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Sci-Fi Books For Pre-Teens?
o2binbuzios writes "I have two pre-teen boys who are avid readers, and I am going through my mental catalog for great sci-fi & fantasy books for them. What are some of the classics (and maybe new additions to the classics) that would be great for them to read? I am asking because some of the 'straight-up' classics I remember actually seem kind of dark & cynical for younger readers. Starship Troopers and some of the other Heinlein are definitely darker and more political than I remember... Foundation Trilogy and psycho-history maybe too dry. Road-trip reading season is upon us — what are the good reads for the kids in the back seat?"
I'd suggest you try Anne McCaffrery's "Decision at Doona" and James Blish's "Welcome to Mars."
Both are great SF, both are aimed at younger readers, both are upbeat and greatly enjoyable to read.
I've fallen off your lawn, and I can't get up.
Ender's Game or just about anything from Orson Scott Card
When I was a kid, I had a lot of fun time reading Journey to the Center of the Earth, from the Earth to the Moon, etc.
I read this in about 4th grade (althought it was new then, ugh 1975(=)
If my meory is right about 100some pages each and pretty gripping stuff....
Exiles from Earth was the first I think
Right in line with a 6th grade or so reading level I would say...
Always at the top of my list. It's one of those books that when you finish, you think "how the hell did he fit all that in so few pages?" I can't remember if there's any sax or violins, but that's good for kids too.
.nosig
Almost anything by Terry Pratchett.
I like the Recluse series by L. E. Modesitt. I read those books over and over.
Ender's Game, of course.
Enders Game.
I grew up reading Anne McCaffrey's "The Dragonriders of Pern" series and they're still the only books I reread on a regular basis.
Ray Bradbury is good, although I was less inclined to read him once I found out that my mother had herself read them when she was a kid (not having the term "pre-teen" in her day.)
Granted also that I didn't understand them... and still don't.
He is the same guy that wrote Tarzan. There are several on http://www.gutenberg.org/browse/authors/b#a48 They are a little light on the Science part on occasion, but they were written in 1914.
Scott Carr
They seem kind of dark and cynical because you are older. When you are a teenager, all you remember is the hero kicking ass and getting the girl.
I really enjoyed 2001: A Space Odyssey (and the sequels!), as well as some of the Rama books, all by Arthur C. Clarke. I was about 14 when I read them. It sounds like your kids are younger, but they may still enjoy it. It never hurts to over-estimate your kids. I read some pretty heavy tomes by the time I started high school.
I really recommend Timothy Zahn's Star Wars "Heir to the Empire" series. It's not "great" literature, but it's some of the best Star Wars writing out there.
"1984" by George Orwell is a good book. It might spark some interesting discussions about current events. (wire tapping, Habeas Corpus, etc)
Back in six grade, we read "Invitation to the Game" by Monica Hughes, and I've been hooked on scifi ever since.
Brief plot synopsis: unemployment is skyrocketing due to mass mechanization of society, although the unemployed are well taken-care-of due to the same efficient use of resources. It can be dull to be unemployed, at least until you get an invitation on your doorstep mentioning a secret game with a very exclusive list of players.
Mystery/adventure/scifi, very highly rated, but do not read the Amazon editorials (thar be spoilers afoot).
Misery loves company. Online misery loves unsuspecting random strangers.
Those are good. Along those lines, if the readers in question can put up with a style like Verne's (in the sense that it isn't a modern style) they might enjoy E.E. Doc Smith's Skylark and Lensman series; those were very cool to read. The styles can be a show-stopper for some, though. Personally, I just re-read the Skylarks and they were great.
I've fallen off your lawn, and I can't get up.
http://www.airborn.ca/
Good story, not hard-core "science" fiction, but in that genre. Definitely pre-teen or so.
I found Alfred Bester's works to be timeless classics. Especially "The Stars My Destination."
Citizen of the Galaxy, Farmer in the Sky, Have Space Suit will Travel, Starman Jones - all by Heinlein. These are his juveniles and are all good stories, drama and action along with some moralizing about studying hard etc ... I read them as a kid and was hooked. The Larry Niven short stories.
Physics is like sex: sure, it may give some practical results, but that's not why we do it.
Both Bradbury and Heinlein are wonderful. I loved The Martian Chronicles in Junior High.
On the Heinlein side, check out his youth fiction rather than his more political stuff. He wrote a bunch of novels targeted directly at youth.
Life is short: void the warranty.
I never read him, but I've had similar experience with 1984. Obviously, I though it was political when I read it at 14 (~1996), but I considered it as well as The Lion an the Unicorn an impossibility since we beat the Russians, and the British were pretty democratic. I think even if 9/11 never happened, or if we ignored it I'd still think differently about it.
I think preteens will appreciate the meaning of books they read at that age when they are older. I certainly saw the whole epic good versus epic evil themes of the lord of the rings in 5th and 6th grade, and sensed that was some sort of Christian allegory. I later learned Tolkien was a devout Catholic and hated allegory which explains why the christian symbolism didn't quite add up.
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Dark *is* fun. Kids know when they're being coddled, and that's enough to turn some kids off a whole genre or reading altogether.
Anyway, Ender's Game is great -- playful but also rife with doom. I didn't always have a huge attention span when I was a youngster, though, so I read all the volumes of Hugo short-story winners I could find. Some great stuff in there.
Herbert's work is always wonderful. Asimov goes without saying.
I don't really know much about the preteen scifi stories though, I jumped right to The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings when I was about 11.
"Don't meddle in the affairs of a patent dragon, for thou art tasty and good with ketchup." ~ohcrapitssteve
Timothy Zahn has written several books that would be of interest. Some have been republished. A used book store would be a good place to visit.
The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy by Douglas Adams.
Also, though it's not sci-fi, Masters of Doom by David Kushner is a fantastic book about the development of id Software in the early 90s. It's a fun read for anyone into gaming.
This sig is false.
A field guide to birds. Come on, it's got to be fiction ... little creatures that go around waving their arms to defy gravity? Surely those things only exist in cgi "nature" documentaries.
(that's it, I've officially gone all old and grumpy, thinking that there's so much fiction and fantasy in the world that we've stopped looking at the reality out the window)
Fantasy series. Easy read and it was very accessible when I was that age.
in terms of fantasty, though it is far from classic, I'd recommend David Eddings' "the Belgariad" series. a great story, without too many adult overtones.
once their a few years older, peirs anthony is great for early teens.
My advice would be, don't hold back. I had a voracious appetite for books as a teenager which crossed many demographics and genres. But the most memorable to me are the ones with more of an adult edge that really made me think. Personally, I think we spend too much time holding children back and looking to make their lives better than our own. Not every novel I've read was a classic, but there are very few I would say I didn't at least enjoy. Let them read everything you can get your hands on that looks interesting.
A steaming cup of soykaf would be real wiz right now.
The 1632 series by Eric Flint - alternate history - politics but a history lesson also - many in series can be can be downloaded for free fron Baen books http://www.baen.com/library/
Robert Aspirin's Myth Adventures books, the first 3 are: Another Fine Myth Myth Conceptions Myth Directions Quite funny, lots of pun names and general hilarity. Terry Pratchett's Disk World novels are also very funny, with lots of "play on word"s to keep a young mind on its toes (so to speak)...
I mostly bring up old-timers because they're the ones I read when I was young. Asimov's Robot novels like "Caves Of Steel" might be more appealing than the Foundation stuff. Heinlein wrote a lot of juveniles. I've read that "Starship Troopers" was supposed to be a juvenile but it was deemed to rough by the editors and re-marketed as adult. However, "Double Star" is a good juvenile by Heinlein.
In the old days, Sci-Fi was mostly short stories, go find good anthologies! The Science Fiction Hall Of Fame anthology of the best science fiction stories is a good place to start.
Other recommendations would be "Voyage Of The Space Beagle" by Van Vogt, "Wasp" by Eric Frank Russell.
In theory, theory and practice are the same; in practice they're different. (Yogi Berra & A. Einstein)
I don't know how young you mean but I think that Dream Park is a great introduction to Larry Niven... I would think they should be in their mid-teens though...
Dedicated Cthulhu Cultist since 4523 BC.
Might be a little early for them, but the Xanth series was great. Kind of silly fantasy humor, though there is a little bit of sexual content as I recall (nothing that a teenager can't handle).
My dad gave me a copy of A Spell for Chameleon as I recall the first book of the series was titled. I was about 13 or so at the time and that series reintroduced me to books at a time I had started to grow away from reading for fun.
I swear to God...I swear to God! That is NOT how you treat your human!
Asimov
Clarke
Elison
Niven
I've got your sig, right here.
For non-dark full length novels, I remember liking Rendezvous with Rama by Clarke. And I think lots of Robert Silverberg stories were OK, though none stick in my head.
All of my favorites were dark though. All-time favorite was novella The Fifth Head of Cerberus by Gene Wolfe.
Maybe one way to go is short stories - easier to hold their attention than full-length novels, and it gives them a chance to find out what they like. Brian Aldiss had some good short stories, though I suppose a lot of them are somewhat dark. And of course there's lots of treasury collections that have interesting stuff in them.
other suggestions:
Diana Wynne Jones: Howl's Moving Castle
William Sleator : Interstellar Pig, Singularity, House of Stairs.
Joan Vinge: Psion (Cat trilogy), etc.
No doubt Slashdot is full of Harry Potter haters. I was one, too, until I actually read the entire series last month. It's still not exactly my cuppa, but it's an incredibly well-crafted work of fantasy fiction for young adults. The first couple of books are pure wish-fulfillment, which will appeal to any pre-teen. The books are too long for young readers to make it through all of them back to back, though, so by the time they get around to the later volumes, they will be just the right age to appreciate the darker aspects and more complex themes of the series's conclusion.
Unfortunately, most kids will probably just watch the movies.
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The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a good, easy read, and is what actually got me started reading Sci-Fi.
Ender's Game is excellent, and while a little dark in places, it's no darker than most classic fairy tales.
Also, if you're at all interested in getting them some fantasy books, two of the absolute best reads would have to be Clive Barker's The Thief of Always, and China Mieville's Un Lun Dun.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_Hill
His books were some of the first sci-fi / fantasy books I read as a child. They're quick reads. The only downside is that I don't think any of them are in print. You may be able to find them at your local library though.
Although the series goes down hill rapidly "Wizard's First Rule" by Terry Goodkind would be a pretty good ready for a 12 year old. Although, there is some graphic violence and adult concepts (rape, torture, etc...). I don't really have a good handle on what should be allowed at what age. I do remember reading "The Stand" before I could drive (I think 14).
More of a fantasy series, but I definitely enjoyed it (ie couldn't put it down). Has a romantic element to it though, but a great read nonetheless.
I have fond memories of reading Edgar Rice Burroughs' Mars series when I was about 11. Women in servitude, men fighting alien beasts with swords, political intrigue, betrayal. Everything a growing boy needed.
More modern classics are also probably in order. Ender's Game, the Rama series, Armor, The Diamond Age, HHGTTG, etc. And don't automatically dismiss RAH's work because it's too political - that's part of what makes them good. While I wouldn't necessarily start a pre-teen off with the Lazarus Long I've-always-been-too-fond-of-Mom saga, I'd have no problem handing some of his earlier works to a similarly aged relative.
Maybe you should let your kids decide for themselves if books like the Foundation Trilogy are "too dry". I personally liked more sophisticated, intellectually challenging books by that age. It's a real tragedy that kids are often confined to dumbed-down, "age-appropriate" books. Of course, telling them that "these books might be too advanced for you" might be exactly the right thing for encouraging them to read more.
Brian Lumley's amazing fantasy series about psychic warfare and AWESOME vampires. Might want to wait until you catch them laundering their own sweat socks though.
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Start with "Norby, the Mixed Up Robot". I remember reading these when I was pretty young and loved them.
The Sword of Truth Series by Terry Goodkind is very good in my opinion. In each book the theme varies from Critical Thinking (book 1) to objectivism (book 6). Some of the books are extremely preachy (books 5 and 7) and dull IMHO.
However, the first 3 books are easy to read, and carry a message that I think is very pro-science. However, that is hidden from younger readers I would think.
I think that teens interested in Fantasy would devour at least the first 2 books.
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Leiber - Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser - Enjoyable sword and sorcery.
Schmitz - The Telzy Amberdon stories - especially good for girls.
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Earthsea & A Wrinkle in Time, et al.
Here's some that got me started, back in the late 50s. They are all quite accessible to a young reader:
Eric Frank Russel's _Wasp_ (Also good: _The Space Willies_ A.K.A. _Next of Kin_)
Murray Leinster's Med Ship series.
Hal Clemmet's _Needle_ (A.K.A _From Outer Space_)
Heinlein's _Red Planet_
George O. Smith's _Space Plague_ (A.K.A. _Highways in Hiding_) and _Venus Equilateral_ (though the latter is quite dated, using vacuum tube technology.)
Bantam Dominique roosters crow a four-note song. Once you've heard it as "Happy BIRTHday" you can't NOT hear it that way
"Foundation" is not "too dry". The best thing you can do for your kids is to give them reading material -- sci-fi or any other genre -- that challenges their mind, and makes them think.
Before Foundation, though, get them started on three Robot novels, then the seven Foundation books. After they're done with Asimov, give them the three Lord Of The Rings books. I read all three LOTR in my early teens, in high school. They weren't "too dry", in the least. I loved them. I had no problems with it, and English isn't even my native language.
Don't be afraid to challenge your kids. Challenging reading material is very good brain food. Other suggestions:
* The first three Mars books, by Edgar Rice Burrows. Some of that (mostly the first book) is a bit dated, and a bit bizarre (everyone on Mars walks around naked, and Martian women lay eggs). But, once you get passed the weird stuff, it's great pulp.
* War of the Worlds, by HG Wells
* A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's court, by Mark Twain. Yes, it's sci-fi/fantasy.
That should be enough to last until next year. Come back then for more stuff to suggest.
Recommend the following:
"Time for the Stars"
&
"The Red Planet"
Also, the shorts "Green Hills of Earth" are pretty good and I think they're mostly decent for kids.
Have them read something outside sci-fi.
Turns out there's a lot of pretty good books in the world that aren't in the sci-fi/fantasy genre. Maybe they'll even grow up just a little bit cultured.
Ringworld, Snowcrash, Cryptonomicon, The Hobbit, LOTR, Harry Potter, Odd Thomas, Dragonlance (the stuff written by Weiss and Hickman, not the 3rd party crap), Star Trek novels, Sword of Truth, A Game of Thrones, Neuromancer is pretty edgy, but a great read. My younger brothers absolutely loved a series called Animorphs. When I was about 12 I really enjoyed Swiss Family Robinson. Maybe throw in some classics like Frankenstein and Dracula. H.G. Wells Time Machine, Gulliver's Travels, Around the World in 80 days, Dune
I would also second the suggestions of Card's early work. Ender's Game, Songmaster, The Shadow Series, The first few Alvin Maker books are good. I would definitely get them to read Pastwatch: the Redemption of Christopher Columbus.
