SOLVED. YA Dystopian Fantasy. Dystopian world where creativity wasn't allowed and kids who were caught being creative were sent to a sort of swamp to die. Read in early 2010's. [s]

[Sunseeker]

So around the early 2010's, I read this book about a dystopian world where creativity wasn't allowed. Kids who were caught being creative were sent off to a swamp thing on a bus. The main character had a brother (it was important that they looked similar I think) I think who ratted him out for drawing one time and got shipped away. But when they reached the swamp it was revealed that the guy in charge was a sort of wizard who took the creative kids and sheltered them, teaching them how to use their creativity for magic (Harry Potter themes but more painting and stuff). I vividly remember a stone jaguar with wings and a part where one character gets mad and storms off before finding out walking far enough in one direction leads him back to the start. The dystopian city had a barbed wire ceiling sort of deal that mostly obscured the sky. The person in charge of the city I think was revealed to be the brother of the wizard teaching all of the kids? Maybe just a close friend. I'm pretty sure during the climax, the main character gets into a showdown with the best friend/brother that ratted him out at the start. Then I think it was revealed that the one who was learning magic actually wasn't the one who was drawing at the start and it was the other. He just took the fall for it so he didn't get sent away. I'm pretty sure he simply drew a house in the mud and the father caught them. It's very fuzzy I tried to put as many details as I could remember.

[Becca]

The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann

[Sunseeker]

Becca wrote: "The Unwanteds by Lisa McMann"

Thank you so much!