The Unwanteds

This book by Lisa McMann was her first foray into writing for young teens and the first of a series. In the town of Quill, strength and conformity are valued above all else because the world is a threat to their existence--or so they have been told by their leader, Justine. As a result, all 13-year olds are "purged" annually with the strong, smart, rule-following kids--The Wanteds-- sent to University to eventually join the Quillitary (their military), or to the Necessaries to become service people for the community. Those who have broken rules--which forbid any creative activities such as drawing or singing or telling stories--are The Unwanteds and are sent for extermination. So it is that identical twins Aaron and Alex are separated, with Aaron going to the University and Alex put on a bus for the death farm, slated to be dumped in the Great Lake of Boiling Oil. But when Alex and his fellow Unwanteds pass through the gates, what they find instead is a magical world, Artime, protected by the illusion of the death camp, run by master magician, Mr. Today. Here, the Unwanteds pursue their education and their talents and learn to use them as magical tools, including using them as weapons. But Alex cannot let go of his belief that his brother would be happier here, even though Mr. Today has warned that any knowledge of their world will be seen by the Quillian authorities as an existential threat. You can predict the rest. The war actually ends in a mutual tolerance pact for the present, but the door is clearly left open for the sequels.
This is of course a wonderful book to recommend to kids who are not part of the "in crowd" as the misfits triumph in the end. Quite suitable for middle grades, i.e., no sex and minimal/ mild descriptions of violence. Rave review from Kirkus!