What's next for young adult fiction readers?

'The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2' hit theaters Friday, the culmination of a four-part franchise based on the wildly popular books by Suzanne Collins. Fans of the series need not despair however — there are a slew of stories out there in 'The Hunger Games' mold.

'Dystopian fiction is definitely popular with teens. I think the strong, brave, and often female, leads appeal to teen readers,' said Iowa City Public Library Teen Services Librarian Brian Visser. 'Also, rebelling against oppression is a common theme in the genre, and teens like to get behind that. A lot of our anxieties about the current state of the world play out in dystopian fiction, and teens tap into that too.'

Sarah Prineas, bookseller in the kids section at Iowa City bookstore Prairie Lights and author of books including the 'Magic Thief' series and 'Ash & Bramble,' said dystopian fiction isn't going anywhere, but a lot of other Young Adult genres are gaining steam as well.

'There have been a lot of hot trends in Young Adult fiction; they appear, but then they don't really fade away because readers always want more-more-more, so it seems to me the current YA trend is basically books that take an existing trend and go one better: more intense, better writing, a new twist,' she said. 'Right now we're seeing a lot of death, from suicide to cancer — thank you, John Green — and also a plague of manic dream pixie girls, and lots of romance elements. Fairy-tale retellings have been hot, too, and it seems like fantasy is heating up.'

Whether holiday shopping for the book lovers in your life or looking to expand your own reading list, here are some recommendations from Visser, Prineas and Robert Reynolds, Cedar Rapids Barnes and Noble merchandise manager and teen section manager.

Brian Visser:

'Taken' by Erin Bowman: Boys in Claysoot vanish in a flash of light on the eve of their eighteenth birthday. The people of the village call it the Heist. Gray is the only boy to ever escape the Heist, and now his younger brother, Blaine, has been taken. Driven to learn the truth behind the Heist, Gray, accompanied by his friend Emma, scale the wall that surrounds their village. They find a world at war where water and resources are hard to find. This dystopian is thrilling, and is the start of a trilogy.

'The Testing' by Joelle Charbonneau: Cia Vale is one of four teens chosen from her colony to attend the annual Testing, a series of dangerous physical and mental challenges. Those who pass will go on to the University to help rebuild their ruined world. Those who don't die. Cia decides to pair up with Tomas to improve her chances. The tension is thick in this dystopian opener.

'The 5th Wave' by Rick Yancey: At first, when the alien mothership appears in the sky, people are hopeful. After four waves of attacks — an EMP blast, epic tsunamis, a plague and alien sleeper agents — it's clear the aliens want our planet and aren't going to share it. Cassie Sullivan, a sarcastic and determined teenager, has survived the first four waves, but now isolates herself in anticipation of the unknown fifth wave. Sammy, her brother, was abducted during the fourth wave. Cassie made a promise to Sammy that she would get him back. It's that promise that drives most of the book. 'The 5th Wave' is exciting, mysterious and hard to put down.

Robert Reynolds:

Within teen fiction alone, the trends always come right back to John Green, author of 'The Fault in Our Stars' and 'Paper Towns,' among others. A lot of teens seem to be heading toward novels about suicide. 'Thirteen Reasons Why' by Jay Asher and 'It's Kind of a Funny Story' by Ned Vizzini are constant sellers. Beyond this, Rainbow Rowell has been a top pick for teenagers with 'Fangirl' and 'Carry On.'

Following the 'Hunger Games,' teens have been gearing up for box office releases of top sellers such as the 'Maze Runner' series by James Dashner and the 'Divergent' series by Veronica Roth. A comeback series that has really picked up since the announcement of the TV series soon to come is the 'Mortal Instruments' series by Cassandra Clare. Many teens have turned to fantasy such as the 'Falling Kingdoms' series by Morgan Rhodes, the 'Red Queen' series by Victoria Aveyard, and crossing over to our young readers section, 'Magnus Chase' by Rick Riordan.

Sarah Prineas:

Adult books great for older young adult readers are 'The Handmaid's Tale' by Margaret Atwood and 'Station Eleven' by Emily St. John Mandel. A classic is 'The Giver' and its three sequels by Lois Lowry. I would also recommend National Book Award finalist 'Ship Breaker' by Paolo Bacigalupi and multi-award winning 'House of the Scorpion' by Nancy Farmer.

Some recent books, both dystopian and post-apocalyptic are the 'Legend' trilogy by Marie Lu, the 'Unwind' series by Neal Shusterman, the 'Chaos Walking' trilogy by Patrick Ness, the 'Ashfall' trilogy by Mike Mullen (bonus: this one is set in Iowa) and 'Life As We Knew It' by Susan Beth Pfeffer (this one will have you stockpiling canned food in your basement).

Newer books are 'Red Queen' by Victoria Aveyard and 'Reboot' by Amy Tintera. Retellings with dystopian elements are 'Rook' by Sharon Cameron (Scarlet Pimpernel retelling) and my own 'Ash & Bramble' (it's a dark, edgy Cinderella retelling that begins in the sweatshops of the fairy godmother.)