You also can't go wrong with comics. There's a lot of really good stuff in trade paperback these days. You can introduce them to Marvel's Ultimate lines; Ultimate Spiderman, Ultimate Fantastic Four, etc. These series start over and reboot the universe. They will be more compelling for young readers because there isn't 40 years of continuity to sift through.
I would also suggest giving them books that you enjoyed as a child, or even an adult. Just because something is edgy or political doesn't make it automagically inappropriate for a child. You can tell them to come to you with any questions, and you will end up raising a kid who's wise beyond his years, and that will serve the kid well as he gets older.
If you're looking for your classic sci-fi to be apolitical, you're basically looking for bad science fiction. Wherever science fiction depicts the future, it comments on the present.
rj
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
Hitchhikers Guide (read when I was 10, I thought it was the best thing since the Thundercats)
The White Mountains (Tripod trilogy) by John Christopher
I see Ender's Game has alread been mentioned
He doesn't seem to be as popular as other authors for young readers, but I really enjoyed reading books by William Sleator when I was in 6th or 7th grade. The first one I read was Strange Attractors, though I think my favorite was from him Interstellar Pig.
Bug Park by James Hogan.
The Heinlein teen stories are dated, but I still enjoy them.
Short story collections, Rod Serling, Alfred Hitchcock, Richard Matheson. Bonus points for movie tie ins with some kids.
The Darkover books by Marion Zimmber Bradley. Some racey stuff in a few stories.
A Spaceship for the King by Jerry Pournelle, great adventure yarn.
Honor Harrington series by David Weber. Space opera updated and polished for today. You can't read just one.
The Dragon series by Anne and Todd McCaffery of course.
The High Crusade, by Poul Anderson.
Plus 5 Karma bonus for getting the kids hooked on reading.
I gave my kid a stack of classics and let her pick. Farmer in the Sky, Lord of Light, Hiero's Journey, I Robot, The Stars My Destination, Voyage of the Space Beagle, Galactic Patrol, Swords Against Death, The Dying Earth. She is now plowing her way through all the Vorkosigan stories, and she wants Gray Lensman next. There is huge selection of great stories out there, if your kids develop a taste for Science Fiction and Fantasy they will never run out of books to read.
I'm not a huge sci-fi reader, but also never really found what I read to be all that difficult.
'Dune' is a great place to start out. I was never able to get through the sequals, but the original is a classic. Possibly a bit advanced and cynical, but definitely on the 'required reading' list. The Sci-Fi channel miniseries is also excellent.
Another obvious recommendation is The Hitchhikers Guide series. They're easy, they're funny, and unfortunately not strictly sci-fi. Either way, I'd have a hard time thinking of reasons not to read something by Douglas Adams.
On the fantasy end of things (more my tastes, and still closely related to SF), I'd strongly recommend His Dark Materials, LoTR (if you can manage to get through the first 250 pages), and anything by Terry Pratchett.
If your sons have any interest in The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan, I'd highly recommend starting early, as the average lifespan of the typical human is only just barely long enough to cram them all in (I jest, but seriously.... if you follow the user-submitted reviews of the books on Amazon, the readers get fewer and angrier as the series goes on with seemingly no end in sight).
-- If you try to fail and succeed, which have you done? - Uli's moose
Ursula K. Le Guin's Earthsea novels + short stories are a fairly easy read. Also each is quite short. Can't remember anything in it that might not be suitable for younger children offhand.
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Feed by M.T. Anderson is some nice light reading.
http://www.amazon.com/Feed-M-T-Anderson/dp/0763622591
What's wrong with books that aren't sci-fi or fantasy?
You do know there are other genres of books, some of which have even been around for centuries? They might even get "cultured" or something.
i would recommend endars game
I really enjoyed Birth of the Firebringer (Meredith Ann Pierce) when I was that age. Never read the sequels, though, so I can't speak for those.
by Robert Silverberg. Gripping plot, accessible on several levels, no naughty words that I can recall.
This ain't rocket surgery.
When I was a preteen, I read the science fiction classics - not because someone forced it on me, but because the books themselves drew me in. I won't push my kids to read books they're not interested in, but I certainly don't plan on feeding them whitewashed drivel, either.
There is an entire line of star wars books for young readers. Here is a link to a list of them.
I loved The Golden Compass when I was about 11. Actually, I still do. I don't know if it would have been as cool if I had seen the movie first though, cos the movie definitely didn't do the book justice. I'm sure the "Heavy Atheism" has been prominent enough in the media that anyone buying these books for their kids will know that already.
DogsBody, by Dianne Wynne Jones, was pretty sweet too but it was kind of dark in the start.
Ooh, and although I don't know if it's appropriate for kids, The Time Ships by Stephen Baxter is about the height of rad escapism. It's an authorized sequel of The Time Machine, I guess.
Start 'em off with a little Kurt Vonnegut. Most of the vocabulary won't be over their heads but the subject matter will get the little brain cells working and drive their teachers nuts when they give their book reports.
DON'T PANIC!
Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, the trilogy by Douglas Adams isn't as much sci-fi as all the others I've seen mentioned on this list so far. Still, it's sci-fi -- even the Babble Fish has become reality after all.
Here are some good books, though I am not sure what the reading level on them is. The Lost Years of Merlin series (very good, probably suitable for pre-teens) The Abhorsen Series (3 books long, might be a little advanced) the Enchanted Forest Chronicles (very good, and a fast read for more advanced readers, probably suitable for pre-teens) There are also some Star Wars series that are you. the Young Jedi Knight series was one that I read and enjoyed.
I found Mercedes Lackey's Chanur series to be riveting when I was young. There is some politics, but the action scenes (and there are a LOT) leave you breathless and dead beat fatigued (in sympathy with the main characters.)
And I really do have to recommend the Narnia series. If they're Christian - great, they'll get the allegory. But if not, it's just a ripping good series of fantasy novels.
"Well..here I am..." - Jubal Early
Have heard good things about it (albeit from BoingBoing).
The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet and sequels.
"The average reporter we talk to is 27 years old......They literally know nothing." - Ben Rhodes
A sword fighting 20th century engineer travelling around in 13th century Poland--what's not to like?
It's a light and fun read.
Pretty much all Hienlien's earlier stuff is what I call "boy scout" stories. I developed the term from his Sunjammer solar sail story that premiered in the boy scout magazine "Boys Life".
And every kid of any age should read everything from Terry Pratchett's Discworld series. Besides 36 novels, he's written some books specific to younger readers (and won awards for same) and there's been both animated and live versions of some of the Discowrld books made. The Discowrld stories are much like the old Bugs Bunny cartoons -- well done for and received by kids, but some more esoteric pieces inserted specifically for those who can find them -- mostly for adults, sometimes for specialists (like the details of the "clacks" being there for techheads).
Asimov's collections of short stories are good for kids and he puts in well explained details of the science involved. And if you can interest them in these, then you can give them his collections of science essays, which are equally entertaining but even more educational. By the time they catch on to the latter, they'll be more interested in learning more, and that's the best thing that can happen from all this.
"I may be synthetic, but I'm not stupid." -- Bishop 341-B
As a suggestion, "Stardance" by Spider Robinson, or Frederick Pohl's "Gateway". These weren't written for younger readers, but I think they could grasp them quite easily.
Yeah Asimov's Foundation is probably a bit dry. I first tried it when I was ~11 and got lost. I somehow didn't clue in that it was a collection of short stories, not a novel proper.
The Robot novels are probably a good fit though, especially I, Robot. Other classic titles that spring to mind for an avid pre-teen age group are The Chyrsalids, The Tripods Trilogy, (The White Mountains, City of Gold and Lead, Pool of Fire), Ender's War, Tron, Fantastic Voyage
A little higher up on the difficulty scale: Ringworld, Dune, The Mote in God's Eye, Rendezvous with Rama, Foundation, 2001 A Space Odyssey, Flowers for Algernon,
Maybe a little older - The Handmaid's Tale, Brave New World, 20000 Leagues Under the Sea, A Clockwork Orange
The Foundation Trilogy is less dry than you might recall. You could always start with the detective-esque robot noir prequel series?
Arthur C Clarke is a great path into scifi; I also fondly recall Ann McCaffrey's dragonriders series as scifi/fantasy crossover (and fantasy in general isn't a bad thing - Tolkien, for example).
The Dune series is good for a first reading around then.
Ender's Game goes without saying I'd hope?
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Asimov's short stories
Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke
Songs of Distant Earth by Arthur C. Clarke
Piers Anthony's Xanth series (fantasy; some sexual elements)
Piers Anthony's Incarnation of Immortality series (strong sexual elements)
John Carter of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs
Harry Harrison's Stainless Steel Rat
Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series (fantasy)
Roger Zelazny's Amber series
Stephen King's Gunslinger series (strong sexual elements)
Lone Wolf series (fantasy; like choose-your-own-adventure with role playing elements)
Sci-Fi:
- Ringworld by Larry Niven (and generally any Niven book where he's the only author)
- The Mote In God's Eye/The Gripping Hand by Niven and Pournelle
- Mile Vorkosigan novels by Lois McMaster Bujold (NOTHING else by her!)
- Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card (duh)
Fantasy:
- Dark is Rising series by Susan Cooper
Graphic Novel:
- Dark Night/The Year One by Frank Miller
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There are three series written by Bruce Coville. These are the books that got me into the genre in the first place. I enjoy them enough that I still reread them on occasion.
The AI Gang Trilogy
Aliens Ate My Homework and sequels
My Teacher is an Alien and sequels
There are a few others by him as well that may be worth a look. And many of these books are on the 4 for 3 list on Amazon.
Happy reading!
My all time favorite is Bradburys "Dark they were and Golden Eyed". The best short story that teaches reality is "The Cold Equations".
Gotta vote for Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy. My 10 year old just finished rereading for the 3rd time, and it has helped bring out the sense of humor in him. Now he's going to be as twisted as his dad!
and some of the other Heinlein are definitely darker and more political than I remember..
is precisely one of the reasons that they should read them. Explaining a bit of Heinlein is a sight easier than explaining how Bush has gotten away with all that he has... IMO
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Do any of you actually have kids and read the books that they like?
They want to read books that are relevant now! Not '50s books.
And yes, I've read many of them, and the classics are awesome, but they're not the way to get kids interested in reading.
And also, Frank Herbert's Dune Series; Any Heinlein or Isaac Asimov; Janet Asimov's Mind Transfer was good... Don't forget that books like Lord of the Rings and other fantasy are good stuff for kids. I practically breathed the stuff.
SF:
Dune by Frank Herbert
Asimov's Early Robot Series - Caves of Steel,The Naked Sun,Robots of Dawn
Heinlein's "Juvenile" books - http://www.geocities.com/NapaValley/1872/juvie.htm I especially liked "The Star Beast" and "Have Space Suit, Will Travel"
Daniel Keys Moran http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daniel_Keys_Moran Especially "The Long Run", "The Armageddon Blues"
Vernor Vinge: "The Peace War" The hero is a child math wiz.
Douglass Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy book #1
Fantasy:
JRR Tolkien The Lord of the Rings
R.A. MacAvoy, Damiano Series http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/R._A._MacAvoy
Gene Wolf Urth of the New Sun Series, maybe just the first book.
Terry Pratchett's Disc World books
I don't see much reason to "protect" children from the "darker" stories. On the contrary, those are the ones that kept my interest in books going in the formative years - getting a glimpse of the adult world (however fictional); difficult and dangerous situations, strange ideologies and world orders (often written as satirical analogies of actual historical events or political ideas, which I was only to find out about later), visions of post-apocalyptic societies... something to give your imagination wings; going beyond the ordinary, mundane world and opening up new ways of thinking about things.
I enjoyed 2001 when I was a kid. I also liked Nemesis by Isaac Asimov when I was a pre-teen (although some people hate that book). Project Pendulum by Robert Silverberg is a decent read for young sci-fi fans. Of course Piers Anthony is also fun for pre-teens for the Fantasy genre (I used to really be into the Xanth novels). Although I think Terry Pratchett is somewhat better but some American kids might not get the humor at first and be put off by it. For a pre-teen The Hobbit is always a great suggestion, a much faster and lighter read than Lord of the Rings.
When I was 12-13 I read the first six books of Mission Earth. I would not recommend that, it's pretty psychologically and morally warped. (I would say F'd up actually)
Heinlein's stuff would be good too, Stranger in a strange land perhaps. and certainly Starship Troopers (pre-teen is not too young to be exposed to controversial political topics, imo). You'd be surprised how interesting kids can be once they start having opinions on these "adult" topics. Kids, in my experience, generally don't pick a position on socio-political issues and stick with it forever (unlike adults). So the earlier they can start asking questions and examining the choices society has made, the better. Probably best for pre-teens that have a tendency to approach issues curiously and rationally as if it were a puzzle with a solution they can figure out, rather than kids who tend to think of things in emotional terms or wants immediate answer for rote learning. although looking at these problems of the world with a bit of empathy can yield pretty useful results as well.
But most of all, I would highly recommend exposing a kid to some of Philip K. Dick's books. Galactic Pot-Healer is a nice one I think, it's weird but not over a typical pre-teen reader's head. Reading Philip K. Dick can let a kid experience a wild drug trip without all the nasty side-effects :)
“Common sense is not so common.” — Voltaire
How about Interstellar Pig or House of Stairs by William Sleator? They are maybe kind of dark, but I read them when I was about 10 or 11 and they blew my mind in a wonderful way. Other books by William Sleator might be just as good, but I haven't read them so I don't know. Interstellar Pig got a very positive critical response when it was first published in the 80s, and it is still one of my favorite books. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interstellar_Pig http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/House_of_Stairs_(William_Sleator_novel)
Two of Frank Herbert's less-known works, "Whipping Star" and "The Dosadai Experiment" are pretty good. So is "Lord of Light" by Roger Zelazny. A few more: "Space Skimmer" by David Gerrold. "Cities In Flight" by James Blish. "Davy" by Edgar Pangborn if you don't mind a little minor sexuality. Anything by Larry Niven. "Ensign Flandry" by Poul Anderson. The "Flinx" and "Icerigger" books by Alan Dean Foster.
I'm sure I'm forgetting a ton more than I mentioned, but those are pretty good, older, adventure-style SF stories young readers would probably like.
I've calculated my velocity with such exquisite precision that I have no idea where I am.
