21 Best YA Books Like 'The Hunger Games': Survival, Sacrifice, and Dystopian Love

So, you've watched Katniss volunteer, survive, and spark a revolution, and now you're desperate for another hero worth rooting for? From 'Divergent' to 'The Maze Runner,' we've gathered 21 books like 'The Hunger Games' that capture that same heart-pounding mix of rebellion, romance, and raw courage.

Katniss Everdeen showed us what happens when one person refuses to play by the rules in a broken world. These book recommendations follow characters who face similar choices: conform or rebel, hide or fight, and accept or change. Each story brings you into worlds where young adults must become warriors and simply survive.

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Quick preview: Top five books like 'The Hunger Games'

1. 'Divergent' by Veronica Roth: A faction-based society where 16-year-old Tris must hide her true nature or die.

2. 'The Maze Runner' by James Dashner: Teens trapped in a deadly maze with no memory of their past lives.

3. 'Legend' by Marie Lu: Two teens from opposite sides of a divided nation clash and fall in love.

4. 'The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes' by Suzanne Collins: The origin story of President Snow before Panem's darkest days.

5. '1984' by George Orwell: The classic dystopian novel that inspired 'The Hunger Games' series.

Keep reading and find your next favorite dystopian novel!

Top 21 books for 'Hunger Games' fans: Deadly trials and love that defies the rules

Not sure which dystopian world to enter first? This quick guide shows you what each book delivers — from heart-pounding action to swoon-worthy romance — so you can pick based on what you're craving right now.

1. 'Divergent' by Veronica Roth

In the future, Chicago society divides people into five factions based on virtues. Sixteen-year-old Beatrice Prior takes an aptitude test that reveals a dangerous secret: she's Divergent, fitting into multiple factions. 

This trait makes her a threat to the system, forcing her to hide her true self while surviving brutal initiation trials.

Similarities between the books:

• Strong female protagonist who challenges an oppressive government.

• Young adult characters forced to make impossible choices.

• High-stakes world where showing weakness means death.

2. 'The Maze Runner' by James Dashner

Thomas wakes up in a metal elevator with no memory except his name. He arrives in the Glade, surrounded by towering stone walls that form a massive, shifting maze. Every month, supplies arrive with one new boy. 

The Gladers have three years of unanswered questions: "Why are they here?" "What's beyond the maze?" Then everything changes when the first girl arrives with a message.

Similarities between the books:

• Teens trapped in a controlled environment designed by adults.

• Daily struggle for survival against deadly obstacles.

• Mystery surrounds the true purpose of their suffering.

3. 'Legend' by Marie Lu

The Republic controls the western United States with an iron fist. Day is the country's most wanted criminal, blamed for his brother's death. June is a prodigy being groomed for military greatness. 

When June's brother is murdered and Day becomes the suspect, she goes undercover in the slums to catch him. But nothing is what it seems in this high-stakes game of cat and mouse.

Similarities between the books:

• Both sides of social inequality.

• Enemies-to-lovers trope.

• Government propaganda hides darker truths.

4. 'The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes' by Suzanne Collins

This prequel takes us back 64 years before Katniss volunteered at the Reaping. Eighteen-year-old Coriolanus Snow is assigned to mentor Lucy Gray Baird from District 12 during the 10th Hunger Games. 

His family has fallen from grace, and this is his chance to restore their name. But as he grows closer to Lucy Gray, he faces a choice between ambition and humanity.

Similarities between the books:

• Explores how power corrupts even well-meaning people.

• District 12 tribute captures hearts and challenges the rules.

• Shows the early days of Panem's cruel traditions.

5. '1984' by George Orwell

Winston Smith lives under Big Brother's constant watch in Oceania. The Party doesn't just run the government — they rewrite history, control language, and dictate what people are allowed to think. Winston's job at the Ministry of Truth is to erase the past and replace it with whatever version keeps the Party in power.

But then Winston falls in love. Suddenly, he's questioning the lies he's been fed his whole life, risking his safety and sanity for something that feels real: freedom, truth, and another person who sees him.

Similarities between the books:

• Control through fear and surveillance.

• Love as an act of defiance against the state.

• Themes of inequality and power.

Want to learn how systems of oppression shape our world? Check out the summary for 'The Sum of Us' on Headway. It examines how inequality hurts everyone, even those who seem to benefit from it — similar to how Panem's structure ultimately weakened the entire nation.

