ALAN Picks: Surviving Dystopia & Seeking Science Fiction (March 2025)

ALAN Picks: Surviving Dystopia & Seeking Science Fiction

In this month’s ALAN Picks we feature books that center science fiction and/or dystopian worlds. A Thief Among the Trees by Sabaa Tahir with Nicole Andelfinger and Sonia Liao is a graphic novel adaptation of a book from the Embers in the Ashes series. In All That’s Left in the World by Erik J. Brown, two teen boys must work together to survive in a dangerous world. If you teach students who are into video gaming, check out Walking in Two Worlds by Wab Kinew, a story about an Indigenous girl who spends her time in a virtual world as an escape from Rez life.

Looking For Teen Reviewers: If you know students who are interested in writing book reviews of recently published young adult and middle grade books, let them know they can write for ALAN Picks too! 

ALAN Picks Book Selections: ALAN Picks accepts reviews of books published from spring 2020 to present-day, including soon-to-be-released books. This gives ALAN members who are interested in reviewing books more great titles to choose from, as well as accommodate some great books released during the beginning of the pandemic that still deserve highlighting. If you have some books in mind that you would like to review, please reach out to me!

Let Us Know How You Use ALAN Picks! If you read an ALAN Picks review and end up using the book with your students, let us know! We want to hear all of your great stories and engaging ways you are using young adult and middle grades literature in your classrooms. Remember, ALAN Picks are book reviews by educators for educators! Click on the archives to see previous editions. 

Submit a Review: Would you like to submit a review? Check out ALAN Picks for submission guidelines and email ALAN Picks Editor, Richetta Tooley at richetta.tooley@gmail.com with the book title you are interested in reviewing. Rolling deadline.

–  Richetta Tooley, ALAN Picks Editor

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Review:

A good read for more resistant learners or students with Specific Learning Disorders. Plenty of action and drama to keep a young reader’s brain happy and amused. The formatting of the pages is a little bit off to what I personally prefer but it is still good nonetheless, I was having trouble keeping track of which box I was to look at and read chronologically in the plot, but again that could just be this reviewer’s own Specific Learning Disorders shining through.  Might be slightly too violent for middle schoolers but should be fine for any other cohort.  

Suggestions for Curriculum & Classroom Use

Themes to explore

• Duty vs Loyalty
• Morality vs autonomy of reason
• “good” vs “evil”
• Justice vs injustice

In a middle school classroom, it would be good to let the students read this graphic novel first and see if they even enjoy it. Maybe the teacher can read it to them via the projector so they can read along and see the images as well. The major themes of the novel are centered around senses of morality, duty and the age-old dichotomy between “good” and “evil” and “justice” and “injustice.”

Essential Questions

• What stops the characters from committing murder against their own? 
• How does the characters’ sense of morality impact the decisions they make? 
• What does it mean to be a good soldier for the Empire? 
• Think of the phrase “Just following orders” and apply it to the recruits, what does that look like?

Formative/Summative Assessments

Formative:

• 1-minute paper in the middle of the class session, which is a quick write on how the students are feeling about the content. 
• Anonymous Feedback Boxes for ⅔  of the way through the session, which is when they give their honest feedback to the teacher in a survey format that is to keep their identities hidden. 
• A 3-2-1 feedback Exit Slip at the end of the class session, which is 3 things of interest, 2 questions and 1 take-away. 

Summative:

• A 3-page paper/essay showing they understand the thematic elements of the novel to me seems to be the best assessment to utilize. Gives the students a chance to ‘unload’ their full thoughts and feelings for the educator and allows for a more in-depth knowledge check, then have them split into groups and test them on these thematic elements. 
• Other Creative Components: Utilizing a ‘Know, Wonder, Learn’ as an intro to major theme analysis for the appropriate grade level in question.

Reviewed by: Alexander Mccraw, English Education student at Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO

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Review

Brown does a wonderful job at building an easily digestible post-apocalyptic world filled with characters showcasing various responses to the grim situation they have all been placed in. The impact COVID-19 has had on the world only serves to make the deadly pathogen featured within the novel more realistic for readers. Characters featured offer diverse backgrounds that provide unique reactions to the circumstances of the universe they have been placed in. The changing point of view across each chapter allows for deeper insights into the personalities of our protagonists and allows for an understanding of how different experiences lead to differentiated reactions when faced with complex moral dilemmas. Representation of queerness is also handled perfectly as Andrew and Jaime’s individual point of views showcases their different understanding of what it means to be queer and how these revelations come to have an impact on their overall character along with the way they interact with the world around them. 