Though his books are all geared toward older readers, I really can't recall there being any specifically mature themes.
Most of McDevitt's books are sci-fi adventures dealing with xenoarchaeology. Very, very good stuff, and will really get kids imaginations going.
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A problem with the Skylark and Lensman series is that they were written when eugenics was still popular in the US, before the NAZIs made such a graphic display of their dark-side implications. The good guys are good guys and the bad guys bad guys largely due to their genetics. The last book of the Lensman series shows that the police/military organization you've been following was actually a secret breeding program, run by behind-the-scenes aliens, to produce a human master race to rule the galaxy and wipe out their ancient enemies.
Whenever I feel like trusting government officials I re-read the section of _The Grey Lensman_ where an "unattached lensman" (a supercop, with carte blanch to do whatever he pleases, no oversight, massive resources, and a gadget that lets him wiretap minds remotely) wipes out a nest of dope dealers by calling in the equivalent of a massive surprise nuclear carpet-bombing on the city they're in, to vaporize them all before they can get away.
Bantam Dominique roosters crow a four-note song. Once you've heard it as "Happy BIRTHday" you can't NOT hear it that way
The Asimov robot trilogy is more accessible than the Foundation series.
By Asimov, of course.
Earth Detective Elijah Bailey is summoned off-world & partnered with a robot in order to solve a murder on a "spacer" planet. There are strong political winds about & the murder must be investigated with the utmost delicacy. And... the murder victim is a robot.
Yeah, I know... but you can let the kids have it after you've read it.
Ive just finished reading Frank Herbert's "Dune" saga. I recommend it, but it has some sexual content around book 5.
My wife is the current librarian of the Los Angeles Science Fantasy Society, and there's a Children's Recommended Reading List that the club has been keeping up for some time. There's a lot of stuff on there, and it should offer some guidance.
I don't have kids, but I would suggest some of the Timothy Zahn novels. I have only read his Star Wars books and they keep my simple mind entertained. Not that I'm saying your kids are simple or anything. The Thrawn Trilogy was the first of his I read and I enjoyed his vision of the post-Emperor period. The Hand of Thrawn series and Outbound Flight were also enjoyable.
Encourage them to discuss what they read with each other, and with you, and with anyone else they can. Dark, political and brooding can all be very thought-provoking.. and provoking thought in your children is a marvelous goal. There are far too many sheep in this world who blindly follow everything the government says (This is MOST people in MOST countries.) and let the government get away with whatever they want. People who actually THINK FOR THEMSELVES and encourage others to do the same are the only answer.
My 11 yr. old son and I are thoroughly enjoying Interworld by Neil Gaiman. It was written for the 9-12 age group, and has humor, action, fantasy worlds, other beings, and much more.
When I was teen, I read every one of Burroughs Mars, Venus, Pelucidor , actually once I got started I read every work he did.
I found myself sitting on a glass incubator looking out over the plains watching thoats and Mad Zitidars fight.
Wow, this brings back memories
* Carthago Delenda Est *
Check out the Superhawk and Wingman Series by Mack Maloney. Total cult classics! www.mackmaloney.com/thebooks.html
Though his Xanth series is probably more widely known there are others to choose from. Terry Pratchett had some good stuff for kids as I recall though I think I only read one of them and it was about gnome type critters but good reading regardless.
"So long and thanks for all the fish."
http://www.stewartandriddell.co.uk/edge/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Edge_Chronicles
Mortal Engines/Hungry Cities
http://www.mortalengines.co.uk/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mortal_Engines
All highly recommended by my 11/12 year-old proto-geek.
--
E_NOSIG
If you include fantasy, then Alan Garner's classics (Weirdstone of Brisingamen, Moon of Gomrath, Owl Service, Elidor) are hard to beat for just about anyone. If you don't mind stories with a religious tone, then "A Swiftly Tilting Planet" and "A Wind in the Door" are good reads too. For very young readers, I would probably opt for "Smith of Wooten Major".
It's a small world and it smells funny; I'd buy another if it wasn't for the money; Take back what I paid (SoM)
by James Alan Gardner. I've not read his other books so I cannot suggest them.
These are in order from most recommended, and lightest most age appropriate to slightly darker (although I have nothing here that is really remotely close to Enders Game or anything of the sort)
Diana Wynne Jones Crestomanci Series
Charmed Life
The Lives of Christopher Chant
Conrad's Fate
Witch Week
(She keeps it very light while having real peril, and true character growth for her preteen budding magicians. Your kids will love these.)
Diana Wynne Jones Castle Series
Howl's Moving Castle (The basis of the film by Hayao Miyazaki. The book was better IMO)
Castle in the Air (The sequel... also light, and totally magical. Very immersing.)
Artemis Fowl (Whole series.. evil genius preteen discovers hidden fantasy society set in present day. Enjoyed it, even if it seemed geared to younger children. Very quick reads.. will need many books if you go with these.)
A Wrinkle in Time
Wind in the Door
Swiftly Tilting Planet
Many Waters (all by Madeline L'engle these are sequential in the series although most people only get through the first which is a pity. This is as close to scifi I have on this list.)
Also if your children are ready for something a touch more classical I would recommend
Lloyd Alexander's Pyridian Chronicles
The Book of Three
The Black Cauldron (Better than the disney I promise)
The Castle of Llyr
Taran Wanderer
The High King
(Reading all of these as I matured with the main character was a wonderful thing for my teen hood. once again the main character is a preteen boy to begin with. The mood is not as light as Diana Wynne Jones, but its very thought provoking. It may have some material that is mildly alarming to some children.)
Good luck with your summer reading.
The Dragonlance Chronicles are easy reads by Weiss and Hickman.
Flowers for Algernon isn't too dark, and it's short.
Many people have already mentioned Pratchett, but I would focus on stories that center around Carrot. He's the embodiment of selfless good.
I found Madeleine L'Engle's Time Quartet to be very engaging.
Here's a departure from your theme, but many of the D&D rulebooks are AWESOME imaginary catalysts. No real story, but they always provoked me into thought by giving me a framework to build my own worlds. They still do have that "loser" stigma to them even if geekiness is en vogue.
But I read every single "Adventures of Danny Dunn" book that my local library had, and enjoyed them all immensely. They are fantastical entertaining fictional stories, but with enough actual science to spark a genuine interest in the subject.
If you don't know where you are going, you will wind up somewhere else.
These are mostly fantasy, but uniformly excellent:
The Dark is Rising series by Susan Cooper (especially the book "The Dark is Rising") - forget about the abysmal movie they recently made and that the author hated.
The Earthsea books by Ursula K Leguin (starting with "A Wizard of Earthsea" and which she just keeps on adding to, getting better and better as you grow older with them.)
The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis (forget about the whole "Ooh, but it's Christian!" - when you're a kid reading them, that doesn't come across and they're great reading.) Read them in publication order starting with "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe" (not the newfangled and completely WRONG order.)
"Charmed Life" by Diana Wynne Jones (very fun and you can see where Rowling stole many ideas - really, many of the books I'm listing were sources for her.)
"A Wrinkle in Time" by Madeleine L'Engle
"The Riddle-Master of Hed" (and 2 sequels) by Patricia A. McKillip
Possibly "Master of the Five Magics" by Lyndon Hardy (I really liked it, the sequels aren't quite as good.)
Of course, "The Hobbit" by J.R.R. Tolkein
And I imagine some people will recommend the "His Dark Materials" trilogy by Philip Pullman, starting with "The Golden Compass". The first book is OK, but I feel they go downhill until they're just anti-Christian rants.
Then, as your kids age, if they're liking the fantasy, I'd say the Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser books by Fritz Leiber, starting with "Swords and Deviltry" would be good. But I'm thinking they're a bit too old for pre-teens.
I've loved most of these books for years and re-read them periodically. I hope your kids like them, too!
Arthur C. Clarke always seemed to be the "classic" sci-fi writer to me. His short stories are great - the Rama trilogy is brilliant (if a little longwinded in the latter novels). He's probably good for younger readers too as his style is pretty straightforward "normal" future fiction - not too much way out there stuff. Isaac Asimov's novels always seemed a little slow to me but his short stories are great. There are 2 collection books of sci-fi stories I know of plus a couple of others more fantasy based. Plus they might be more inclined to get into other areas once they recognize his name (he did write about almost everything at some stage). Along with Heinlein and Bradbury these guys should also give a sort of "old time" view of sci-fi your youngsters can compare with more modern writers.
The Giver by Lois Lowry is not exactly hard sci-fi, but it is set in a dystopian future and telepathy features prominently in the plot. I keep racking my brains trying to come up with good sci-fi that isn't at all dark, but I'm not sure if it even exists.
Most of Heinlein's early works (Tunnel in the Sky is my favorite) are pre-teen fodder. It's not till the 60's when he started getting into the more mature stuff. As a kid I whet my teeth on Tom Swift Jr., by Victor Appleton III. There were a bunch of earlier ones that were Tom Swift Sr. that I didn't find as interesting, Tom Swift and his Motorcycle, etc. There are a bunch of new generation ones also, Tom Swift and his IPod or whatever. Any good library's sci-fi section should do splendidly, especially at their schools. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Swift By the way, I got my daughter to read Tunnel in the Sky and she loved it. She's now devouring Bradbury books after reading Farenheit 451 in school (8th grade).
Just about everything ERD wrote is suitable for pre-teens and early-teens.
That includes like 25 Tarzan novels, 11 "John Carter of Mars" novels, 8 Pellucidar (center of the earth, very timely with the new movie) novels, and at least another 30 or 40 miscellaneous stories.
ERD was like the steven king of sci-fi and fantasy, his books are nowhere near as long as King's but they are almost always real pager turns that your kids will want to stay up past their bedtime reading under the covers with flashlights.
And, despite the covers on some editions sporting very nubile women, the books are completely tame.
PS, many of them are available for free on project gutenberg
When information is power, privacy is freedom.
Nuff said.
In the free world the media isn't government run; the government is media run.
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Call me dry, but while I do appreciate the positive effect on creativity of sci-fi, I think that actual scientific literature and even textbooks can be well worth reading, and yes even entertaining.
There's nothing wrong with a good popular science book. What about an introductory book to something like astronomy, cosmology, or quantum physics? A popular modern engineering book would be just about as amazing as most sci-fi novels, and plausible besides.
Sometimes, cutting out all that "drama" stuff can actually make some books better. For some people anyway.
May the Maths Be with you!
I have to second Enders Game(forth or fifth it I suppose). Ender' Shadow being my second favorite although the other Enderverse books are quite good. I first read Ender's Game in grade school and it was the only book I could stand reading, it kept me interested and I couldn't put it down. I still read these books, I just finished children of the mind today, and yes some of them can get a little deep/preachy but it's rare and it opens up topics that a child would never consider and make them think about it.
I think Dune is probably the first Sci Fi I read that's really memorable to me, although I'm not sure I would really recommend it to you. I was a huge fan of Star Wars novels when I was younger, especially the ones authored by Timothy Zahn.
Jurassic Park and Sphere I would recommend to anyone ten or up, though the thickness could be a bit intimidating. Timeline was another good one, though I'm guessing these are only science fiction by association with science. Raptor Red by Bakker is decent, but again, a story told through the eyes of a Utah-raptor is science fiction?
Posting as AC because I'm at work and too lazy to log in.
I remember reading compilations of SF short stories that were put together by Asimov when I was a kid - HUGE things, two inches thick or more, and great stories. Kept me entertained for ages. Never underestimate the power of a short story; they're often very well written, and have a lot more punch-per-word than a novel or novella. Anything written or compiled by him is good value.
Especially The Star Diaries. You may know Lem from his other writings, like Solaris, but his Ijon Tichy series, of which The Star Diaries is a part, is more lighthearted. For younger readers, a collection of short stories like The Star Diaries can be easy to read as well.
Check out the list of Newberry Honor and Newberry Award books. Even today I will happily sit down with one of these--shorter, simpler prose combined with incredibly powerful stories.
Since you asked for sci-fi in particular, here are a few Newberry suggestions that may suit:
The Giver by Lois Lowry (Houghton)
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle (Farrar
The High King by Lloyd Alexander (Holt)
Full list can be found here:
http://www.ala.org/ala/alsc/awardsscholarships/literaryawds/newberymedal/newberyhonors/newberymedal.cfm
Check them out, you wont be sorry. :)
- - - - - - - -
Don't worry, being eaten by a crocodile is just like going to sleep in a giant blender.
H. Beam Piper.
2-3 sequels..
fuzzy sapiens...
a great read- similar to heinline juveniles.
hard to find-- worth the search....
every day http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:Random
Well... Looking at my wall 'o books... pretty much anything by Alan Dean Foster would be okay for pre-teens. A lot of Modesitt's stuff... Iain M. Banks... A lot of the old-school pulp authors would be good.
Honestly, though, what's "okay for pre-teens" about anyways? Minimal sex, lack of gratuitous violence, happy endings? There really aren't all that many sci-fi novels which are any more "adult" than prime-time television. Okay, there are a few, but I doubt they sold all that much (although I do find an absurdly large number of copies of "NYPD 2025" in used bookstores...)
c.
Log in or piss off.
No mention of BattleTech novels? I thought we were geeks here.
Money is the root of all evil?
How about the Tripod Trilogy?
"Tell me doctor, with all of your defenses, are there any provisions for an attack by killer bees?"
First, I'd give them some of Michael Pryor's books. The Doorways Trilogy, starting with The House of Many Rooms is about a teenager from Earth who gets swept up in a succession conflict and ends up traveling between worlds. In the first book there isn't much remarkable about him except that he can open "Doorways", like members of the royal family of The House of Many Rooms - a completely fabricated world, an ever-expanding house in the void between worlds. Two others of his I recommend are The Mask of calaban and Talent. Those two touch a little on the darker side of human nature, but aren't dark overall. After those, I would say The Obernewtyn Chronicles, by Isobelle Carmody. It's an as-yet incomplete series set in a post nuclear holocaust future. The world has reverted to a middle-ages tech level and few remember exactly what the bright lights were, generations ago. Along with the usual negative mutations, there are positive mutations like psychic abilities. Children with those abilities are stolen away to a secret facility called Obernewtyn where they're experimented on. The first book deals with the children overthrowing the controllers of Obernewtyn, while the rest of the series is about them fighting to stay alive, since they're seen as abominations. The main character, Elspeth, is on a quest to destroy the last remaining nuclear weapons to prevent them from harming the world again.
Admit it. You post strawman arguments as AC so you get modded Insightful for refuting them, rather than Troll
E. R. Burrough's Martian trilogy. A good way to open up discussions about the American civil war and the evil of organized & politicized religion as well.
