Years ago, Teri Lesegne wrote a book called Reading Ladders, about meeting readers where they are and then guiding them to new heights. It’s a lovely image. I’ve got my own twist on it; I like to think of helping kids get onto the reading escalator. They read the first book I hand them, or their best friend forks over after staying up til midnight to finish it, and boom, they’re on that escalator cruising toward the next book without even realizing it.
Sometimes it’s a series that helps them on, or realizing that audiobooks count, or discovering Jason Reynolds for the first time.
Sometimes it’s a genre – they grab a Rick Riordan, then the next twelve, then realize that “fantasy” is a thing and cruise straight into Fablehaven, Skandar, and the Unicorn Thief, and Harry Potter.
It’s a genre I want to talk about today, one that has exploded in popularity over the last twenty years, and just keeps going. Sometimes I think Neal Schusterman is keeping it alive singlehandedly, but then I remember that Margaret Atwood, Adam Silvera, Megan Freeman, and Darcie Little Badger are part of the movement, along with so many others.
Have you guessed? Yep, it’s dystopia. Dystopia provides a fast-paced reading escalator, with many series integrated inside. Students might pick up The Hunger Games, move through the whole series, snag The Maze Runner, move through the whole series, snag The Uglies, move through the whole series, pick up Scythe, move through the whole series, pick up Divergent, move through the whole series. You get the idea! There are many series-based, fast-paced starting points where students can step onto this reading path and find themselves carried upwards with a whoosh.
Then, as they start to understand the genre more and more, and become intrigued with it, there are new angles to explore. They might try Megan Freeman’s novel-in-verse, Alone, and its new companion, Away. They might pick up the graphic novel version of The Giver. They might imagine their lives with their internet feed planted inside their head, by reading Feed. Eventually, deep in the genre, they might be ready for Animal Farm, Fahrenheit 451, or another book that will stretch them further. Or, they might be much better positioned to engage those books in your whole class curriculum.
Feature Dystopia in your Choice Reading Library
This one is a light lift! If you’d like to get started bringing more dystopia into your curriculum, creating a display in your choice reading zone or along your whiteboard tray is a great way to get started. Snag some favorites + add blurbs if you have time.
Feature Dystopia through a Book Tasting
If you’re rolling out dystopia in your choice reading program for the first time, or building energy around the genre leading up to a class unit, a dystopia-themed book tasting is a great way to generate interest and energy.
You know the drill – put up a fun sign, play some themed music, scatter the book options onto tables around the room, and invite students to explore and jot down ratings and details about each book before signing up for their first and second choices. A book tasting gives everyone a broader awareness of the options available in your library, as well as of the genre itself.
Feature Dystopia in your First Chapter Friday Program
Another easy way to help students get a broader idea of the genre, and potentially guide readers onto the escalator, is to showcase dystopia you think your students will love for First Chapter Friday. I recently made several First Chapter Friday choice boards, so students could vote on which one they wanted to hear. You can try that too, or just pick one you find really compelling. (New to First Chapter Friday? Find out what I’m talking about here!)
As always, I suggest providing students with a sketchnotes sheet so they can draw and jot down notes as they listen. That way they’ll have a record of First Chapter Fridays past, and the act of taking down the sketchnotes will make what they hear more memorable to them.
Feature Dystopia through Book Clubs
As you likely know, I’m a huge fan of book clubs for giving students agency over their reading while still providing an intentional curated collection. Dystopian book clubs will get your whole class exploring the genre from different angles, able to contribute to larger conversations about art, influence, and genre. I’ve already shared a full podcast on this subject, so if you’re intrigued, pop over here to episode 327.
Feature a Whole-Class Read
OK, last but not least! I place this last, because I love the idea that by the time you get to a whole class read of say, 1984, Lord of the Flies, or Fahrenheit 451, many of your students might have been on the escalator exploring this genre for a while. How much more accessible is Fahrenheit 451 going to feel after already reading Scythe, Unwind, The Uglies, The Maze Runner, and The Giver?
Depending on your students’ level and engagement, you can choose a text that feels right – there are so many options, from the ultra-engaging Schusterman titles like Scythe and Unwind, to the unique political critique of Orwell’s Animal Farm and 1984, to eerily prescient titles like Fahrenheit 451 and Feed.