6. 'The Giver' by Lois Lowry

Twelve-year-old Jonas lives in a perfect community without war, pain, or choices. Everyone's role is assigned, including his new position as Receiver of Memory. The Giver begins transferring memories of the world before Sameness — colors, music, love, and pain. 

Jonas realizes his "perfect" world comes at a terrible cost. Now, he must decide whether to accept comfort or embrace the dangerous truth.

Similarities between the books:

• Seemingly perfect society built on dark secrets.

• One person chosen for a special role that changes everything.

• Sacrifice as an engine of real change.

7. 'The Handmaid's Tale' by Margaret Atwood

In her past life, Offred was a happy wife and mother. Now, she's a Handmaid in the Republic of Gilead. And her only function is to produce children. Still, she remembers who she was, and that memory becomes her weapon.

Similarities between the books:

• A dystopian government strips away human rights and dignity.

• Love and connection become revolutionary acts.

• Shows how quickly society can change for the worse.

8. 'Battle Royale' by Koushun Takami

A class of forty-two ninth-graders wakes up on an island, each fitted with an explosive collar. The government's Program forces them to fight to the death until one survives. Former friends become enemies. 

Alliances form and break. Shuya Nanahara tries to protect his friends while searching for a way out that doesn't involve murder.

Similarities between the books:

• Teens forced into deadly competition by their government.

• High-stakes survival situation with decreasing time limits.

• Trust becomes both a weapon and a weakness.

9. 'Uglies' by Scott Westerfeld

Tally Youngblood counts down to her sixteenth birthday, when she'll have surgery to become "Pretty" and join her best friend in New Pretty Town. 

But when she meets Shay, who plans to stay "Ugly" and escape to a rebel settlement, Tally faces an impossible choice. 

The authorities force her to betray Shay or remain ugly forever. What she discovers will change everything she believes about beauty and freedom.

Similarities between the books:

• Oppression as a gift.

• Relationships tested by life choices.

• Character development through growth.

Today, beauty standards still shape our self-perception. And the summary of 'The Beauty Myth' on Headway breaks down how they control us, just like the surgery in 'Uglies.'

10. 'Delirium' by Lauren Oliver

In Lena's world, love is classified as a disease called amor delirium nervosa. At eighteen, everyone receives the cure through a mandatory procedure. 

Ninety-five days before her treatment, Lena meets Alex and falls in love. Now she must choose between safety and feeling, between following the rules and following her heart.

Similarities between the books:

• The government outlaws basic human emotions.

• Forbidden romance drives the plot forward.

• Protagonists must choose between conformity and freedom.

Learning to love yourself matters just as much as romantic love. When you value who you are, choosing freedom over false security becomes easier — in 'Delirium' with the cure, or in 'The Hunger Games' under the Capitol's control.

11. 'Scythe' by Neal Shusterman

Humanity has conquered death, so Scythes must "glean" people to control the population. Citra and Rowan are chosen as apprentices, though neither wants to kill. 

They compete for the right to become a full Scythe, knowing the loser could become the winner's first victim. In a world without natural death, these teens must decide what makes life worth living.

Similarities between the books:

• Teens forced into a role that requires taking lives.

• Competition between protagonists who grow close.

• Society's "perfect" solution creates new moral problems.

12. 'The Grace Year' by Kim Liggett

In Garner County, sixteen-year-old girls are banished for their "grace year" to release their dangerous magic. Tierney James and her peers face a brutal year in the wilderness, where poachers hunt them and survival is never guaranteed. The girls fight each other for resources, not realizing their real enemy created this system to keep them weak and divided.

Similarities between the books:

• Girls forced into a deadly survival situation by society.

• Propaganda teaches people to fear and hate each other.

• The true enemy isn't other victims but the system itself.

13. 'Matched' by Ally Condie

Society controls everything, including who you marry. At seventeen, Cassia Reyes attends her Match Banquet expecting to meet her perfect partner. She's matched with her best friend Xander, which seems ideal. 

But a glitch shows her another face: Ky Markham, an aberration who shouldn't be anyone's match. This mistake opens Cassia's eyes to a world of choices she never knew existed.

Similarities between the books:

• A love triangle.

• The government dictates personal life choices.

• Small acts of rebellion risk everything.

14. 'Ender's Game' by Orson Scott Card

Six-year-old Andrew "Ender" Wiggin is humanity's last hope against alien invaders called Buggers. Battle School trains children through increasingly difficult war games. 

Ender proves brilliant but struggles with the isolation his commanders enforce. The final test awaits, but Ender doesn't know the full truth about what he's really doing or the cost of victory.

