In Andy Weir’s Project Hail Mary, Ryland Grace wakes up as the sole survivor sent on a last chance mission to save humanity from certain death. Ryland is stuck in the depths of space with a spotty memory trying to find the solution to humanity's untimely demise before it is too late. Filled with bravery, courage, and compassion, this book is a must read.
This book follows Darrow, a lowborn Red man whose whole world has recently been turned upside down. From the blistering Mars mines to the secret city on the surface of the planet, Darrow discovers his life as a miner is a lie, and that the higher born Golds have been keeping the moderation to themselves. After his wife is hanged for rebellious behavior and he himself sentenced to death, Darrow narrowly escapes the grave waiting for him.
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is a dystopian novel about a 16-year-old girl named Katniss Everdeen who lives in the poorest region of her country, District 12. Every year, her country holds a competition called the Hunger Games where people are randomly selected and asked to fight to the death to win the games. Katniss is chosen to participate in the games for her district, along with a boy named Peeta. She must leave everything behind, including her friend Gale, to go fight in a game she might not live through.
After a plane crash leaves a group of adolescent boys stranded on a deserted island, they must figure out how to survive. Their initial methods are civilized and orderly, but as the struggle for power takes over, a man’s darkest parts are revealed. With the added obstacles of a terrifying monster and lost hope, will the boys survive?
When a plane evacuating a group of schoolboys from Britain is shot down, Ralph and the rest of the boys take refuge on an abandon island. During the war, a break from everyone seems nice, and the boys quickly build a shelter and thrive on their new island home. Although everything seems right at first, it’s not long until being cut off from civilization leads some of the boys to turn feral and separate into groups, preparing for war of their own.
Captain Underpants: The Adventures of Captain Underpants by Dav Pilkey is a hilarious and action-packed book that introduces readers to the dynamic duo of George and Harold, two mischievous fourth graders, and their accidentally created superhero, Captain Underpants. The story revolves around the boys’ prank-filled lives, their conflicts with their grumpy principal Mr. Krupp, and the wild adventure that ensues when they hypnotize him into becoming the fearless but clueless Captain Underpants.
In Defy Me, the third installment of the Shatter Me series, Juliette struggles with her identity and powers as she faces new threats. Juliette must confront her enemies and face her trauma. Meanwhile, she must navigate her relationship with Warner, learning how to build loyalty and trust with one another. As tensions rise, Juliette must work to accept herself and fight for her loved ones.
Lois Lowry’s dystopian novel, The Giver, is a book set in the future. The “utopian” society is one without pain, illness, suffering, or any bad things that are seen in the world today. Jonas, eleven, is selected for a job as a receiver, a rare job that requires him to hold and receive the memories of past lives. Although society has no pain or suffering, it also lacks happiness, and joy. The memories that Jonas receives, show him the beauty of joy, but also open his eyes to the pain.
Cold The Night, Fast the Wolvesis a book written by Meg Longabout survival. The book is about a 17-year-old named Sena who runs away with her wolf named Iska and how they encounter difficult challenges to get away from everyone else and get off the planet. I honestly thought this book was rather good. Even though I am not a huge fan of books where characters are supposed to somehow survive, I really thought this book changed my mind on that.
All That’s Left in the World is a survival book written by Erik Brown. The book is about two teens in a world where a super flu killed most of the world, and everyone else needed to find a way to survive. It was great to see how far they came, from Jamie pulling the gun at Andrew when he first came to loving each other. The author did an excellent job of showing how ruined and lonely the world was after the super flu and how everyone died.
