATTERSON, James. Battle for Shadowland. illus. by Victor Santos. (Witch & Wizard Series). IDW. 2010. Tr $17.99. ISBN 978-1-60010-759-7. Gr 7 Up—Whit, Whisty, and the kids of the Resistance have a serious problem. The One Who Is the One and his New Order flunkies can now enter, and perhaps conquer, the Shadowland, which the Resistance has used as a safe magical highway. Full-color superhero-style art makes this accessible. Audio version available from Hachette Audio.

Nonfiction

CULLEN, Heidi. The Weathe of the Future: Heat Waves, Extreme Storms, and Other Scenes from a Climate-Changed Planet. Harper. 2010. Tr $25.99. ISBN 9780061726880. Gr 10 Up—What happens when you add a bit of extra heat to the climate system? Cullen assembles data and interview results from scientists on the ground in seven locations around the world to give us an idea of just how bad "bad” might be as well as offering positive options.

HARRIS, Shane. The Watchers: The Rise of America's Surveillance State. Penguin. 2010. Tr $27.95. ISBN 9781594202452; pap. $17. ISBN 9780143118909; ebook $9.99. ISBN 9781101195741. Gr 10 Up—Dystopic fiction often features invasive surveillance of average people. Harris follows real players in America's security community as they turn to ever more sophisticated technological intelligence gathering methods to fight terrorism, blurring the line between national security and individual rights to privacy. Audio version available from Tantor Media.

On The Web

Dystopia Week. New York. (Accessed 6/25/11) Gr 7 Up—Here are a week's worth of posts to the science-fiction and fantasy blog Tor.com, each covering a different aspect of book or movie dystopias by bloggers and fiction authors. A great site to sample many different takes on dystopian realms.

The Hub: The Future Sucks–a Visitor's Guide to Dystopia. Maria Kramer, YALSA. Chicago. (Accessed 6/25/11) Gr 7 Up—YALSA's literature blog divides dystopias into three types, giving examples of each along with tongue-in-cheek advice about what to do if you suddenly find yourself living in one.

WorldCat Genres: Dystopias. OCLC Research. Dublin, OH. (Accessed 6/25/11) Gr 5 Up—Many libraries post dystopian booklists on their websites, but WorldCat is the definition of authoritative. The catalog has sections for both adults and children and teens with updated lists of recent books.