Suggestions for Curriculum & Classroom Use

Thematic Analysis:

All That’s Left in the World contains a variety of themes that young readers may find easy to relate to, with many of these topics being teachable. Teachable elements of this novel come in a wide variety, but universally contribute to building complex relationships and exploring self-confidence. Themes explored in this novel include the following:

• Prejudice
• Friendship
• Love
• Self-Discovery
• Survival

Possible Essential Questions:

• How can someone fight against injustice when their physical voices are stripped? Is silent protesting an effective medium of producing change?
• How does the development of communities shape the way history is written and relayed to future civilizations?
• Do people reveal their inherent nature in times of stress? Is this generally a positive or negative revealment?

Possible Teaching Strategies and Activities:

• Discuss the LGBTQ+ relationship between Andrew and Jamie. Compare and contrast their differing openness upon being LGBTQ+, and how this affects their relationship and interactions throughout the novel.
• Research the various locations Andrew and Jamie travel to as they journey south. Identify any impacting cultural elements present in modern day that affect their interactions, as well as any misconceptions the novel may make.
• Define any connections between COVID-19 and the deadly pathogen present in the novel. Comment upon the message (or lack thereof) the author intends to send with any similarities/differences presented. 

Formative and Summative Assessment Suggestions:

Formative:

• Teachers will have students engage in classroom discussion based on moral dilemmas characters face throughout the novel. These discussions should be limited to exclusively student input, with the teacher initiating conversation over significant events and interactions.
• Upon completion of the novel students will have 10 minutes to design a word cloud or graphic organizer surrounding themes that are presented throughout the story. Themes carrying more significance in the story should be emphasized and clear connections between themes should be commented on. Students will present their artifacts to the class and discuss the importance of selected themes.

Summative:

• Students will construct a research paper following the social consequences of a pandemic such as the COVID-19 pandemic and relate this information to the social encounters Andrew and Jaime face throughout their journey south. Students should be able to effectively make connections between real-world reactions to a pandemic and the occurrences within the novel.

Reviewed by: Harris Ables and Jessica Escobedo, Students at Purdue University, West Lafayette IN

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Review

This book was a great depiction of a young teenage girl living on the Rez. It gives a new perspective while maintaining the integrity of the representation. On top of this, the addition of the virtual world gives it a more modern and somewhat futuristic approach. The author does a good job of tackling the issues when you only rely on the digital world to communicate and interact with others. Overall, a great set of main characters for young adults. The whole storyline was relatable and a book that deserves to be on the shelf in any classroom.

Suggestions for Curriculum & Classroom Use

For this book, I would suggest including it with a social studies or technology unit, since these two content areas have strong connections to the book. There are also a lot of opportunities to center the discussion around body positivity as well as confidence; something I feel that students would benefit from. Students can relate to the two main characters and find ways to explain how they potentially feel.

Essential Questions:

1. What are some pros and cons of only living in the virtual world?
2. How important are trust and security in a friendship?
3. How can our differences bring us together?

Formative and Summative Assessment Suggestions:

Formative

As the students read the book, I would challenge them to think critically about the characters and the experiences they go through. I would have students answer questions and keep a recorded response of their thoughts and answers.

Sample Questions:

1. How has Bugz and Feng’s relationship evolved over the last chapter?
2. If you were in Bugz position, how would you have handled this conflict?
3. What did you notice about Bugz’s life on the rez versus your own? Is there anything similar? Different?

Summative

Students could create a plan of action that highlights the importance of stepping away from the screen and embracing who they are in real life. The goal is to create an informational poster or digital page that will highlight the importance of body positivity, self-confidence, or the dangers of the virtual world. They would use their answers to the questions to determine which theme is best for them.

Reviewed by: Jordan Fulk, Pre-Service Teacher, West Lafayette, IN