Pratchett's Tiffany stories ( also available in CD form; excellent excellent listening )
Hienlien: Citizen of the Galaxy, The Star Beast, Have Spacesuit Will Travel ( also available in audio format ), Rocketship Galileo, the Rolling Stones...
The Robot stories, certainly.
Journey to the center of the earth, etc.
Simak's City. I must of read that 50 times as a pre-teen / teen.
The ballad of lost c'mell?
Some of the old Greek mythologies, popularized. Gives one a chance to discuss how people may of thought in those days. Robots too!
I loved sci-fi short stories as a kid.
I, Robot by Isaac Asimov (get the book of short stories not the movie adaptation)
The Wind From The Sun is a good collection of Arthur C. Clarke.
If you can find 'em, the Danny Dunn series of books were great, always had hard core science. Kinda like the Hardy Boys, but with a sci-fi influence. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danny_Dunn
Sherlock Holmes!
There is a collection of Isaac Asimov's Robot themed Novels. I think they are very creative imaginative and will develop their critical and technical thinking skills. I have one edition in French that ends with a small roman, Caves of steel. Something like that would be my best bet.
Tomorrow is another day...
The first time I read the Narnia books, I had no idea there were "Christian overtones." But I was young and just enjoying a quick fantasy.
When I read the Narnia books when I was a kid I had no idea there were "Christian overtones.". When I read them again when I was 33 I still had no idea there were "Christian overtones."
I think whatever overtones you're reading are more about what YOU put into what you're reading than what's written on the page.
I know C.S Louis was considered by himself and others as a christian writer, but it's quite a stretch to think that the Narnia series are any more "christian" than most other fantasy novels.
Unless you consider anything with good and evil epic battles and sacrifices to be "christian", but that seems like an awfully broad definition.
I actually think in many cases adult sci-fi is perfectly appropriate for pre-teens. In my experience, kids/teens who are interested in sci-fi tended to be more mature (at least in a literary sense) than others their age.
But, if you want to focus on stuff specifically for your kids, I strongly recommend Susan Cooper's The Dark is Rising series (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Dark_Is_Rising_Sequence). I read and LOVED it as a pre-teen. Plus,the 2nd book of it is coming out as a movie soon, which could help stimulate their interest.
I also really enjoyed Jane Yolen's Pit Dragon Trilogy (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pit_Dragon_Trilogy). The name might make you think it's fantasy, but it's actually sci-fi (and wonderful).
Also, I have to second *More Trouble* and *amstrad* on A Wrinkle in Time (and the rest of Madeleine L'Engle's work); it's amazing!!!
Other great ones that were already mentioned:
* Dragonlance series
* Ender's series
You also can't go wrong with comics.
Speaking of comics: The Disney studios Duckburg stories by Carl Barks are a crash course in economics, politics, and practical philosophy.
(One strongly libertarian entrepreneur of my acquaintance styled himself a "Barksist" and would quote the nephews' statement "Flipism gets its acid test." when approaching a particularly spaghetti-bowl like freeway interchange. B-) )
They've been reprinted under the imprint "Gladstone Press".
Bantam Dominique roosters crow a four-note song. Once you've heard it as "Happy BIRTHday" you can't NOT hear it that way
Some light Asimov should do them well.
Anybody want my mod points?
Lucky Starr series by Asimov.
The SF novels of Lois McMaster Bujold, especially the Miles Vorkosigan series, seem to be targeted at adolescents. And the writing is good.
My Teen (preteen then) got hooked on the S. M. Sterling series when I left a book lying around.
Don't worry about 'Teen level' books. Good writing will hook anyone. If they have to stretch their minds, so much the better. You wind up with smarter kids.
Happy Dad.
... except you can't buy it outside Australia. You can download the first one though - see the sig.
(There are over 1000 copies of the Hal Spacejock books in Australian school libraries.)
Hal Spacejock: Science Fiction with Nuts
based on recent experience, my pre-teen kids liked:
Enders Game and Enders Shadow - Card
Interworld - Neil Gaiman and Michael Reaves
Hitch hikers guide to the galaxy - Adams
I really liked the Witch World series when I was younger. She also wrote some other sci-fi that was very good. I remember getting a boxed set of sci-fi books when I was about six or seven. Best thing the old man ever did for me.
Yes, the pre-Nebula Award SFHoF vol.1 is perhaps the greatest selection of sci-fi short stories ever put together. No author has more than one entry in the book, so you get exposed to a wide swath of different writers. Look for it on eBay!
Good, I was going to mention the White Mountains trilogy if nobody else had.
But for those unfamiliar with the story, read the original trilogy ("The White Mountains", "The City of Gold and Lead", and "The Pool of Fire") first.
I haven't read it, but the prequel, "When the Tripods Came", apparently gives away a lot of stuff that makes the later books less interesting if you read them in story-chronological order.
... I read them in high school and enjoyed them!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amtrak_wars
Just came out, awesome awesome awesome. And it's released under the creative commons.
"Actually, I enjoyed this in the same vague, horrible way I enjoyed the A-Team" P. Opus
I don't think these have been mentioned yet:
Andre Norton, "Zero Stone" and "Uncharted Stars," or just about anything else as far as that goes. (I read "Zero Stone" & "Uncharted Stars" about 40 years ago and -many- times since)
Ursula LeGuin, "Wizard of Earthsea" tetralogy - my standard present to kids looking for something after Harry Potter.
Christopher Rowley, "Bazil Broketail" books (are there 5 of them?). Well these arrived after my youth, but I really like them.
John Bellairs, anything, but particularly "The Face in the Frost". Hey, what can you say about a book with a magic mirror with a love for old Brooklyn Dodgers games?
dave
If ERB is the Stephen King of SF/F then Anre Norton was the Judy Blume. Like ERB, almost all of her 300 books are suitable for younger readers.
It's been so long since I read her stuff, but don't ever remember being disappointed by any of her books.
Some titles that come to mind:
Quag Keep
Zero Stone
Android at Arms
Ice Crown
Merlin's Mirror
Voorloper
Crossroads of Time
Forerunner Foray
Exiles of the Stars
Postmarked for the Stars
The Time Traders
Galactic Derelict
Witch World
When information is power, privacy is freedom.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_science_fiction_short_stories
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_science_fiction_novels
Don't forget Tarzan.
Check these out: I read these in elementary school and remember loving them: Wrinkle in Time and the Tripod Series: http://www.amazon.com/Tripods-Trilogy-John-Christopher/dp/0020425716
Hickman and Weis DeathGate Cycle... gave my imagination a boost and was appropriate.
I read the series knowing that some people saw Christian themes and I guess I could see them when looking hard enough, but like you, I'm not sure if they would stand out to me otherwise. Except for the last book though, I think the last few chapters in that were kind of heavy in Lewis' Christianity.
Reviewing just the first hour of video games.
Danny Dunn - can't recall the series... but there were quite a few.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danny_Dunn
Don't try to avoid dark in sci-fi. A lot of the best sci fi is more about exploring the human psyche - the technology or remote physical setting is more a tool than the focus of the story.
My recommendation: Go for a short story collection. Anything by Asimov would be good. Or failing that try a collection that exposes the youngster to a wide variety of authors, but in short little bursts. Any story that isn't interesting can be skipped, or if read won't turn into a long drawn out drag that'll put the little tike off.
If short stories aren't what you want, try Cities in Flight James Blish.
These posts express my own personal views, not those of my employer
Not exactly Sci-Fi; This series is Fantasy and has been specially formatted for young readers.
Book1
A Rumor of Dragons: Dragons of Autumn Twilight, Vol. 1 by Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman
Just keeps going from there.
By the time they are done the young readers series they will be old enough to read all the regular Dragonlance novels.
Oh heck yes! There have been multiple generations of this series. The older stuff like Tom Swift and his biplane perhaps not as interesting but there were at LEAST 3 generations after that! I actually collect some of the really old ones - now nearly 90 years old and have some of the 2nd and 3rd gen ones too, I think there's a 4th newest generation as well.
For stuff that is NOT dark, not super violent, and a decent read for younger people this stuff is great I think. It's like Sci-Fi Hardy Boys. When I was a kid I read every one of them the local library had in multiple cities.
The oldest Tom Swift books are now public domain it seems, holding one that old in your hands is pretty wild but be advised that they aren't terribly "PC" for the modern world, they depict stereo-types pretty badly in the oldest books. A window into that time I guess but I do find it bothersome sometimes. These are popular on eBay...
There was another bunch of books - Zip Zip was in the title. John Schealer was the author of these - I liked them as a kid too. Worth checking out although likely dated now like the old Tom swift books.
Build it, Drive it, Improve it! Hybridz.org
The White Mountains, The City of Gold and Lead, and the Pool of Fire.
It has been a long while, but I remember enjoying them and they had some interesting concepts.
Edited by Asimov
Out of print, but you can find it online.
H.M. Hoover's books like "Winds of Mars" would be great for young Sci Fi readers too.
I loved Diane Duane's "Young Wizards" series. It's technically fantasy but the worldview is much more scientific than you'd think.
My favourite for a long time was Monica Hughes' "Invitation to the Game" but she wrote many kids' SF books.
I loved John Wyndham's "The Chrysalids" though I haven't read it in many years.
They may also enjoy Osamu Tezuka's "Astro Boy". It's been out of print in English for a while so it's hard to find.
How about Charles Sheffield. He wrote a youth series ala Heinlein.
The first books I've read and still remember fondly these days were The Mysterious Island by Jules Verne. I think I was 9 or 10 years old at the time and the edition I read had some pencil-drawn pictures every 5 pages or so.
Amazing, engrossing story of a group of people lost on an island and how they build their own little pocket of civilization. There's an engineer in the group and they build a watermill, a telegraph, etc. They even rebuff a pirate attack! I thought that was the coolest thing ever. I absolutely loved those books (I think it's only a single book, but the ones I had were split in two). They are accessible and I don't remember anything objectionable in them. There's a little tie-in at the end with Captain Nemo, from the Twenty Leagues Under the Seas story, but the books stand on their own.
I highly recommend this book. Hmm, I wonder if I can find a good online version of it to read again...
Religion is the best example of mass psychosis
I was pre-teen when I snuck into the teen section where all the good stuff was. Bradbury, Asimov, Verne (20,000 Leagues... and Mysterious Island the sequel), Wells, Del Rey, Heinlein, Clarke... My real advice - don't censor. Let them read anything they have interest in.
Id also suggest the Belgariad and Malloreon by David Eddings. The "Magician" series by Raymond E Feist is also a good choice, though its aimed at a more advanced level of reading ability My brother, 10, has ploughed through the Belgariad with very few troubles. Im yt to start him on the Magician series.
Hi,
My early reading was less monitored by my parents than most, which was largely good and partly bad.
As I mature, I'd suggest, don't be afraid to let your kids read and be exposed to fiction that deals with death, betrayal, corruption, and conflict; for me personally, it was a joy to come to learn and understand these sorts of ideas on my own.
But on the other hand, vet the books first; a guy lying in bed talking with the woman he loves is very distinct from an explicit, graphic description of disgusting exualsay erversionspay [dumb google bots].
With that in mind, I would extremely highly recommend:
John Varley - "Red Thunder" (red lightning = seql)
Orson Scott Card - "Ender's Game"
Robert Heinlein - "Have Spacesuit, Will Travel"
Charles Sheffield - "Higher Education"
Charles Sheffield - "The Ganymede Club"
Charles Sheffield - "Cold As Ice"
L.E. Modessit - The Ecolitan series
I also liked Greg Bear's novels "Eternity" and "Moving Mars".
Peace,
John
I recall trying to read The TIme Machine in 5th grade. It didn't go so well. :) I really didn't understand it until I read it years later.
With that said, around that age I really enjoyed the obvious classics like Chronicles of Narnia and The Hobbit.
On the less common front, I was absolutely spellbound by a book called "Children of the Dust" by Louise Lawrence. It's a pretty harrowing story of the aftermath of a nuclear war, but wasn't so dark that it scarred me for life or anything. :)
I also really enjoyed the works of William Sleator. These days he's kind of billed as a bit of a young adult 'horror' author a-la R.L. Stine, but Sleator's stuff isn't really that horrory.
I particularly enjoyed "House of Stairs", "The Boy Who Reversed Himself", and "Interstellar Pig".
I might also suggest that you let your kids read those books that you now find dark and cynical. You didn't find them so at a younger age, as the books typically work on multiple levels. Even if you didn't get all the aspects of the stories, if they were good enough for you to read and enjoy at that age, they are probably good enough for your kids to read.
Nothing to see here
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stainless_Steel_Rat
SIGLOST && SIGUNUSED && SIGQUIT
I recommend going to www.lasfsinc.info and find their Recommended Reading list for children and young adults. They also have an adult reading list.
http://www.lasfsinc.info///index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=74&Itemid=181
The Los Angeles Science Fantasy society is the oldest continuous meeting science fiction literary society in America. Nice bunch of people too.
Why bother
Doctorow's cc-licensed "Little Brother" is great juvenile-political-scifi reading...
Heck, I really enjoyed it as an adult.
http://craphound.com/littlebrother/
Actually, C.S. Lewis had been converted to Christianity by J.R.R. Tolkien and in fact wrote the Chronicles of Narnia as a sort of Christian allegory. The "overtones" (to put it mildly: I agree with others now that they are overwhelming and a bit cloying) are not really meant to be subtle.
This is in contrast with The Silmarillion and The Lord of the Rings which does have a very Catholic foundation in its setting. The entire nature of the origins of the Elves--firstborn of the Children of Ilvatar--and their undying nature, the idea of the Halls of Mandos and the Gift of IllÃvatar (Elves were immortal only as long as Arda existed, but the spirits of Men lingered in the Halls of Mandos and then passed beyond the circles of the World), plus the hand of God guiding the heros (Frodo actually failed his Quest--it was impossible for him to overcome the lure of the One Ring, but because he showed Sméagol mercy and did everything that he had the strength to do, by divine fate the Ring was destroyed.
All in all I far prefer the quiet, assumed Christianity of Middle-earth to the blatent allegory of Narnia. That said, I found the series delightful as a child.
James P. Hogan's "Giants" trilogy (but the 4th book, "Entoverse" is for adults). First book is Inherit the Stars , about an odd situation involving a dead astronaut on the Moon who died 50,000 years ago.
Ranger's Apprentice series
Artemis Fowl series
Septimis Heap series
The Amulet of Smarkand series
The Yowler Foul-up series
Seeker series
Enders series
As much as we all love Honor Harrington, Dune (I couldn't really get through that at 15, much less 11-12), etc, they're just a little too complicated for this age group. Personally, I'd recommend David Eddings's Belgariad/Mallorean. I read them at 8-9 and still occasionally reread them.
