ABANDONED. YA? Dystopian story about a society split into colours

[Sheryl]

I read a book quite a few years ago, maybe about early 2000 but I'm not sure on the exact date. I'm can't remember the author but I remember it being a dystopian story where society was divided into rings with the outer ring being 'Red' and the main character was a red boy who lived in this zone. I think the rings changed in colour as you got further towards the center. Unfortunately I didn't read all the book so I don't know much more about the plot. I assume it's a young adult book only because I found it at my school library years ago.

Thank you in advance if you find what book it is, I've been looking for years.

[bookel]

Anything by H M Hoover?

[Justanotherbiblophile]

If your society is broken up by clothing colors (and not just named areas?), there are s'more recs (in addition to the already mentioned _Shades of Grey_ and Hoover's oeuvre) here:

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Possibly Solved:

_Wind Singer_ (wind on fire #1) by William Nicholson

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

YA Solveds:

Babies sorted on points, castes wear colors:
_Wind Singer_ (wind on fire #1) by William Nicholson

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Quarantine for youth; categorized by color (of your camp):
_Quarantine: The Loners_ by Lex Thomas

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

Sociology experiment for school class, arm-badge of color caste/ranking:
_The War Between the Classes_

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/...

[Sheryl]

I did originally think it was Shades of Grey a few years ago because of the main character being a red and picked up Fforde's book but unfortunately not, although I found a good book through the accident. I'm not sure about The Wind Singer though. I remember the main character being male and I don't think he had any siblings as far as I can remember although I didn't read very far at the time.

As far as clothes go, I honestly can't remember if there was anything about the colour of the clothes you wore as well. The thing that stood out most for me was that the society was split into rings and red was pretty much the outside ring of these.

To be more specific on a date I would have read it some time between late 2004 and early 2009 i think but it was in my school library so I don't know when it came out.

Thankyou for the help though, I may have to read some of the suggestions anyway.

[Tompopaageo]

This isn't a YA book but there is a neighbourhood called Red Only Forward

[Kate]

Oh dear, in the last few days I looked at a book description on line that described a class system where the reds were definitely the lowest classes, working underground to make a planet habitable. They thought they were working for their own future, but one young person discovers that the surface has been habitable for a long time. She or he gets into a training program of some sort. I've tried to backtrack and find the name of the book. It may have "red" in the title.

[Michele]

Kate, I think yours is Red Rising by Pierce Brown. I don't know what the other book is, because I think Red Rising just came out early this year.

[Kate]

Thank you Michele. That is the book I was thinking of. Now we need to find the OP's book.

[Sheryl]

I did find Red Rising the other day while I was looking for this book but as it's a recent release I'll assume it's not the same book I read a few years ago. I am going to have to read it now though I think.

I don't think it was Only Forward either. I'm sure all the zones/rings were named colours just like Red. I can't be certain it was YA although I think it would have been.

Thankyou for all the help.

[Kristen]

Is it possibly The Seventh Tower by Garth Nix (2000)?

This series has levels based on color, and red is the bottom level. The protagonist is a boy but his color is orange, not red.

Just a thought since the basic premise is there, it is a series, and the time frame would fit.

[Kathryn]

Me too!

[Indra]

yes, I was thinking of The Seventh Tower series as well as well...
The Fall is the first book of the 6 and the main character is a boy (whose colour, like Kristen said, is orange).
Although, I think the main character does have a little brother...

[Jeff]

Marisa wrote: "Following this thread so that when it's found, I can read it! :)"

Me too!

[Ann aka Iftcan]

Well Sheryl, how does it feel to know that your forgotten book title has so many people wanting to read it based on your description?

(And yes, I'm another of those waiting with bated breathe for this to be ID'ed so I too can scurry over to Amazon.com and get myself a copy.)

[Azur]

This sounds like a book I had to read for French class many years ago. I can't remember the title at the moment. Do you know the book's original language?

[Justanotherbiblophile]

bump

[Claire]

Did you find it in an elementary school library? Or a high school library? Was it told in first person? Do you remember anything about the cover?

[Mark]

Is it "Divided Kingdom", by Rupert Thomson? Published in 2005, so it might be a bit later than you referenced.

https://www.google.com/search?tbs=bks...

[Bargle]

Just so it shows up in this thread. Red Rising

[Bargle]

Society divided into coloured rings bump.

Ah, blast. Forgot this had been moved to Abandoned.

Never mind.

Note to self: back out of Abandoned

Another note: now back in.

[Rebecca]

Wind Singer by William Nicholson, exact match to the best of my recollection.

[Bargle]

Clicky for book.
The Wind Singer

My local library system has it, so I'll have a look at it.

