What's the Name of That Book??? discussion

My friend's advanced 7th grader (12 years old) says she likes "Post apocalyptic novels." Anyone have any suggestions about what kids these days might be reading in this genre that would be appropriate for this young woman?

I suppose The Gate to Women's Country by Sherri Tepper might be a bit "mature" for her, but I think it is a very interesting idea.

The City of Ember is a middle grade post-apocalyptic book & series. It's definitely appropriate for readers that age (no romance, extreme violence, etc.) There is also a movie adaptation of the book, and I thought the visuals in it were really nice.

The White Mountains by John Christopher was one of my favorites, and I read it at about that age. It's part of a trilogy--actually there's a fourth book, which is a prequel, but the originals are my favorites.

The Shadow Children series by Haddix.

I guess it depends what you mean by "advanced." If she is advanced, wouldn't "middle grade" be below her reading level? If she's a reader who likes to challenge herself, there's always The Road, which is scary and somewhat violent and doesn't use quotation marks, and which I would certainly say would not be beyond the reading level of a smart 16 year old. I mean, a lot of 12 year olds are reading adult literature already.

Seconding the City of Ember.

Other books that should be suitable:
Viral Nation (post apocalyptic), Wolf Tower (dystopian fantasy), Among the Hidden (dystopian), The Giver (dystopian), Cinder (futuristic dystopian fairy-tale retelling), Gregor the Overlander (fantasy underworld), Ender's Game (semi-dystopian sci-fi), and The Fall (dystopian fantasy).

Kristina Marie wrote: "The Shadow Children series by Haddix."

Agreed ^ I read all those when I was in 6th-7th grade and loved them.

The Cinder books are great. They're post-apocalyptic but so far past it that they might be considered more futuristic. Still they are great books and pretty clean (no sex, not much violence).
The Darkest Minds trilogy
Article 5
The 5th Wave trilogy
The Knife of Never Letting Go
Blood Red Road trilogy
Legend trilogy
Reboot
Poison Princess first in the Arcana Chronicles series
The Stars Never Rise
For Darkness Shows the Stars
The Scorpion Rules
The Forest of Hands and Teeth

The Islands at the End of the World is a great read and the sequel, The Girl at the Center of the World, just came out.

She might like Eve.

"The Road" by Cormac McCarthy.
"Wolf and Iron" by Gordon R. Dickson.

Daybreak 2250 AD
I read it when I was probably a little older than 12, and my younger sister read it about the same time.

Holly wrote: "The City of Ember is a middle grade post-apocalyptic book & series. It's definitely appropriate for readers that age (no romance, extreme violence, etc.) There is also a movie adaptat..."

Thanks Holly. I will pass your advice on to my friend.

Clinton wrote: ""The Road" by Cormac McCarthy.
"Wolf and Iron" by Gordon R. Dickson."

Thanks, Clinton, but I know grown men who have read The Road and told me it really messed them up and that they wished they could unread it. I don't think it is appropriate for a sensitive 12 year old.

Lobstergirl wrote: "I guess it depends what you mean by "advanced." If she is advanced, wouldn't "middle grade" be below her reading level? If she's a reader who likes to challenge herself, there's always [book:The ..."

Her reading level is advanced, but I don't know if she is ready for scary and violent. I guess I am looking for books that are not for little kids, but also won't scare the beejezus out of her.

Joseph wrote: "The Islands at the End of the World is a great read and the sequel, The Girl at the Center of the World, just came out."

Thanks, Joseph. I will pass these recommendations on to my friend and she can look into them and figure out if she thinks they are a good fit for her kid.

Rebekah wrote: "Daybreak 2250 AD
I read it when I was probably a little older than 12, and my younger sister read it about the same time."

Thanks Rebekah!

Sully wrote: "The White Mountains by John Christopher was one of my favorites, and I read it at about that age. It's part of a trilogy--actually there's a fourth book, which is a pr..."

Thank you Sully. I will pass on the information.

Maria wrote: "Seconding the City of Ember.

Other books that should be suitable:
Viral Nation (post apocalyptic), Wolf Tower (dystopian fantasy), Among the Hidden (dys..."

Thanks for the recommendations, Maria. And especial thanks for giving me info about the specific sub-genres. That should make it easier for my friend to figure out what her kid might like.

Valerie wrote: "The Cinder books are great. They're post-apocalyptic but so far past it that they might be considered more futuristic. Still they are great books and pretty clean (no sex, not much ..."

Thanks for the extensive list. I will pass all this info on to my friend.

LauraW wrote: "I suppose The Gate to Women's Country by Sherri Tepper might be a bit "mature" for her, but I think it is a very interesting idea."

Thanks for the suggestion, LauraW. I'll let me friend decide if it's appropriate for her kid.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I hope my friend can pick out some good Xmas presents from all these options.

Alive by Scott Sigler and Enclave by Ann Aguirre are good, and both have female protagonists

Fresno Bob wrote: "Alive by Scott Sigler and Enclave by Ann Aguirre are good, and both have female protagonists"

Thanks, Bob! Female protagonists are a bonus. I will pass the info on to my friend.

HeavyReader wrote: "My friend's advanced 7th grader (12 years old) says she likes "Post apocalyptic novels." Anyone have any suggestions about what kids these days might be reading in this genre that would be appropri..."

The Hunger Games, The Knife of Never Letting Go, The Maze Runner, The House of the Scorpion, GONE

Angelfall is supposed to be good, though I haven't gotten to it yet and am relying on rumor.

The Scavengers
was pretty good. I read it recently. People live in dome cities because we screwed up the environment and the heroine is a preteen girl who lives outside the bubble cities despite its dangers with her family.

Thanks for the suggestions Elias, Lou, and Nova. I will pass this info on to my friend. I appreciate all the help I'm receiving here.

Has anyone mentioned Incarceron?
I read it at about 12 years old. It's sort of steampunk, but also dystopian. :/

Annihilation by Jeff Vamdermeer. Might be a bit violent in some places but nothing to extreme.

Wither series by Lauren stefano. Implications of sex. The second one is a lot darker than the first.

Obviously the hunger games

The testing by Joelle charbannou.

Emergence by David R. Palmer has a great female character, Candy, who is just 12 or 13 when the book starts.

Z for Zachariah by Robert O'Brien features Ann Burden as the main character, she is 16.

Life As We Knew It by Susan PFeffer is awesome and features a young girl as the main character.

I would not rec Life as we knew it series - animal torture, suicide idolation as you progress through the books. One of the only series I dropped cold in disgust.

Reccing:
Divergent series Veronica Roth - dystopian, female teen lead finding her place in the world.

Hunger Games series was sacrifice and destiny themed, female lead. Dystopian future after a war.

The Cure by Stephanie Erickson - Female teen lead. Dystopian future and search for a plague cure.

Walking in the Rain series - William Allen. Male teen lead (16), some collateral violence/sexual assault (not descriptive). Respectful treatment of his girlfriend and no pre-marital sex. World after EMP wipes out electricity.

Partials series by Dan Wells - post plague, female teen lead, combo mystery novel meets The Great Escape.

Lucifer's Hammer - Niven. Great book, aftermath of asteroid striking Earth. No stand out teens, but clean as far as graphic violence and sex.

Tomorrow When the War Began - John Marsden. Australian teens caught in an invasion by Asian troops. Red Dawn Down Under basically.

Day by Day Armageddon by J.L. Bourne - Amazing zombie apocalypse novel, surprisingly clean of sex, and non-zombie killing violence.

The War of the Worlds

The Passage

The End of October