My wife is a junior high teacher and I raid her book supply for commuter reading. The best of the lot that I've come across is the Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer. It's tongue in cheek fantasy about a brilliant young thief who decides to steal gold from the Lower Elements Police Reconnaissance (LEPRecon for short). The sixth book in the series has just been released.
===== Murphy's Law is recursive. =====
I see a lot of people suggesting LOTR, when I would actually suggest starting them with the Hobbit first. It's a bit easier to read and will introduce the backstory. Also, Wheel of Time is a great series but a little too mature for a pre-teen IMO. Lots of stuff in there that I think should be left until the teen years.
by Monica Hughes.
They'll like the teenage protagonist of the Foundation trilogy. Also, my son loved some of the Asimov robot short stories, even when he was so young I had to read them to him.
Computers obey me.
The "sinner" is replaced by the blameless sacrifice, who is shamed, mocked then killed, the women weep over the body which disappears, then the blameless sacrifice is resurrected.
Lion the witch and the wardrobe.
You mad
I dont remember how old I was when I read these but I enjoyed The Tripods by John Christopher. Also, maybe a bit on the young side, The Gismo From Outer Space by Keo Felker Lazarus was a great read as a kid.
...do watcha like...
I'd definitely recommend The Softwire series, by PJ Haarsma. I believe he's on his second book at the moment. It's geared towards younger readers, but it's a great story. Nathan Filion (Mal from Firefly/Serenity) narrated the first audio book.
http://www.thesoftwire.com
I can highly recommend anything from Stanislaw Lem. Not only are some of his books amusing to read ("The Star Diaries") they usually have a lot of depth and are socially critic and give you good food for thought. And some of them are just a good thriller ("Peace on Earth").
There are two rules for success:
1. Never tell everything you know.
1. Asimov. Doesn't have to be Foundation and friends, his other stuff is a tad easier to get at. Maybe Fantastic Voyage or something. And who knows? I enjoyed the Foundation novels at ~12, so they could perhaps be into it.
2. I just read Podkayne of Mars by Heinlein. That could be interesting to them.
3. Snowcrash.
4. Neuromancer.
5. This is more fantasy, but Philip Pullman's Dark Materials trilogy.
6. This isn't reading, but get them to play through the old Wing Commander games.
It's just a start...
Little Brother is hands-down the best young-adult sci-fi I've ever encountered. It's quite recent (within the last year), and is Creative-Commons licensed, so you can check it out before buying if you so desire. The writing is excellent, the story top-notch, and it's chock full of technophilia and anti-authoritarianism. Might be a bit too dark for pre-teens (judge for yourself). Everyone should read this before high school. I say that without reservation. http://craphound.com/littlebrother/ (Also, I second the recommendation for Invitation to the Game. I liked it.)
And get yourself an anthology of short stories for 50 cents. There are a ton of good books that anyone can recommend, but there's a reason I'd recommend a book of short stories: Imagination. Within the course of a few hundred pages, your kids will be hit with so many new ideas and thoughts their heads will spin.
Just as an example, in my old copy of "The Year's Best Science Fiction" (17th annual), I read about cryogenics and long term space travel, making "backups" of the human mind and even real-life events, engineering a spaceship to be a habitat, a version of history where Mohammed was prevented from starting Islam, the dangers of living on the moon (because of low gravity), a sport where manipulating wavelengths is the key to success, modifying the human body to become more efficient to the environment... And I've only read about half of the book!
Many of the authors in this topic are amazing authors and a few of my childhood favorites, but don't let them miss out on the experience that is a sci-fi short story anthology.
The Tripod Trilogy
The Outcast Trilogy
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Trilogy (of 5)
God so many great books!
They've already been mentioned but:
The Hobbit (not Sci-Fi) got me hooked in 6th grade. I read LotR in 7th & 8th. Hooked forever.
I, Robot (not the movie!). I think I've still got the copy dated in the 60's that I got from my Dad. The rest of the Robot Stories are a good follow on.
Ender's Game is another one that I've read many times since Jr. High.
Not mentioned (that I saw):
Choose your own Adventure. If you can find them, these are some of the best books ever. There are lots of Time Travel and Sci-Fi stories in there. A game and a book. What more can you ask for?
On a Pale Horse from Piers Anthony is a good novel that starts with an odd premise and leads to a few more good books.
Along a similar line as Harry Potter-
I'm surprised no one has mentioned Brian Jacques' "Red Wall" series of books. Perhaps I am getting older, but those were a lot of fun when I was in elementary school.
The series is about various critters who act like humans. Lots of well described scenes, battles, and specific personality traits characteristic of which type of critter you are looking at. Your kids will probably learn some vocabulary too.
Thoughtful and well written series of books.
how do I work the *&&)(* firehose, I can't get it to show previous submissions about finding Nina Reiser's body.
My children love Olympians books by Percy Jackson. Very witty, and they learn a bit of greek as well.
The Redwall series by Brian Jacques is great fiction as well.
My own favorite experiences were from reading lots of HHGTTG and Arthur C Clarke... I enjoyed lots of classics as well.
I said no... but I missed and it came out yes.
I realize you are looking specifically for sci-fi, but since people who like that typically also like fantasy, here were some of my favorites.
* When I was a pre-teen, I really enjoyed Sword of Shannara, and then I followed the series as more came out. Other Terry Brooks books are also great.
* Almost all of Isaac Asimov's stuff. Foundation series, the spacer books, etc.
* Chronicles of Narnia. These were the popular books for elementary kids where I was.
* Some of the Star Wars books were good, but not all. Most were "unoriginal".
* I read the Dune series when I was in middle school, and loved it. But I suspect only the 1st would hold the attention of a pre-teen.
* Michael Crighton books scared me to death when I was a kid. Maybe I was too young when I read those.
* Flatland. Helps you imagine what higher dimensions would "look" like.
* Obviously LOTR + The Hobbit. Non-negotiable.
* I read a lot of books by Steven Lawhead, many of them fit better in the fantasy category, but some were sci-fi like. I *really* enjoyed Empyrion.
* Also, I really enjoyed sci-fi short stories. I felt they worked really well, but you'd have to find a collection.
* Others: Madeline L'Engle, Ray Bradbury. I know he's not sci-fi or fantasy, but I really liked Shogun by Clavell. Hey, Japanese dress like aliens...
I'm currently reading the Hyperion series by Dan Simmons, and I love it, but it's not for pre-teens. Save it for later.
For the record, Lewis wasn't trying to write "Evangelistic" literature. He wanted to teach children ideas about right/wrong, self-sacrifice, good behavior and such. His self-avowed goal with those series was to plant seeds of good conduct not to explicitly attempt a conversion.
And, yes, I like the books and agree with what he did with them.
I found the Tripods book trilogy very interesting and an easy read at that age. It was featured in the magazine Boy's Life which was how I found out about it.
I also agree with the suggestions to start kids into Asimov's classics, probably starting with I, Robot. The nice thing about that book is that it's a collection of short stories, so you can take it in small bites. The stories are interrelated enough to keep you wanting to see what happens next.
Asimov's Robots of Dawn are a good 2nd set before starting into Foundation.
The Tripods Series is a great Sci-Fi read for that age. It's a vaguely Orwellian world of the future, ruled by aliens with man in controlled virtual slavery. Kids try to break free of control and rescue man, etc, etc....
When the Tripods Came/White Mountains/City of Gold and Lead/Pool of Fire.
I'm pretty sure the books are labelled in sequence order
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=the+pool+of+fire&x=0&y=0
Dan. -- So what if it's spelt wrong, nobody's perfect
Don't forget The Animorphs!
The Hitch Hikers Guide To The Galaxy is both hilarious and accessable.
Or maybe if they are feeling dangerous:
NEUROMANCER!!!!!!!!!!
Young adult book. EE Doc Smith lensman series. No sex but definitely violence. However, they're really awesome space opera, and the violence is less than most video games.
Susan Cooper-The Dark is Rising series(5 books)
Lloyd Alexander-The Black Cauldron series
Roald Dahl-Not sci-fi I know but should be required reading.
By William Sleator
Pretty good book for kids that gets into 4th and 5th dimensional geometry.
For that matter, get them Flatland and Sphereland. You can get them as a single volume.
Technoli
Star trek novels of all decades (80's, 90's, 2000's) and for all series (but especially THE Star Trek, and TNG, and DS9) have a great wealth of good, low-level writing that still has pretty good/really good characters, settings, description, dialogue, and most importantly IDEAS!!!
The ideas are usually nowhere near what a real sci-fi has, but are still leagues beyond any "creative thought" you can find outside of the genre [of sci-fi].
Lastly [I love how Dr. Danny put it] I have never encountered any significantly graphic sax or violins in the novels; as always, you may as well vet them by reading them yourself - hey, that way, everybody wins:)
And if you're wondering how to vet:
if you encounter something so obscene or graphic you make a face and/or violin-tly throw the book across the room, don't give it to your kids. Maybe burn it:)
But if its just something that makes you think "Is he old enough for this?" but does not jump out at you as disgustingly obscene/graphic/whatever,
give the kid the benefit of the doubt.
If you're really worried, get his opinion on it after, and explain WHY (whatever part/s) are objectionable.
Peace again!
John
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. Written nearly 70 years ago and more contemporary than ever. Dark, yes... but Sci-Fi is as much about futures we want as those we don't want. Read it as a kid and still remember it 30 years later.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brave_New_World
Less Challenging:
- Ender's game (only book 1. The rest take some dedication to appreciate)
- The Deathgate cycle (Weis and Hickman)
- Eye of the World (Robert Jordan, books 1 and 2 are very good... but it's all downhill from there)
More Challenging:
- I think Foundation is probably fine... above all Prelude to Foundation. I think I was 14 when I read/loved it.
- 1984 (Orwell)
Impossible:
- Foucault's Pendulum
"But we are not of Earth" and "Princes of Earth".
Nemesis by Isaac Asimov might be good but I doubt it.
For linux tips: http://www.linuxtipsblog.com
John Carter of Mars Series by Edgar Rice Burroughs The Lensman Series by Doc EE Smith (corney but good) Tom Swift comes to mind. Also. on the Fantasy side, anything Xanth! (beware the "pun"-ishment!)
Lifeforce series from Pournel
Most of Allen Dean Fosters Flinx series
Allen Dean Fosters Hichi stories
Niven's N-Space
Heinlein's Expanded Universe and Juvies
Asimov's "I Robot" and Foundation series.
- for that matter just about everything Asimov works.
Card's Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow (most of the rest of each series is later in life for the main characters, but Shadow of the Hegemon may work also.
Arthur C. Clark's short stories.
Starbridge series by A. C. Crispin
A lot of the fantasy by Mercedes Lackey
Tip on this, start by reading the first two chapters at bed time with the allowance that they may continue from there as long as they are reading they may stay up. (If they stop reading to play games, throw things, etc. time for the foot to go down and them to get to sleep.)
And have fun with the stories and your kids.
You never know...
Also, you could check out the Binding of the Blade series. Definitely fantasy and overtly Christianized. The author does not explicitly mention Christianity, but the characters reference a single God and the story arc is about God's interaction with His creation, not about individual characters.
The characters come and go (sadly), but ultimately their goal in life is to accomplish the will of God (i.e. your Christian overtones). And yeah, like Lewis, I agree with the author's theological points. So, I'm biased.
Still these are VERY well written stories.
Other than that caveat, the violence is not any more graphic than Tolkien and no other objectionable elements exist.
I reviewed them more in depth at Conservativebooktalk.com.
on the fantasy front...
- The Dark is Rising series, by Susan Cooper
- The Prydain Chronicles, by Lloyd Alexander
- The Earthsea Cycle, by Ursula K. Le Guin
- the Xanth series, by Piers Anthony
as for sci fi...
- "Superluminal", by Vonda N. McIntyre
- "Mrs. Frisby and the Rats of NIMH", by Robert C. O'Brien, illustrated by Zena Bernstein
- Time Quartet, by Madeleine L'Engle ("A Wrinkle in Time", "A Wind in the Door", "Many Waters", "A Swiftly Tilting Planet"
and here is a link to a list of sci fi for kids (some of the above are on it)
http://www.colapublib.org/reading/children/sci-fi.html
another light hearted and great book that ties the magic and science together is
- "The Blood and Thunder Adventure on Hurricane Peak", by Margaret Mahy
A compilation edited by Isaac Asimov.
Really great storeis in here. Not too many books concerning Sci-Fi crime!
I KUT J00 M4NG!!!
I loved reading my parents' favorites when I was a kid. You know best what's appropriate for them and you'll be able to discuss it when they're done. On more than one occasion my mother or father reread a book after I renewed their interest, or we picked up a new novel by the author and read it together.
Sharing your love of reading with them can be as much fun for you as it is for them. Enjoy it, soon they'll be moody teens and college know-it-alls looking for literature that's their own.
Nine Princes in Amber, then on through the series. Smart, literary, very readable, amazing visual imagery (the various illustrators haven't come close to what the language suggests), philosophically suggestive, yet nothing too disturbing for a child.
"with their freedom lost all virtue lose" - Milton
Why? Because there's just tons of references to the Bible in almost all literature... even if you're agnostic it'll help you know when to run away when someone mentions "the road to Damascus" or "the prodigal son."
Start with the brutal gen-o-cide page-turner (Genesis) and skip Numbers and Deuteronomy.
(posted anonymously because I try to avoid flames... both virtual and spiritual!!) (PS... lame-n e s s filters suck...)
I said no... but I missed and it came out yes.
Yeah, yeah, yeah... Dune, the LOTR, Foundation, the Hitchhiker's Guide, etc. Those are all great books and obvious choices. But if you're looking for quality material that's specifically geared towards a younger audience, here are some of my personal favorites.
The Wee Free Men and sequels by Terry Pratchet. All the quality of his other works, with a little less political satire.
The Dark is Rising series by Susan Cooper. The first book's a bit boring, but they get much better after that.
The My Teacher is an Alien series by Bruce Coville. I would almost consider these to be classics.
The Tripod Trilogy by John Christopher.
The Neverending Story by Michael Ende. Another classic.
The Abhorsen series by Garth Nix. The content in these ones may be a bit mature, but they are found in the young adult section of my local bookstore.
I'm a voracious reader and also a bit of a sci-fi/fantasy snob. (I never understood the Harry Potter craze.) These are all books that I can (and have) pull out at any time and still enjoy today. All of these are intelligent and well written. Some of the above posters seem to imply that just because a book is aimed at a younger audience, that it can't make you think and question yourself. That just isn't the case.
Have fun!
