City of Ember Series by Jeanne DuPrau

Quick Synopsis: The people of Ember have lived underground for over two hundred years. Forced underground because of war and destruction of natural resources, the city functions as planned until the lights begin to flicker and the supplies begin to run low. Similar to other dystopian novels, the protagonist, Lina, is assigned a job and through that job discovers a way to save her city.

Why Students Like It: It’s a dystopian novel, so that’s the first reason young adults like it. It puts them in a world so foreign from their own, but the characters face all of the same problems. Lina struggles with many feelings that we face today: feeling overly responsible for family and friends, fear of losing those same family and friends, a literal fear of the dark and unknown. There is also a recursive element of mystery—Who is telling the truth? What’s behind that door? What does the message actually mean? Will they be able to escape in time? The rest of the series explores the residents’ new life above ground and the problems they must tackle together. However, the final book, The Prophet of Yonwood, goes back in time to the very beginning of being underground.

Why You Might Like It: If you were ever a fan of The Giver, you would love this series. The thing that I love about this set is that it delivers where The Giver is unable, which is in telling what happens once they escape the dystopia. How does life function after they learn the truth and come into the light? I was always left wondering how life continued for Jonah in The Giver, and it bothered me! Of course, it forced me to use my imagination to finish his story, but here, we are given the full picture. If you want to relive those magical moments of The Giver through a modern twist, go find yourself a copy of this series.