What Does Dystopian Mean?

Looking for a dystopian read?

Check out one of these books/series!

1. Feed by MT Anderson

2. The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins (The Hunger Games, Catching Fire, Mockingjay)

3. The Maze Runner Series by James Dashner (The Maze Runner, The Scorch Trials)

4. Little Brother by Cory Doctorow

5. The Ember Series by Jeanne Duprau (The City of Embers, The People of Sparks, The Prophet of Yonwood, The Diamond of Darkhold)

6. Gone Series by Michael Grant (Gone, Hunger, Lies)

7. The Shadow Children Sequence by Margaret Peterson Haddix (Among the Hidden, Among the Imposters, Among the Betrayed, Among the Barons, Among the Brave, Among the Enemy, Among the Free)

8. Girl in the Arena by Lise Haines

9. The Giver, Gathering Blue, and Messenger by Lois Lowry

10. The Chaos Walking Series by Patrick Ness (The Knife of Never Letting Go, The Ask and the Answer, Monsters of Men)

11. The Moon Crash Trilogy/Last Survivors by Susan Beth Pfeffer (Life As We Knew It, The Dead and the Gone, This World We Live In)

12. The Mortal Engines Quartet / Hungry City Chronicles by Phillip Reeve (Mortal Engines, Predator’s Gold, Infernal Devices, A Darkling Plain)

13. How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff

14. The Forest of Hands and Teeth Series by Carrie Ryan (The Forest of Hands and Teeth, The Dead Tossed Waves, The Dark and Hollow Places)

15. The Uglies Series by Scott Westerfeld (Uglies, Pretties, Specials, Extras)

Not Sure What Dystopian Means?

According To Websters Online Dictionary:

"dystopia: An imaginary place where people lead dehumanized and often fearful lives; an imaginary place or state where everything is as bad as it possibly can be: or a description of such a place."

Usually a dystopian universe represents a dark version of a possible future. These types of novels are often written as warnings showing how current trends in society can develop into a nightmarish future.

EXAMPLES:

The Hunger Games is a dystopian novel where future America is ruled by a vicious Capitol. Each year children are forced to fight to the death in the Hunger Games to prove their District's loyalty to the Capitol.

Feed is a dystopian novel where in the future people no longer need to learn anything. Everything is downloaded into their heads via computer chip. But what happens when someone hacks into that computer system?

Did you know....

You may have heard of the book Paper Towns by John Green, but what exactly is a Paper Town?

No, it's not a town made of paper. Google definitions state that "A paper townsite, also called a paper town, is a term used to describe a city or town which purportedly exists, but in reality exists only on paper. Typically, it has few or no buildings, limited infrastructure, and few permanent inhabitants."

In other words, it's a fictional place made up by map makers and marked on a map to stop others from copying their work. Think of it as their version of copyright protection. Most of the time if you try following a map to a paper town you'll never find it because the place doesn't really exist. Sometimes the paper town becomes an actual recognized town/place and people will start living there, but this rarely happens.

Challenge! Take a look at some maps and see if you can find any paper towns!

Some interesting paper town facts:

Another name for a paper town is a trap street.

The town of Agloe, New York was invented by map makers but eventually became a real place. It's the area Margo hides out at in the book Paper Towns.

Some other paper towns mentioned in Green's book include: Lake Katrine, Ulster County, New York and Holen, South Dakota.

According to Wikipedia: In 1978, the fictional Ohio towns of Goblu and Bestosu were inserted into that year's official State of Michigan map as a nod to the University of Michigan's traditional rivals from Ohio State University. The doctored maps were withdrawn and now fetch up to $150 in mint condition!

A 1946 Esso Map Showing Agloe, New York

The book Paper Towns by John Green is part Mystery, part road trip adventure! It is a 2010 Abraham Lincoln Award Nominee!
Check it out from the library today!

An Awesome Adventure!

Check Out This Trailer For Scott Westerfeld's Steampunk Novel Leviathan!
The Second Book In The Series Just Came Out And Is Titled Behemoth!

Not Sure What Steampunk Is?

According To Wikipedia....

“Steampunk is a sub-genre of science fiction, alternate history, and speculative fiction that came into prominence during the 1980s and early 1990s. Specifically, steampunk involves an era or world where steam power is still widely used—usually the 19th century and often Victorian era Britain—that incorporates prominent elements of either science fiction or fantasy. Works of steampunk often feature anachronistic technology or futuristic innovations as Victorians may have envisioned them; in other words, based on a Victorian perspective on fashion, culture, architectural style, art, etc. This technology may include such fictional machines as those found in the works of H. G. Wells and Jules Verne or real technologies like the computer but developed earlier in an alternate history.”

To Read More Information About Steampunk Click HERE.