In the mid to early 80s, I absolutely loved the Tom Swift series. Only later when I was looking for the 12th book in the series did I realize that Tom Swift had other series back in the 50s. Today I realize that it was the 3rd of 4 series:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Swift#Third_Tom_Swift_series_.281981-1984.29
It appears that it's the only series set in outer space, which is probably why I loved them so much.
- passion
Don't forget RAH's first - Rocketship Galileo, and also Space Cadet, Time for the Stars. Also: I think 'The Rolling Stones' is the correct title of 'Space Family Stone', although I understand many of his early works were originally published serially, and under different titles; that may be the case here, but the novel has always been known to me as 'The Rolling Stones.' I would also include 'The Moon is a Harsh Mistress' and 'Starship Troopers' here, and perhaps 'The Puppet Masters.' I read all of these before I hit 12, and had no problems with them. Indeed, Moon is perhaps my favourite book to this day, even though I don't agree with some of Heinlein's social or some of his political views, it certainly formed or firmed a lot of my beliefs then and since. I don't see any need to avoid political stuff simply due to being young. On the contrary, much like with pets, it's good to get exposure early, else you might develop an allergy later in life. :)
Other good ones include Isaac Asimov's "Lucky Starr" books (originally credited to his alter ego, 'Paul French', I think). There are also Schmitz's "Telzey Amberdon" books, as well as his classic "The Witches of Karres." Clarke's "Islands in the Sky", Gallun's "The Planet Strappers" (hard to find, but awesome), "Across a Billion Years" by Silverberg, "Space Angel" by John Maddox Roberts, "Healer" by F. Paul Wilson, "Eridahn" by Robert Young (dinosaurs! Time travel! Martians! Aliens! (yes, Martians and Aliens are listed separately here :)), someone else already mentioned "Welcome to Mars" by Blish, and I'll certainly second that. There's a LOT more to E.E. Doc Smith than his Lensman and Skylark books, and I think I'd recommend them all. "Spacial Delivery" by Gordon Dickson was a good one, as are "Talking to Dragons" by Patricia Wrede, (which is apparently part of a series. This is the only one that I've read, and it stands alone brilliantly), the Harper Hall trilogy by Anne McCaffrey (set on the Pern world), and the undersea books by Jerry Pournelle (I think) I remember as being quite fun, too. Also: Robert Aspirin's "MythAdventures" books, and Piers Anthony's "Xanth" books (though the older you are, the more you'll get the 'awful' puns).
Many, if not most, of these, will need to be purchased used, due to the sad state of the publishing industry. *sigh*
I actually wrote a gigantic list on this subject several years ago on Slashdot - you may be able to find it via a search by using some of the more unique titles or names listed here as keywords.
'The Spaceship under the Apple Tree' by Louis Slobodkin. Every kid wishes a spaceship would land in their backyard, this is that story. There are sequels but unfortunately never found them. :)
'Kings of Space' by Capt WE Johns. Yes, the Biggles author. Ten easy-to-read books, great adventures. Basically, Biggles in Space! One of the protagonists is ex-RAF, he takes his hunting rifle on interplanetary trips. This comes in useful when one super-advanced (and weaponless) planet they visit is suddenly invaded, he wins the day by taking potshots at the invader's ships
Perry Rhodan books were great too.
I'm not sure if these are actually sci-fi, but I enjoyed Brave New World and Island by Aldous Huxley. I read them when I was 15.
No-one's mentioned John Christopher yet, so I'll recommend him. I read a lot of his stuff as a kid and loved it.
Try "The Tripods" trilogy, and the "Prince in Waiting" trilogy for starters.
Also, "The Triffids" by John Wyndham. :)
Enjoy
I would suggest the Norby series of short stories by Janet and Isaac Asimov. They are simple engaging stories for younger kids. It is about a robot name Norby, and the young space cadet who found it in a used robot shop.
Serious classic author: E. E. "Doc" Smith, anything
Classic author: H. Beam Piper, anything
Classic author: H. G. Wells, anything
I second the nomination of Jules Verne, anything
#
For variety:
H. Rider Haggard, Adventure, anything
Rafael Sabatini, Adventure, The Sea Hawk, Captain Blood, Scaramouche
#
For the politically incorrect: Tom Swift (parential advice possibly)
#
Many of these are available (free) at Project Gutenbert and LibriVox.
I'm in my 50s, so what I read as a pre-teen is now somewhat obscure. I won't list those that have already been mentioned, but here's a few that I read, and re-read, and re-read again...
A Life For The Stars - James Blish
Rite Of Passage - Alexi Panshin
Between Planets - Robert Heinlein
The Lensman Series - E.E. "Doc" Smith
The Stars My Destination - Alfred Bester (Best SF book ever, IMHO)
If you didn't notice the politics in Starship Troopers, your kids won't either.
Don't try to limit what your kids read. The occasional swear word, or bad situation won't corrupt them.
As for recommendations, Cory Doctorow is a great author. His newest novel, Little Brother, is meant for young adults. It might be a little soon for pre-teens, but maybe not. I was reading The Sword of Truth when I was twelve.
People are coming up with some great books, but the parents of most pre-teens, or parents period, wouldn't approve.
For example: Ringworld, Snowcrash, Cryptonomicon, Neuromancer -- all of these have rather heavy sex scenes. Remember now, eh?
Forget the books with complex politics or the fact that Harry Potter isn't Sci-Fi; these kinds of books are the worst possible picks. Sex is the biggest problem in selecting for any pre-adult reading list. I don't care if less-than-13-years-olds read about perfectly natural human interactions like sex. In my opinion, it is better than reading about intense violence. And maybe my parents wouldn't have freaked at me reading them at 11, but most parents would.
My List: H. G. Wells, Jules Verne, Heinlein's youth oriented stuff, and The Hitchhikers Guide series.
there's a whole set of Heinlein books aimed at younger (pre-teen to early teen) readers. Have SpaceSuit Will Travel, Farmer in the Sky, The Rolling Stones, etc, etc. Basically, all have teenage heroes/heroines, and are less political/lighter than his adult books.
Bob
Anything written by Arthur C Clarke. I was devouring everything clark when I was around 10. I started with Rendezvous with Rama, which remains my favorite book of all time. It was actualy on the pre-teen shelf at the library when I was a kid. The sequels are really good, too, imo... though many disagree. The 2001 series is good, Hammer of God, Songs of Distant Earth, Childhood's End. Too many to list. Sometimes the themes are a little advanced, but don't underestimate young readers. I think kids should pick up more advanced books early anyways... it helps development. Too many adults these days are still stuck in a Dr. Seuss world =)
Nicodemus
I believe I first read HHGTTG when I was ~11, and while some of the irony and sarcasm probably went over my head, there was still more than enough humor and adventure to keep me interested in the book.
I agree with many of the recommendations here, but would add to the Hitchhiker's Guides the Red Dwarf novels (Infinity Welcomes Careful Drivers and Better Than Life, especially) for two reasons: the discussed universe is restricted by there not being any alien cultures, etc., allowing a somewhat unique viewpoint in the sci-fi world; and it tends to be quite funny. No matter what anyone tells you, comedy requires insightful thought processes on behalf of the audience; being humourous about thoughtful topics even more so.
Leela: "Is all the work done by children?" Alien: "No, not the whipping."
Or as my wife like to succinctly put it "OMG WTF Jesus Lion"
Nothing honors the Mosquito more than the Deathworld trilogy by Harry Harrison. A light fun read with plenty of action... I highly recommend.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Deathworld
In addition to my challenge one summer to go from the true beginning of Asimov's Robots/Empire/Foundation story line to the end. Needless to say much time was spent in Half Price Books. (Also a great spot to get such pulpy Sci-Fi).
You don't remember these books as dry and cynical because you didn't care.
You're not seeing them the same way today. Just as I look back on books I loved as a child and see new things, so do you. But the fact remains: they were good books. Children are very, very good at ignoring the things they don't understand in favor of the things they do.
Consider just handing them Heinlein, and letting them figure it out for themselves. Children are robust little machines for making sense of the world. Give them "Stranger in a Strange Land"; all the sex and religion parts whizzed right by me as a kid, and I mainly came away from it with an appreciation for cultural differences. So if you were looking at that book thinking the sex and religion parts were too much, you might be right, but you're also throwing the baby out with the bathwater.
Microsoft cheerleader, blue flag waving, you got a problem with that?
My kids are voracious readers of sci-fi/fantasy stuff and we've been through the Harry Potters, Jules Verne, etc.
Recently they have been reading a newer series of books called 'Percy Jackson and the Olympians' by Rick Riordan and love them. It is set in modern times with the premise that the Greek goods are still around. The series follows the adventures of a son of Poseidon and a mortal woman as he and his other half-god friends on various adventures. Does a good job of tying in with the classic stories. It actually got my kids so interested in mythology in general that my wife had to go get them each a copy of a mythology textbook.
My wife & I read the books as well and they are really enjoyable and fun. Good adventure yarn.
The punchline came when the kids were watching a Stargate rerun and connected the dots on a couple of the mythology references.
I highly reccomend John Norman's Gor books, nothing like a little sci-fi, romance, and a plain way to make sure they know their place as males and how females have a basic need to be dominated by them!
I'd strongly recommend all of the works of Michael Moorcock. He wrote sci-fi as well as fantasy.
Anything by L. Hon Hubbard is very funny but you might lose your children!
Actually, C.S. Lewis had been converted to Christianity by J.R.R. Tolkien and in fact wrote the Chronicles of Narnia as a sort of Christian allegory.
Er, I thought it was the other way around---I thought C.S. Lewis converted J.R.R. Tolkien to Christianity, and that's why you could read Christian themes into LOTR if you try at all.
As far as I know, C.S. Lewis has always been a Christian writer.
Pre-Teen is hard...
I think the first SF I did read where the The Star Diaries from Stanislaw Lem and I enjoyed them as much for the jokes as for the way they did confuse me.
As teenager I liked the Stainless Steel Rat books from Harry Harrison, but they are already somewhat darker.
Terry Pratchett certainly - he has some books which are probably fine for kids. Like "Only you can save Mankind".
For fantasy I can recommend strongly "The Thirteen and a Half Lives of Captain Bluebear" from Walter Moers. One of those incredible books for all ages.
I agree, but John Carter and Tars Tarkas' adventured on Barsoom.
just sayin'
"Karma can only be portioned out by the cosmos." -- Homer Simpson
Foundation series is good. :-)
Just make sure they haven't read anything about chaos theory and the butterfly effect first
For younger kids "A wrinkle in Time" by Madeleine L'Engle is one of the greats.
Lloyd Alexander's books. His "Chronicles of Prydain" (starting with "The Book of Three") are probably his best work, but he's got some other wonderful stuff.
Jeff Smith's Bone -- don't hold the fact that it's a graphic novel against it. :)
Tweet, tweet.
Karma
These are a blend of sci-fi and fantasy but absolutely enjoyable
In middle school, I remember reading Dune, Ringworld, and some Heinlein. I also discovered Hitchhiker's Guide around that time. I also haven't seen David Brin mentioned yet. The larger concepts will probably be a bit too abstract, but his books are full of unusual and interesting characters. Another possibility are the Star Trek/Wars and other movie/TV tie-in novels. Many are quite good and would be instantly accessible if the kids are familiar with the movies. Karen Traviss' (of the Wess 'Har series) did some writing for the Star Wars series if I remember correctly.
The Stainless Steel Rat series. Can't remember when I started them, but it couldn't have been later than 12 or so. Loved every minute!
I'm in to sadism, bestiality and necrophilia. Am I flogging a dead horse?
E E Doc Smith did great Space Opera genre - these were a great read as a kid for me. Particularly the Lensman series.
As others have said, the Heinlein books targetted to youth are excellent as well - and can give a good lead in to his more political works later.
Some of Arthur C Clarke's books might be appropriate as well.
Julian May's Exile series - I remember enjoying that a lot.
I'm sure you've done some googling, etc, but in case you haven't trying searching for terms such as "Space Opera", "Youth SF", etc. I'm sure that'll turn up a lot of information.
I have to second several mentions here. Giving your kids an opportunity for a good grounding in classic sci-fi/fantasy literature will pay back in spades. I've also added in some more recent enjoyments.
* A.E. van Vogt - just about anything will do
* Andre Norton - again, just about anything
* Edmond Hamilton - _The Best of Edmond Hamilton_ collection
* Leigh Brackett - _The Best of Leigh Brackett_ collection
* Heinlein juveniles - _Time for the Stars_, _The Starbeast_, etc.
* E.E. "Doc" Smith - Lensman hexology
* Asimov - Robots series
* Bester - _Stars my Destination_ is a little mean, but workable
* Clifford Simak - _Time and Again_
* Weis and Hickman - DragonLance Chronicles and Legends trilogies
* Robert Jordan - Wheel of Time series, long and a bit more grown up, but your kids will handle them
* L'Engle - Time Quartet
* Patricia McKillip - Riddle-Master trilogy
* Tolkien - they'll handle the classic four
* Robin McKinley - _The Blue Sword_, _The Hero and the Crown_
* Anne McCaffrey (and others) - Dinosaur Planet series, especially the latter three: _Sassinak_, _The Death of Sleep_, _Generation Warriors_
* C.J. Cherryh - _Downbelow Station_, _Rimrunners_
* Arthur H. Landis - _A World Called Camelot_
* Neal Stephenson - if they like history, _Cryptonomicon_
That's about all my poor brain can dump at this time.
Chris
Cory Doctorow's new "Little Brother" is considered youth literature and is something you can enjoy reading along with them.
They probably would enjoy "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" series ... and in a few years when they reread it, they'll love it all over again. There is some arial sex over Islington though.
Terry Pratchett works for just about any age group, but isn't actually Sci-Fi (more fantasy). Also in the Fantasy camp, "The Chronicles of Narnia" are probably best read as a child before they are old enough to pick apart the analogies.
I think these are a great place to start, I have read asimov for a long time and I still love his books of short stories most! All are good and some ideas have stuck in my mind long after. So one big vote for books of Asimov short stories. Gee other than that, I didn't read much sci-fi as a kid, I did read Stephen King thought, they are an easy read, no science in there thought!
like phosphorescent desert buttons singing one familiar song
City and Time is the Simplest Thing are two of his best.
Susan Cooper's The Dark is Rising series is also excellent.
Truth: If it's not one thing, it's another
James H. Schmitz has many great titles for preteens. The Witches of Karres, Eternal Frontier, Agent of Vega, The Hub: Dangerous Territory, Trigger and Friends, T.N.T:Telzey & Trigger, Telzey Amberdon have all been rereleased by Baen so you can still get them. Terry Pratchett has several books aimed at preteens. The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents, The Wee Free Men, A Hat Full of Sky, Wintersmith are all good reads that you may read together with them and enjoy yourself too. That should get a a quick start as all are in print. The problem with a lot of the classics are you need to get them at used bookstores as many are out of print.
