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Perfect age range for dystopian novels. You can start with Animal Farm and Anthem for the 10 year-old(s) and the one closer to 13 can read 1984, Brave New World

Perfect age range for dystopian novels. You can start with Animal Farm and Anthem for the 10 year-old(s) and the one closer to 13 can read 1984, Brave New World, and Fahrenheit 451. There's also the Lord of the Rings novels and the works of the greater Legendarium (Silmarillion, Children of Hurín, etc.) The books I wish I read as a kid were the Count of Monte Cristo, the Fountainhead, and Atlas Shrugged, all of which I had read at the cusp of adulthood despite having the aptitude to understand the works as a teenager.

the_only_law 4y ago
I can never remember name, but I picked up a simple modern dystopian novel in 6th grade. The premise was something along the lines of a future earth, that has faced catastrophic ecological collapse and led to three social stratas. The bottom class, which lived in the underground ruins of the old world, living in darkness and physical mutations are common. Then there was the perceived middle/upper class. Who lived in surface, and enjoyed a life of luxury, but it was all artificial, down to the sand on the beaches, which were plastic. I believe it was encompassed in a massive container to protect them from the dangers of the "outside world" (described at the point as being an inhospitable wasteland). All of this was built literally on top of the ruins on which the previous group lived. And then there was a somewhat unknown class. You see, while the middle and upper class people were busy living in their plastic world, another group of the most elite had returned to old world, and started to rebuild... For themselves. The rebuilt enjoyed a mix of both the return of nature and the advance technology humanity had developed. Majority the underground underclass and the superficially wealthy upper and middle classes had no idea of , this outside a select few of the most powerful people within the upper society. If I remember correctly, the plot focused on people from the middle/upper class strata recruiting and using the underclass bottom dwellers, some who had generated useful mutations, to fight against the highest elite, who were seen as hiding and exploiting for themselves the reborn earth and ecosystems. Ofc, they didn't tell any of these new recruits this until it was time to fight. I'm probably remembering this wrong, but it's been frustrating I can even remember the name of the book. It did feel like I was more targeted towards kid/teenagers than some of the aforementioned books while still having a an interesting plot and morally ambiguous characters, actions, etc.
- warrenm 4y ago
  Sounds like an interesting mashup of The Personifid Project, The Time Machine, and the TV series The 100
- Dracophoenix 4y ago
  Unfortunately, I'm not familiar with a work the possesses all the characteristics you've described. The closest to your description that I've read is the Atherton trilogy by Patrick Carman although there aren't any mutations in that one. If you want to try your luck, you're best bet would be to ask this question on https://old.reddit.com/r/books https://old.reddit.com/r/books. What year do you remember reading the book in? That may help narrow it down.
secludedrelish 4y ago
Maybe it's just me, but as a 17 year old who read Anathem a month ago, I still found some of the ideas in Anathem hard to wrap my head around. As a story, yes, a 10 year old could read it, as genuine philosophy, idk. (unless it's a super smart 10 yr old etc etc).

the_only_law 4y ago

I can never remember name, but I picked up a simple modern dystopian novel in 6th grade. The premise was something along the lines of a future earth, that has faced catastrophic ecological collapse and led to three social stratas. The bottom class, which lived in the underground ruins of the old world, living in darkness and physical mutations are common. Then there was the perceived middle/upper class. Who lived in surface, and enjoyed a life of luxury, but it was all artificial, down to the sand on the beaches, which were plastic. I believe it was encompassed in a massive container to protect them from the dangers of the "outside world" (described at the point as being an inhospitable wasteland). All of this was built literally on top of the ruins on which the previous group lived. And then there was a somewhat unknown class. You see, while the middle and upper class people were busy living in their plastic world, another group of the most elite had returned to old world, and started to rebuild... For themselves. The rebuilt enjoyed a mix of both the return of nature and the advance technology humanity had developed. Majority the underground underclass and the superficially wealthy upper and middle classes had no idea of , this outside a select few of the most powerful people within the upper society. If I remember correctly, the plot focused on people from the middle/upper class strata recruiting and using the underclass bottom dwellers, some who had generated useful mutations, to fight against the highest elite, who were seen as hiding and exploiting for themselves the reborn earth and ecosystems. Ofc, they didn't tell any of these new recruits this until it was time to fight. I'm probably remembering this wrong, but it's been frustrating I can even remember the name of the book. It did feel like I was more targeted towards kid/teenagers than some of the aforementioned books while still having a an interesting plot and morally ambiguous characters, actions, etc.

warrenm 4y ago
Sounds like an interesting mashup of The Personifid Project, The Time Machine, and the TV series The 100
Dracophoenix 4y ago
Unfortunately, I'm not familiar with a work the possesses all the characteristics you've described. The closest to your description that I've read is the Atherton trilogy by Patrick Carman although there aren't any mutations in that one. If you want to try your luck, you're best bet would be to ask this question on https://old.reddit.com/r/books https://old.reddit.com/r/books. What year do you remember reading the book in? That may help narrow it down.

secludedrelish 4y ago

Maybe it's just me, but as a 17 year old who read Anathem a month ago, I still found some of the ideas in Anathem hard to wrap my head around. As a story, yes, a 10 year old could read it, as genuine philosophy, idk. (unless it's a super smart 10 yr old etc etc).