Author Scott Westerfeld has an idea.
Of course, the other side of the boom in dystopian teen novels is a boom in post-apocalyptic tales. The system is asking a lot from teenagers and not giving them much respect in return, so it’s no wonder that stories about that system exploding, breaking down under its own contradictions, or simply being overrun by zombies are also beloved of teenagers.
What is the apocalypse but an everlasting snow day? An excuse to tear up all those college applications, which suddenly aren’t going to determine the rest of your life?
I’m old now but I remember reading as a teenager–I wanted to read about a world totally unlike the one I lived in–good or bad, didn’t matter. The same is true for the teenagers I teach today. The other-worldly world just happens to have a lot of zombies in it nowadays!