I was pleasantly surprised to find that my top choice, Anne McCaffrey, was one of the first posts. here.
I started in on her Dragonriders of Pern series. It waffles back and forth between sci-fi and fantasy, but it's definitely a great read. I stopped with the Masterharper of Pern, which was a good dozen books in, at least, and there've been more since. The Harper Hall miniseries (Dragonsong, Dragonsinger, Dragondrums) is more aimed at the younger crowd, so it might be a good introduction for preteens, with the main body of the series once they get a little older.
There's also the Brainship series (the Ship who Sang, the Ship Who Search, the City who Fought, etc.), the Crystal Singer series, both the Talents series, and so on.
Aside from McCaffrey, can't go wrong with the Chronicles of Narnia.
I also enjoyed Piers Anthony. Stay away from Xanth unless you want to stunt their minds with endless puns and what is practically porn. Instead, look for the Incarnations of Immortality (On A Pale Horse, etc.) and the Phaze/Proton books (Out of Phaze, etc).
Since I mostly covered fantasy, Asimov's full-length novel "Nightfall" was fun.
Soylens viridis homines es
Alex Rider
Percy Jackson and the Olympians
Ranger's Apprentice
My 2 boys (9 & 11) love these.
I liked the Norby Series when I was young
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norby
Series:
Novels:
Collections:
"Great men are not always wise: neither do the aged understand judgement." Job 32:9
Martin's "A Game of Thrones," along with the subsequent books. Kicks the shit out of 99.5% of other fantasy books.
I can't believe I forgot to mention Scott Westerfeld's "Uglies" series (Uglies, Pretties, Specials, Extras).
Fantastic stuff, and quite thought-provoking. I was surprised how well the quality held up - every one is better than the one before.
Also, Cory Doctorow's recent "Little Brother" is an absolute gem, and should be on every geek's gift list to everyone they know, kid or adult.
"The Rolling Stones", "Citizen of the Galaxy", "Have Spacesuit - Will Travel", "Farmer in the Sky", "Tunnel in the Sky", "Red Planet".
I'd even recommend them in roughly that order.
I've not read these in many years, but they are what got me into SF, with a vengence for a spell. Say what you will about the man, his JuvFic was wonderful, escapist stuff. I hope they hold up well with a modern reading, because I'm really starting to get a jones to re-read these classics.
Pulling from my childhood memories... CS Lewis was mentioned already. But obviously, the Narnia series. The Space Trilogy... but it maybe be a bit hard to follow for on a young reader. John Christopher's Tripod Trilogy ("The White Mountains" , "The City of Gold and Lead" , "The Pool of Fire" ) - Basically what would have happened if HG Well's Invaders from "The War of the Worlds" didn't die of a cold. Told from the perspective of pre-teen boys on how the world might resist that type of subjugation. Although those old dusty classics don't seem to have much appeal at first these days, but they are hidden treasures; especially for new readers! (ex. Robinson Crusoe)
I definitely second Ender's Game. I've read that four or five times without it getting old. The first couple of sequels are decent as well, but they eventually get long and never come close to the original. I would also recommend some of Asimov's books that aren't part of a series. Nightfall is good, as is Nemesis. All of R.A. Salvatore's Dark Elf books are excellent, but they get more than a bit violent at parts. They're also fantasy. I'd also recommend collections of short stories, although alot of those (unless published by Random House) are more for teens and adults. John Cristopher's Tripod series is very good, and not too far out of preteen material. There's a series called Broken Sky, which is fantasy/sci-fi but very good. It maybe a tad violent, and there's the fact that a lot of the books are out of print, but it reads like a comic book. Ha looking around my room I can see more sci-fi books than I can count, but all in all I'd just recommend the classics and short stories, although I'd either read them or research some of them first.
Stanislaw Lem: The Cyberiad! Absolutely wonderful on all levels -- playful and full of ideas.
There is a series of classic (and somewhat corny) books by Isaac Asimov writing under the pseudonym of Paul French; the books are in the "Lucky Starr" series. They take place in the 25th or 26th Century, and sort of are a prelude to the more mature writings of the "Foundation" series, or of the world depicted in "Caves of Steel." I read these when I was in the seventh grade, and remember them still. May not be easy to find, but definitely worth it.
Any of the "Tales of Known Space" series by Larry Niven; "Tar Aym Krang" by Alan Dean Foster.
Stalin: The Court of the Red Tsar
http://www.amazon.com/Stalin-Court-Simon-Sebag-Montefiore/dp/1400042305
It might not be scifi, but after reading that however "dark" a scifi (or any other genre) is trying to be it don't compare. And there is no bad guy in fiction that quite comes close. Also it should remove any nightmares they watched the new alien movie at a friends house (now they have new nightmares about camps and purges instead).
Seriously though. I think it is good to read some dark, cynical and edge stories when you are young; it is afterall the periode of your life when you are supposed to learn. And learning that the world is a cruel place that causes the majority of the populace to suffer is something that should be faced at an early age. If not, there is no-one to blame, but ourselves, when our children stick their heads in the sand and pretend all the bad things happening in the world is something they just have to close their senses to. Sheltering the young from pain is instinctual and a part of being a parent, but overprotecting can do more harm than good.
Then again they are pre-teens, so letting them read The Gap Series might not be the best first step in getting them into Scifi.
Personally I started with people like John Bing (norwegian author) who has written a ton of decent scifi books; than I enjoyed a lot when I was in my early teens (and before I seem to vaguely recall). However I can't seem to find any translated into English.
The Long Now Foundation
by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
Or H.G. Wells and Jules Verne (just because they're classics and everyone should know them).
Most sci-fi is meaningless crap though. The first Dune book was pretty good and Heinlein did some good stuff. Brave New World was decent, except for the fact that the author's last novel was a non-sci-fi retort to it. Most sci-fi is no different than romance or western or horror or fantasy. The best sci-fi is on film anyway - Star Wars and Star Trek (original movies and Next Generation).
The only other sci-fi I'd really recommend, but not to kids, would be William Gibson. Staying within a genre is very limiting and because readers tend to do this a lot of crap gets published - especially in the case of sci-fi/fantasy.
Oh - I almost forgot - for pre-teens the Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle or anything by Ray Bradbury. Sci-fi does have its triumphs here and there.
As a young guy, I loved the Tom Swift Junior books by Victor Appleton II.
Tom was a young inventor that managed to get into very cool adventures. My
first real hard Sci Fi book was Against the Fall of Night by Arther C. Clarke.
He is still one of my fovorite authors.
Of course, Heinlein, Stanislaw Lem, Herbert, and Zelazny have to be mentioned.
These are a bit dark for young teens . . . except for Lem who is hilarious.
Andre Norton had me hooked when I was about 10,11,12. Lord of the rings is heavy going at that age, but what about the Hobbit? The Lensmen series by EE 'Doc' Smith?
with sci-fi was "The Stars My Destination" by Alfred Bester. I can't say it was the best sci-fi I've read, but it is one of my favorites. I was maybe 11 or 12 and had read a lot of other things, but not anything I would've considered science fiction. That book (and Alfred Bester's style of writing) had me hooked.
From there I turned to the usual suspects; Asimov, Clarke, Heinlein, Dick, Niven, Gibson, Pournelle, Wells, etc... Which turned me onto other genres such as fantasy and horror and other categories too numerous to mention. That one book provided me the opportunity to become the geek I am today.
Just give them a couple books by the aforementioned authors, they'll do the rest.
all the madeline l'engle books.
The Lensman Series (one of the first Sci-fi series ever)
The Space Eagle (I enjoyed this one at age 10-12)
the old Tom Swift series
Hal Clement - Mission of Gravity & Star Light
James P. Hogan - Inherit The Stars, The Gentle Giants of Ganymede, Giants' Star
John W. Campbell - The Black Star Passes, Islands of Space - the Best of John W. Campbell
Jack L. Chalker - Midnight at the Well of Souls - The Well World series
Lester Del Rey - The Best of Lester Del Rey
Eric Frank Russell - The Best of Eric Frank Russell
No, Tolkien grew up a devout Catholic. So that's definitely not it. :)
I hate to appeal to Wikipedia, but the article there does mention Lewis's falling away from Christianity as a teenager and then returning to theism and then Christianity when he in his early 30's.
C.S. Lewis was definitely one of the great Christian apologists of the 20th century, and it's no wonder that you remember him as such.
It surprises me that there has no mention of Arthur C. Clarke.
The early short stories are accessible and satisfying.
"Rendezvous with Rama."
I'll not complain if you take a pass on the sequels.
You also can't go wrong with comics.
This summer seems a particularly good opportunity to introduce new readers to Frank Miller's "The Dark Knight" and "The Dark Knight Strikes Again."
Pierce's fantasy books are great reads, and not just for girls (or children). Probably a really good idea for boys to read to get the girl's perspective. Hopefully they won't be TOO much of a pain in the ass afterwards. Her 'The Cirle Opens' and 'The Circle of Magic' books, her Alanna books, her 'Immortals' books, 'Protector of the Small' books, are all great reads.
Like many of the other people who have already commented on your request, I would encourage you not to delete books from your list because they might be somewhat dark or complex. I remember reading Bradbury, Cordwainer Smith, Asimov, and Clarke when I was your sons' age, and appreciating the fact that the worlds and scenarios they created had ambiguities and shades of gray.
That said, I would recommend taking a look at a history of science fiction for suggestions. My own personal favorite is Brian Aldiss and David Wingrove's Trillion Year Spree: The History of Science Fiction - it does a great job of covering the classics of science fiction, while pointing out lesser-known authors. The book summaries and analyses should give you a good feel for whether a particular author would be of interest to your sons.
...I'd agree with "don't hold back". Most of those classics and classic authors mentioned above in the comments? I read by age 13, including Orson Scott Card, Tolkein, Pratchett, Piers Anthony, Heinlein, L'Engle, Hitchhiker's Guide, Dune, and a whole bunch of edgier, darker and racier stuff I found in the very dusty sci-fi section of my library. Don't hold back, let them pick what they like or think they'll like, and, to be blunt, don't worry about the sex and violence, unless your children are wont to believe everything they read.
Asimov and his wife wrote a series about a robot called Norby that I loved (there are about 10 of em--all with Norby in the title). Those are what got me hooked on Sci-fi. Then I also enjoyed CS Lewis's Sci-Fi trilogy called the Space Trilogy (Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra, and That Hideous Strength). The two City of Ember books are fun and the first one is coming out as a movie this fall.
Roger Zelanzy's Amber series (Nine Princes in Amber is the first) isn't sci-fi, but is a great starter series. Gibson is just a great, well-known writer. Stephenson's latest stuff comes across dry, might be boring for kids, but Snow Crash and Cryptonomicon are good choices. And if everyone hasn't had enough of the fantasy sci-fi, Piers Anthony and his Incarnations of Immortality series is both... I recall this as being my first collection of stories that I really got into.
I quite liked E.E. Doc Smith's stuff (Lensman series, Subspace Explorers/Encounters, Skylark series).
Timothy Zahn's Dragonback series is also an excellent current series specifically intended for younger readers. Zahn's other books are also very good.
I'd also suggest exploring the Star Wars extended universe stuff, as well as the Battletech novels. Some of it is fairly poor (e.g. anything with the name Kevin J Anderson attached to it), but you will find some good reads in both (Zahn, Stackpole, Allston, Denning, etc)
enjoyed them as a kid
I have recently started reading just about anything Tad Williams which is utterly sensational. Otherland is a bit on the long side (four books, about 4-5000 pages all up) but is a wonderful blend of both sci-fci (short term future, earth based) and many other worlds (visited through a VR system) where the majority of the books unfold.
Really worth the read. It pulled my back into reading after years of not reading.
Moved to http://soylentnews.org/. You are invited to join us too!
I don't know if anyone has mentioned Daniel Pinkwater yet. Some of his books have a good sci-fi flavor (though they tend to straddle that line between science fiction and fantasy). In particular I enjoyed Fat Men from Space, The Magic Moscow, and Alan Mendelsohn, the Boy from Mars. See here for more information.
I wouldn't worry too much about the sex/violence/darkness part; you should read the book, too, or have read it. The best part of having your kids read scifi is talking to them about it.
I think scifi is a genre where short stories are as important as novels, Pick a big anthology published in the 60s, and you can't really go wrong. I would certainly pick that over something like Tolkien, where you really have no choice but to plough through hundreds of pages to say you've done it. I am pretty sure Tolkien was more than a little bored with it himself by the end.
Having said all that, I loved Philip K Dick as a kid. He is famous for his drug use nowadays, but other than Scanner Darkly and Valis that's not realy what his books were about. His preoccupation with reality vs. illusion the stuff I was worried about as a teenager...but maybe that was just me, or just the 1970s.
RAH wrote several books specifically tailored to pre-teen and teen readers. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heinlein_juveniles for a list. Another good Heinlein book might be Glory Road; it could be a little too sexual for them (your call, you're the parent), but I thought it was a fun read when I was 13.
God invented whiskey so the Irish would not rule the world.
I'll try to stick to ones I didn't see on a fast pass through the topic...
As always, vet for yourself! Good luck! I envy your kids, just starting out with all the wonder out there.
A hero is someone who knows when to run away. I am a hero. -Trent the Uncatchable
I'll second the Earthsea series by LeGuin. The Amber series by Zelazny was a favorite of mine at that age as well.
Asimov and many Golden Age authors are a good place to go. I loved the Foundation series when I was a tween, but I didn't really "get it" until I read it in my twenties. The Robots novels were much better in this regard, and I can't imagine a better series of road trip books.
From McSweeneys:
3-Line Narnia
C.S. LEWIS: Hey, a Utopia ruled by children and populated by talking animals!
THE WITCH: Hello, I'm a sexually mature woman of power and confidence.
C.S. LEWIS: Aaaahhh! Kill it, lion Jesus!
Hawking may not be the first author that comes to mind when looking for a children's book, but my 10 year old daughter really enjoyed Lucy and Stephen Hawking's book Georgeâ(TM)s Secret Key to the Universe.
See http://nymag.com/family/kids/39565/
By Charles Stross... His other books are awesome too.
John Christopher's, "Tripods" series (The White Mountains, The City of Gold & Lead, The Pool of Fire)
Also, anything by Asimov; the Robot, or 'Lije Baley' novels (The Caves of Steel, The Naked Sun, The Robots of Dawn, Robots and Empire)
"Son of Man, Daughter of Eve."
Yeah no biblical overtones there.
Royal King with mystical powers who dies in place of a 'sinner' and is resurrected defeating the witch.
No undercurrents of Christianity there.
