Wednesday, January 18, 2012

Top 10 dystopian novels for teenagers

In 2007 Gemma Malley complied a top 10 list of dystopian novels for teenagers for the Guardian.

One title on the list:
The Children's Story by James Clavell

I'm ashamed to say that I borrowed this book from my school library when I was nine and never returned it. In my defence, it's one of the most chilling books I've ever read. Set in a classroom, it shows how susceptible young minds are, how vulnerable, how easy to control. In a few short pages (and just 25 minutes), a silky voiced teacher succeeds in brainwashing a classroom of children, turning them against their country, against their parents, against basic freedoms. As the book's blurb says, The Children's Story is not just for children...
Read about another novel on the list.

--Marshal Zeringue