Similarities between the books:

• Children manipulated by adults for military purposes.

• Training involves brutal physical and psychological tests.

• Coming-of-age story wrapped in science fiction.

15. 'Shatter Me' by Tahereh Mafi

Juliette hasn't touched anyone in 264 days. Her touch can kill with a single brush of skin. The Reestablishment, a totalitarian government ruling the new world, sees her as a weapon. 

They lock her up until they need her power. So, when the only person who can touch her offers a way out, Juliette must decide if she's a weapon or something more.

Similarities between the books:

• Control through fear.

• Self-discovery.

• Power as isolation.

Understanding your identity matters when everyone wants to define you. And with the Headway summary of 'Know My Name,' you can learn more tips on reclaiming identity after trauma — a powerful skill for anyone who feels reduced to a single label, like Juliette being called "a weapon" or Katniss being "the girl on fire."

16. 'The Testing' by Joelle Charbonneau

Cia Vale dreams of being chosen for The Testing, the chance to attend University and help rebuild their post-apocalyptic nation. Only the best students get selected from each colony. 

But when Cia arrives at the capital, she receives a warning from her father, who can't remember his own Testing. The competition proves deadlier than any classroom, and Cia must decide who to trust when trust itself might kill her.

Similarities between the books:

• Students compete in deadly trials disguised as tests.

• Memory manipulation conceals dark truths.

• Survivors must hide what they learned to stay safe.

17. 'The Selection' by Kiera Cass

America Singer lives in a rigid caste system where your number determines your entire life. When Prince Maxon announces a competition to choose his bride, America enters to support her family, even though she loves someone else. 

Thirty-five girls move into the palace to compete, and America finds herself torn between duty, her past love, and unexpected feelings for the prince.

Similarities between the books:

• Competition determines a young woman's future.

• Rigid social hierarchy oppresses the lower classes.

• Televised event captivates the nation.

18. 'Unwind' by Neal Shusterman

In a future America, parents can choose to have their teenagers "unwound" — every part of their body harvested for transplant. Connor, Risa, and Lev are scheduled for unwinding, each for different reasons. 

They run, forming an unlikely alliance as they search for safety. The world sees them as parts, not people, and they must fight to prove their lives matter as complete human beings.

Similarities between the books:

• Society devalues human life for the "greater good."

• Teens on the run from authoritarian systems.

• Multiple perspectives show different social positions.

19. 'Sunrise on the Reaping' by Suzanne Collins

Suzanne Collins returns to Panem for another prequel, this time exploring the 50th Hunger Games. Set during Haymitch Abernathy's youth, this standalone novel promises new perspectives on the Quarter Quell that doubled the tributes.

Similarities between the books:

• Returns to Panem's dystopian world.

• Explores a pivotal moment in 'The Hunger Games' history.

• Expands the mythology of Suzanne Collins's world.

20. 'Brave New World' by Aldous Huxley

Society engineers humans in laboratories, conditioning them for predetermined roles from birth. Bernard Marx feels different in this "perfect" world of pleasure and control. 

When he visits a Savage Reservation and brings back John, a man raised outside the system, both worlds collide. John's traditional values clash with society's manufactured happiness, forcing everyone to question what freedom really means.

Similarities between the books:

• A dystopian society maintains control through manipulation.

• Class divisions determine life from before birth.

• An Outsider's perspective reveals the horror within normal.

21. 'Heartless' by Marissa Meyer

Before she became the Queen of Hearts, Catherine Pinkerton just wanted to open a bakery. She lives in Wonderland, destined to marry the King despite loving Jest, the court joker. 

As Catherine fights for her own happy ending, fate and choice collide in ways she never expected. This retelling shows how a girl with dreams becomes the villain everyone fears.

Similarities between the books:

• A young woman forced into a path she never chose.

• Society's expectations crush personal dreams.

• Character development shows transformation through trauma.

Those looking to be happy with themselves can relate to Catherine's struggle. When external pressure conflicts with internal desires, finding peace means making tough choices about which voice you'll listen to — your own or society's.

Book-by-book breakdown: Which dystopian world matches your mood?

Each dystopian world offers something different. This chart maps out the landscape so you can navigate straight to the best books that match your cravings!

Let Headway be your reading guide with its 15-minute book summaries

Books like 'The Hunger Games' remind us that courage starts small and grows through action. But sometimes, the biggest obstacle is finding time to learn and develop. 

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