giftpplYAPA Who says the end of the world can’t be entertaining? Post apocalyptic and dystopian books are big sellers in young adult fiction, and while some have speculated their popularity has something to do with the countless rules forced upon our teens, it could just be that a world turned upside down by a cataclysmic event makes for a great read. So if civilisation as we know does come to an end, make sure you’ve got one of these books to keep you company.

8306857 Divergent
Veronica Roth

In Tris’s world, there are five factions: Candor, Abnegation, Dauntless, Amity, and Erudite. Each represents a virtue, and at the age of sixteen, teens must choose which faction they fit most. Despite having been raised in Abnegation, Tris doesn’t feel she belongs in a place where people put others’ needs before all else, so she makes a choice that will change the rest of her life.

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51216AUNZmL Maze Runner
James Dashner

Thomas arrives in the Glade one day and doesn’t remember how he got there. He just appeared, and now he’s trapped along with a bunch of other kids between the Glade and the Maze – home to monstrous creatures and certain death. The Maze could hold the secret to their escape, but can they survive its twists and turns?

9780141325057 The Fear
Charlie Higson

The world has ended and the zombies have risen. There are plenty of zombie books out there, but none of them even come close to Charlie Higson’s The Enemy series. You can read these in any order, since they follow the lives of a huge cast of characters, like DogNut, the wannabe hero who likes to big note himself, or Maxie, the reluctant leader. The secret to these books’ brilliance is how much you come to care for these characters... before the zombies finally get them.

images The Knife of Never Letting Go
Patrick Ness

Only occasionally do you come across books that can appeal to readers from all walks of life, and the brilliant The Knife of Never Letting Go is one. Todd lives in a world where thoughts can be heard by everyone, and all of the women have died. Then, one day while exploring the swamp, he comes across something he’s never heard before – silence. And when he discovers the source of it, it sparks a chain reaction that will change history.

9780141339412 Legend
Marie Lu

This debut novel from videogame designer Marie Lu has been called the next Hunger Games, and with good reason. Day is a fugitive on the run from a corrupt government while trying to keep his family safe from a deadly plague. June is the republic’s shining star – the only person to receive a perfect score in her trial test. She is sent to hunt down Day, but while they are meant to be enemies, they slowly find themselves becoming close... perhaps too close.

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cvr9781416936381_9781416936381 Uglies
Scott Westerfeld

Scott Westerfeld’s Uglies series is often touted as one of the forerunners in the current surge of dystopian fiction, so if you haven’t read it yet, you must check it out. In a world where natural beauty is not considered an option, teens look forward to the day they get the surgery that will make them pretty. Tally can’t wait to turn pretty, but when she meets Shay, she starts to question the motives behind the whole process.

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holly-pic Holly Harper is a children’s bookseller at Readings Carlton. She also writes books for younger readers under the name H.J. Harper. Find out more about her books here and follow her on twitter - @hj_harper.