The White Mountains by John Christopher
As a kid I found reading a struggle, but I can honestly say that a trilogy turned that around for me. In 1983, as an eleven-year-old, I read the first book in the Tripods trilogy – The White Mountains by John Christopher. It was written in 1967 but remains as fresh as any dystopian novel for young adults today.
In the future, three-legged machines known simply as ‘the Tripods’ have ruled Earth for so long that no one knows of a time before they arrived. At 14, children are ‘Capped’ in a ceremony that the Tripods disguise as a rite of passage into adulthood, but the Cap is really a mind control device that keeps the adults subdued.
Thirteen-year-old Will hears of a place – the White Mountains – where the altitude is too high for the Tripods to endure. So begins the journey as Will, his cousin Henry and another boy nicknamed ‘Beanpole’ make their escape and the Tripods give chase.
The sequels, The City of Gold and Lead and The Pool of Fire, are satisfying action-adventure instalments in their own right, rounding out this world fantastically. Highly recommended for kids aged 11 to 100.