The Water Wars

This reads very much like a James Patterson adventure story (which I don't care for), but that is only one level of this novel. At its heart, Water Wars is an allegory about our own culture and how we waste a precious resource. This is one possible future-and it is horrible, but the problems of this future are the problems we have to deal with today to avoid a world like Vera and Will's.
It reminded me of the Alchemist (also an allegory). Each chapter leaves off on a cliffhanger, it is action packed, and there are many heroes. I would recommend it for middle school kids with higher reading levels, high school kids who struggle to read, and to use in a group to open discussions about wasting water.