The Selection by Kiera Cass is one of my all-time favorite books. It tells the story of a dystopian society in which what used to be the United States is known as Illea. There is a caste system that regulates the wealth people have the jobs they possess. America Singer, a young girl living as a Five, gets randomly selected to compete in a competition for the Crown Prince Maxon’s heart. However, all she wants to do is stay home with who she thinks is the love of her life, Aspen, who happens to be a caste beneath her.
Through the eyes of Ponyboy Curtis, The Outsiders depicts the gritty lives of the “Greasers”, a group of poor teen friends caught up in a bitter class struggle between their rough neighborhood and the wealthy “Socs”. The Greasers want safety, respect, and to escape the hardships of their circumstances. However, they face terrible treatment, violence, and retaliation from the Socs. They then get pulled into a dangerous downward spiral of violent actions to protect their own.
Lauren Robert’s debut novel Powerless takes place in an exhilarating fantasy world. It revolves around female protagonist Paedyn, a regular, disguised Ordinary in a world of Mundanes and mostly Elites. Surviving in the slums, Paedyn poses as an elite, concealing her true identity. However, when she finds herself saving the Elite Prince Kai, she is voted into the brutal “Trials” for the royal’s entertainment.
Divergent is a fantasy book by Veronica Roth. In the book, the city is divided into five factions, each based on a different talent: Abnegation, Amity, Candor, Dauntless, and Erudite. Beatrice Prior must choose which faction she will belong to for the rest of her life. However, during the aptitude test, she is revealed to be "Divergent," meaning she has an aptitude for multiple factions.
Allegiant is a great book that follows Tris through the dystopian world she lives in. The violence and unrest that surrounds her changes her view on everything. As she learns new things, she has to lean heavily on those she can trust. When she learns about the past that she was never taught, her world spirals. Leaders are letting their citizens die, some humans are considered below others, and Tris falls into a position to cause change.
The Crown is the final book in The Selection series. It follows Princess Eadlyn through the final stages of her Selection process. Although picking a husband might sound fairly easy, for Eadlyn, it's not. She can’t date privately and she has a timeline at which the Selection must progress. This, on top of other factors, including her mother’s health, makes her feel like she isn't fit to be royal.
The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton is a coming-of-age novel set in the 1960s in a small American town divided between the affluent "Socs" and the working-class "Greasers." The story is narrated by Ponyboy Curtis, a Greaser, who grapples with societal expectations and prejudice.
