So I wonder if the prequel to the Tripod books is a prequel that you really need to read *last*- like the prequel to the Foundation (Azimov) series- which kind of ruins the next 10 books if you read it first?

I just finished reading The Giver. What a wonderful book. I am almost ashamed to say that I had never heard of this author!
I am getting reading to start Gathering Blue. I hope it is as good as The Giver.

They already have Melissa!

http://smellofbooks.com/

(I'm 99% sure this is a joke, since there is no ordering info.)

I can remember where my favorite books were shelved, how the sunlight hit the spines, and most of all, how they smelled. I love that wonderful old library book smell. I wonder if they will ever be able to duplicate that on a Kindle.

Jeff, that is so funny. I can still remember where this one book on the Loch Ness Monster was shelved, mostly because I took that book out like fourteen times.

Melissa wrote: "This is why I love Books on the Nightstand and Goodreads! I thought I was the only one who read or remembered the Tripod books. I loved those books as a kid. Michael, is there really a fourth book? "

Here it is - it's a prequel:
When the Tripods Came

(still haven't read that one though...)

They're not dystopian by any stretch, but since we have lots of Tripod fans showing up, I thought I'd ask.

Did anyone else read the Mushroom Planet books? Wow, what a soft spot in my heart I have for those books. I can still remember exactly what those books looked like, and even the pages.

On a somewhat related note, I can still remember where certain books were shelved in my elementary school library in Macon, Georgia. That's quite a feat since I can't remember 90% of the people who friend me on Facebook from high school.

This is why I love Books on the Nightstand and Goodreads! I thought I was the only one who read or remembered the Tripod books. I loved those books as a kid. Michael, is there really a fourth book?

Hope, I'm so glad you decided to play along, and I'm thrilled that you remembered House of Stairs, too.

As for the prize thing ... when you come visit us here in the US, I will bestow many prizes upon you and you'll curse me for overloading your luggage.

hey I finally found the group. Were you guys hiding?

I am ineligible for prize thingies anyway, but I'll say that it's been fun to have this challenge to guide my reading/listening over the last month or so. I've read 'The Giver', 'Hunger Games' and 'Catching Fire', "Candor', and 'House of Stairs'.

Also I LOVED those Tripod books as a kid, I'm going to order them right now.

Jeff- I read The Tripod Trilogy too and loved them! I think I remember hearing that there is now a 4th book, possibly telling the story of when the Tripods first arrived...

Jeff -- sounds perfect for the challenge!

When I listened to this podcast, I remembered a DystopYA trilogy of books I read as a kid - The Tripods Trilogy by John Christopher. The books are The White Mountains, The City of Gold and Lead, and The Pool of Fire.

I enjoyed these as a kid. I don't know if they'd hold up today. Here's the description from Amazon:

Long ago the Tripods, gigantic three-legged machines, descended upon Earth and took control. They used "Caps," administered ceremoniously near each child's 14th birthday, to control humans' brains and keep them docile. Now there is pleasant life in villages, little technology, and no war--but there is no freedom either. In this powerful and suspenseful series, 13-year-old Will Parker and his friends deal with hunger, humanity, envy, and pride as they struggle to find out all they can about the Tripods and overthrow their rule.

Would anyone consider Enders Game to be dystopic? Someone on LibraryThing tagged it that way, but I think it may be just great science fiction....

Ann wrote: "Suzanne at message 2: Yes, Lord of the Flies could qualify, I think. Definitely YA, and definitely a powerful, amazing book. You should count it!

Lord of the Flies seems like one of the best examples of a dystopic YA book. I remember reading it in school and it was the first book that I thought of for the challenge.

It's one of those books that I have to re-read every now and then, just to remind myself that things could be so much worse.

I'm in too! I'll be doing a post on my blog about the challenge, my book choices etc. I have a feeling I'll be reading MORE than 3 b/c I can't choose just 3 of the ones you mentioned on the podcast lolol I'll come back with a link to my blog post when I get it finished :) I'm so excited!

Suzanne at message 2: Yes, Lord of the Flies could qualify, I think. Definitely YA, and definitely a powerful, amazing book. You should count it!

Suzanne at message 3: Yipee! Thank you. I will check it out on Friday. I hear you on the electronic TBR. At least it's not visible to other people!

OK Ann! I'm in! Friday on Chick with Books I'm officially posting the challenge, your link and listing my challenge books! Stop by Friday to take a peek if you get a chance! This will force me to take The Uglies off the TBR pile in my Kindle! If it wasn't bad enough having a TBR pile on the floor, but now a TBR pile in my electronic reader! :D

www.chickwithbooks.blogspot.com

I just listened to this podcast last night and I might give this challenge a try.
Based on some of the books you described I was reminded of Lord of the Flies which I read xx years ago in high school but a. is it YA and b. is it dystopic? I'm thinking yes, but I welcome more expert opinions.

The Books on the Nightstand DystopYA Reading Challenge runs from October 5, 2009 through December 31, 2009. Please use this thread to discuss the rules, title selection, the topic in general, etc. There is a separate thread to post your reviews of Dystopic YA. Book discussions and reviews in this folder will not be counted toward the prize drawing.