[Bargle]

Bargle wrote: "Clicky for book.
The Wind Singer

My local library system has it, so I'll have a look at it."

Except that when the librarian went to pull it off the shelf, it was in such poor condition that she withdrew it and trashed it. I'll have to get it through interlibrary loan.

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

If she was going to trash it anyway, why didn't she just give it to you?

[Rebecca]

Lobstergirl wrote: "If she was going to trash it anyway, why didn't she just give it to you?"
That's what I was thinking. I'm a librarian and we've done this quite often. Anything to make sure the patron gets their hands on the book :)

[Bargle]

Lobstergirl wrote: "If she was going to trash it anyway, why didn't she just give it to you?"

She said there were pages missing as well as torn and loose pages. It was in really bad shape, apparently.

[Bargle]

OK, it isn't "The Wind Singer". In that one the outermost ring is grey and the main character is a girl.

[Kimberly]

Hey guys I think it's the Darkest Minds series. It sounds just like what the OP was looking for.

[Kimberly]

The Darkest Minds

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

Kimberly wrote: "The Darkest Minds"

Published too late - in 2012. OP's book was around 2000.

[Kimberly]

Lobstergirl wrote: "Kimberly wrote: "The Darkest Minds"

Published too late - in 2012. OP's book was around 2000."

Oh no! I guess I missed that detail. I really wonder what it is though.

[Megan]

It sounds like Red Rising but that is too new. Maybe it is listed in the similar books on the app.

[Ayshe]

There's Red Zone, the Utopian and Dystopian Writing for Children and Young Adults description for it is: Britain in the twenty second century is strictly zoned according to class. Kara is from the privileged, computerized Inner Zone. Clem lives in the brutalized Red Zone, in which warring Vandos' fights to the death are viewed as entertainment by city dwellers. (view spoiler)[Both teenagers ultimately escape to the Green Zone to begin a new life together. (hide spoiler)]

[Mariab]

I wonder if it is The Giver?
Or, possibly, Noughts & Crosses?

[Ludwig]

Haha came across this thread while trying to find that same book series myself.

Like another user mentioned, it almost certainly is "The Seventh Tower" series by Garth Nix. It consists of 6 books that came out in 2000 & 2001 about a world covered by a veil that blocks out the sun and people use different-colored "sun crystals" to do all sorts of things. The two main protagonists are a boy from the Castle and a girl from the Ice surrounding it. I think there was also something about each person's shadows being alive/animals/unique and that plays a big role in the plot:
1. The Fall
2. Castle
3. Aenir
4. Above the Veil
5. Into Battle
6. The Violet Keystone

[Sof]

this is the exact description of the book i'm looking for too, and no it isn't unfortunately the seventh tower. the innermost ring was white i think, and i believe the plot revolved around them leaving the society for some purpose and coming back

[Florence]

https://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/.... Whole thread about this here which could help!

[Emily]

Red Queen?

[Rainbowheart]

Red Queen wasn't pubbed until 2015, so it can't be that.

OP posted her topic in 2014 and said she read this book in the early 2000s.

[Bargle]

Site member Jamie has suggested Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson. I've got it coming from the library to confirm or not.

[Bargle]

Well, it's not Warbreaker. No colored rings nor is any of the lead characters a boy.

[Maritina]

Darker shade of magic?

[Bargle]

Link A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab.

Never mind.

[Rainbowheart]

Schwab's book wasn't pubbed until 2015, and OP posted this topic in 2014, so there's no way it could be that.

[Lobstergirl, au gratin]

Sheryl, are you still looking for this book or did you find it?

[Bargle]

Society divided into coloured rings bump.

Note to self: last post Dec. 28.

[Bargle]

A possibility that popped up in a thread over at Librarything.

The Destiny Book by Nataly Adrian.

The thread over at Librarything. There's some info in the description that may help confirm/eliminate it.
https://www.librarything.com/topic/33...

[Bargle]

Bargle wrote: "A possibility that popped up in a thread over at Librarything.

The Destiny Book by Nataly Adrian."

I tried getting the book through inter-library loan, but had no luck, so can't confirm or eliminate.

[Celine]

Sheryl wrote: "I read a book quite a few years ago, maybe about early 2000 but I'm not sure on the exact date. I'm can't remember the author but I remember it being a dystopian story where society was divided int..."

Hi, I read a book called "ASH: a destined novel" by Shani Petroff, part of the "destined series." it is kinda like you described, with the distopian society divided by colored rings, purple being the best. I hope this helps, I was recently looking for this book and came across this post while i was searching. The book is one of my favorites, and I read it about 4 years ago.

[Capn]

https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/sho...

link for above