If Aslan isn't Jesus I don't know who is. Perhaps YOU aren't very well versed in biblical studies and as such aren't seeing the parallels because I can say for sure that I could read an allegory of the Koran and not notice a single similarity.
Feed by M T Anderson.
The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander was a series of books that I found very enjoyable (and I'm surprised no-one else has mentioned them yet).
The Turning Place
But We Are Not of Earth
http://www.childrensliteraturenetwork.org/birthbios/brthpage/07jul/7-29karl.html
She was a brilliant author and editor. Under-appreciated.
Also:
Runaway Robot by Lester Del Ray
There's a list of books suitable for children from six to sixteen at The LASFS website. It's one of the many projects of This World's Oldest Science Fiction Club.
Good, inexpensive web hosting
I enjoyed both Lord of the Rings and Narnia as a child, though LOTR is the only series that stuck with me.
It is a digression I know, but I just felt like pointing out that one of my biggest grips with the Fantasy inspired by Lord of the Rings (and in part Narnia) is always so focused on the battle between good and evil; which is fine. But why does just about every fantasy series revolve around children, especially boys, who is more often than not "the true heir to the throne". Why is it that fantasy authors for some reason glorify monarchical dynasty and the idea of "the good King".
If anyone can name good mature fantasy (and mature in this context dosnt mean sex; which it seems to indicate more often than not) that doesnt revolve around the end of the world, the fight against the "dark one" and the "chosen one" I would be very interested. Already I have found several authors, more and more these days it seems, but I am always looking for more. Scifi and fantasy are still some of the "settings" that interest me the most. But it just seems to be so much crap dominating those genres (fantasy in particualar).
The Long Now Foundation
Ender's Game, Red Wall, HG Wells War of the Worlds, Ringworld
for a roadtrip, try The Rolling Stones. For one, it's a traveling tale. It'll introduce them to Heinlein, and it'll get them started with something that doesn't seem daunting at first. While some pre-teens can doubtless handle the Foundation Trilogy, or enjoy LOTR, they may feel like too much work/too much like school at first.
Don't be quite so quick to rule out books that you now see as dark or political. One of my greatest joys now is going back and reading books like Ender's Game, Fahrenheit 451, or Starship Troopers and seeing how much my perception of them is changed. It's a great measure of your own maturation, and makes you realize that your opinions can and do change. Just as you said, you don't remember them being that dark because you didn't interpret them that way when you were younger.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Green_Futures_of_Tycho
This book had a huge impact on me some 25-odd years ago, and is likely what got me very interested in not only Sci-Fi, but also some aspects of philosophy. I recently passed it on to my now-12-year-old, and despite not being much of a bookworm (too busy with that newfangled intarweb), he was also enraptured by it.
I can't recommend it highly enough.
Dune by Frank Herbert
Did a book report on it in 4th grade. Enjoyed it.
Also, anything by Asimov. Couldn't get enough.
I loved that thing circa 8th grade. Read it after I got curious from seeing a question/excerpt about it on our standardized testing for that year.
Good stuff.
(Yes, I was a nerd, but aren't we all?)
Precisely. I like the stories from an agnostic's perspective -- after all, would you rather your kids learn about Jesus as "Oh, the guy in the ancient myth who was the inspiration for Aslan in that cool fantasy novel", or about Jesus from your local fundamentalist outfit?
I wouldn't care whether any of my offspring grew up to be believers or not -- but I would want them to know that the historical/literary Jesus bore very little relation to the version of Jesus that the anti-sex anti-science fundie whackjobs seem to believe in. The literary genius of the Narnia tales is that they illustrate the myth without preaching belief one way or the other. The theological genius of the Narnia tales is they illustrate the teachings and let the reader come to his or her own conclusion as to whether Aslan was worth following.
To use a modern analogy, one doesn't have to believe in Yoda or Anakin/Vader to realize that Yoda's teachings are more worthy of being followed than Darth Vader's.
To go back to a Narnia analogy -- if I brought my kids up on a diet of Aslan vs. the Witch, I think they'd quite accurately discern that the fictional character for whom the fundie nuts are working... sure as hell ain't Aslan.
I'm not sure if this would encourage your kids but: check the bibliography of Seattle's heavy-metal band Bloodhag. Their songs are really really short, really really loud, and all relate the autobiographies of famous sci-fi writers.
Some rock bands have a satan schtick, some push christianity or drugs. Bloodhag have a silly name and preach early childhood literacy through science-fiction. They throw books at their audience, screaming, "Read!" Could work, and they might play your public library on one of their tours.
Their bibliography really is quite good. "Andre Norton has a posse."
http://www.bloodhag.com/
Bradbury wrote some wonderful short stories, many of which should be freely available from the local library. Short stories can make a great introduction to different authors, and many of those mentioned in other responses have short stories - either a few (usually found in collections with other authors), or a lot (e.g. Asimov's 'Robot' stories, Bradbury, etc).
As he got a bit older, Everworld series, The Wrinkle in Time Series and the Xanth Books.
Oh, he also really liked Dragonriders of Pern (McCaffery)- there are a LOT in the series - some are small paperbacks - mostly about the smaller dragons, those are an easier read and would be better for a younger crowd.
It would be silly to suggest Harry Potter I assume - most kids have already read them...or maybe not :-)
When I was in 5th grade I read Wrinkle in Time and I also enjoyed the Prydain series by Llyod Alexander, which is on about the same level.
I found myself sucked into the Heralds of Valdemar series when I was younger. The concepts aren't complicated at all, and the message was always good. Should be perfect at their age.
Larry Niven
Arthur C Clarke
James Blish
Michael Crighton
Edgar Rice Burroughs?
Short stories!
and I really enjoyed Jules Verne. The Asimov short stories are really good and not as convoluted as Foundation.
Asimov's robot series are also pretty simple unless you try to make them fit into the big picture, then it turns into a huge headache. I still remember throwing Prelude to Foundation across the room when I realized that it connected to some other Asimov books I always assumed to be isolated.
The litmus test for when a kid is ready for Asimov is to let him read "The Last Question" (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Last_Question).
If the kid goes "uh, whoa" at the end of the story, then he is ready for Asimov.
If he can't figure it out, then he isn't ready.
If he goes "this is bullshit, what a bullshit ending!" then there's nothing for you to worry about, hand him some Philip K. Dick and see what happens.
Pedro
----
The Insomniac Coder
I don't exactly want my kids reading about rishathra and it's many uses political/social/entertainment as pre-teens.
Great books, but with vampires/ghouls/sex I don't think pre-teen is quite the right time.
If you're worried about holding their attention, then go with any short story anthology.
Niven's short stories was what got me hooked.
Asimov's Foundation series might be suitable in this respect since it started out as a series of short stories.
I'm reading this book right now. It's a collection of short stories. Probably exactly what you are looking for. The stories are fun and philosophical. For instance, there is a story (can't remember the name) about a guy running around a meteor while a space ship is trying to capture him. Story is compared to hunting a squirrel, which is always just out of reach on the other side of a tree. The "White Heart" stories are almost always a class.
Any of Piers Anthony's works... Zanth especially, his "incarnations of Immortality" may be a bit much, but I enjoyed them back in the day
I will not give in to the terrorists. I will not become fearful.
If they're a little older... -- Ursula LeGuin, Octavia Butler, Philip K. Dick, Zelazny's later stuff, Vonnegut, Niven, Frank Herbert, Definitely Neal Stephenson...
And the computer related classics -- The Adolescence of P1 by Ryan, The Shockwave Rider by Brunner, Neuromancer by Gibson...
And of course fantasy, Tolkein, the Shanarra books, etc. And then, only after they've read all of the usual fantasy stuff, then they can truly appreciate Pratchett...
- "History shows again and again how nature points out the folly of men" -- Blue Oyster Cult, 'Godzilla'
Get them to read Red, Green and Blue Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson. I meet numerous friends and immediately connected with them because of these books and the ideology they produce in space travel, colonization and even intergalactic conflict. They also throw in some side topics like terraforming, psychology and just general adventuring.
I started with Dune in the middle of 5th grade. It got me hooked. Ender's Game Winkle in time Heinlein's: **Tunnel in the Sky, **Have Space Suit will Travel, Starman Jones Earth Sea books. The Forever Man by Gordon R. Dickson Decision at Doona by Anne McCaffrey
I enjoyed the Stainless Steel Rat series by Harry Harrison. Light reading, but fun to read.
Not sci-fi, but Stephen R. Donaldson was fun to read when I was in sixth grade. Might be too deep, but it was something new to me.
Dune, except for the fact that Frank Herbert died before finishing the series, and the follow-on books by his son definitely don't have the same flair.
Books by Harry Harrison: The Stainless Steel Rat series (although the last couple aren't that great), also his Bill the Galactic Hero series.
Now that I have your attention: I highly recommend the original 3 foundation novels, but under no circumstances should you flog your child (or anyone else's) with the tripe that followed.
So sayeth I/he/she/it/we/Gaia...
For fantasy, you would be hard-pressed to do any better than Raymond Feist's Magician series.
A very good but mostly unknown pre-teen sci-fi classic is "The Witches of Karres" by James H. Shmitz. Pick up an early edition of the story... a later, edited version lacked some of the charming language "flaws." Altogether, one of the best written, original and fun books I've read.
Ringworld, Snowcrash, Cryptonomicon, The Hobbit, LOTR, Harry Potter, Odd Thomas, Dragonlance (the stuff written by Weiss and Hickman, not the 3rd party crap), Star Trek novels, Sword of Truth, A Game of Thrones, Neuromancer is pretty edgy, but a great read. My younger brothers absolutely loved a series called Animorphs. When I was about 12 I really enjoyed Swiss Family Robinson. Maybe throw in some classics like Frankenstein and Dracula. H.G. Wells Time Machine, Gulliver's Travels, Around the World in 80 days, Dune
I would also second the suggestions of Card's early work. Ender's Game, Songmaster, The Shadow Series, The first few Alvin Maker books are good.
I would definitely get them to read Pastwatch: the Redemption of Christopher Columbus.
You also can't go wrong with comics. There's a lot of really good stuff in trade paperback these days. You can introduce them to Marvel's Ultimate lines; Ultimate Spiderman, Ultimate Fantastic Four, etc. These series start over and reboot the universe. They will be more compelling for young readers because there isn't 40 years of continuity to sift through.
I would also suggest giving them books that you enjoyed as a child, or even an adult. Just because something is edgy or political doesn't make it automagically inappropriate for a child. You can tell them to come to you with any questions, and you will end up raising a kid who's wise beyond his years, and that will serve the kid well as he gets older.
Ringworld, Snowcrash, Cryptonomicon, The Hobbit, LOTR, Harry Potter, Odd Thomas, Dragonlance (the stuff written by Weiss and Hickman, not the 3rd party crap), Star Trek novels, Sword of Truth, A Game of Thrones, Neuromancer is pretty edgy, but a great read. My younger brothers absolutely loved a series called Animorphs. When I was about 12 I really enjoyed Swiss Family Robinson. Maybe throw in some classics like Frankenstein and Dracula. H.G. Wells Time Machine, Gulliver's Travels, Around the World in 80 days, Dune
I would also second the suggestions of Card's early work. Ender's Game, Songmaster, The Shadow Series, The first few Alvin Maker books are good.
I would definitely get them to read Pastwatch: the Redemption of Christopher Columbus.
You also can't go wrong with comics. There's a lot of really good stuff in trade paperback these days. You can introduce them to Marvel's Ultimate lines; Ultimate Spiderman, Ultimate Fantastic Four, etc. These series start over and reboot the universe. They will be more compelling for young readers because there isn't 40 years of continuity to sift through.
I would also suggest giving them books that you enjoyed as a child, or even an adult. Just because something is edgy or political doesn't make it automagically inappropriate for a child. You can tell them to come to you with any questions, and you will end up raising a kid who's wise beyond his years, and that will serve the kid well as he gets older.
I'm afraid I have to disagree with your choice of Terry Goodkind's "Sword of Truth" series. Of all the books I've ever read, that is perhaps the one series I've knowingly despised. The series is nothing more than a slow spiral into depraved idiocy with horrible characterizations, plots likely mapped out by a kindergartner, and a disturbing focus on sex (especially in books four and five, where I finally couldn't tolerate Goodkind's horribly written drudgery anymore and dropped the series).
"Ender's Game" is certainly a huge recommendation, and (somewhat) its "companion" book "Ender's Shadow".
As a preteen I really enjoyed these books: StarMan's Quest by Robert Silverberg The Zero Stone by Andre Norton Galactic Empires Vol I & II (Can't remember the editor it's a collection of short stores) Red Planet by Heinlein The Secret Of Star Deep (Don't remember who wrote it, old sci-fi probably 50's) The following I read to my kids when they were 8 or 9 (they could read, I just wanted something good to read to them) Saturnalia by Grant Callin The Puppet Masters by Heinlien (had to edit a few parts in this one, lol)
William Sleator does a good job of writing books that target the pre-teen to early teen audience. He's got quite a few sci-fi out and they are quick reads and entertaining for most adults too.
'Sci-Fi Books For Pre-Teens?' Really? How about 'Science Books for Pre-Teens?'
A pre-teen hooked on sci-fi books may not have the iron will needed to put down a good book to make time for, say, homework. Or friends. Or you. God knows I don't, and I haven't been a pre-teen in decades.
This is old-school but in my pre-teen years i was reading EE "Doc" Smith's "Lensman" series. It is sugary pulp to me now now but back then it was magic. "Space Cadet", "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress", "Starship Troopers". These days letting them start wading through the "Honor Harrington" books would prolly be good. Most of these are coming-of-age stories and that is often good for pre-teens.
Neil Gaiman's Stardust is a fantastic novel that's easy to read. There's a one scene that tactfully reveals where babies come from, but overall it's probably second only to The Hobbit in my list of favorites for teens.
I just took a quick read through the previous responses and there are many good suggestions. But there is one additional author who wrote many books, both SF and Fantasy for pre-teens not mentioned; Andre Norton wrote great books about young people placed in difficult situations. One of my absolute favorites is Star Man's Son. You can check out her (yes her - Norton was a pseudonym) work at http://www.andre-norton.org/
If I am not for myself, then who will be for me? If I am only for myself, what am I? If not now, when?
If your kids are into Star Wars, then I would highly recommend Young Jedi Knights, these are excellent books and when I was younger I loved reading the series. It's written by Kevin J. Anderson and his wife Rebecca Moesta. They're great books and easy reads.
I would also suggest Citizen of the Galaxy and Have Space Suit Will Travel, both by Heinlein. They're classics and just right for preteens. If they haven't already read "Where the Red Fern Grows" for school, then I would recommend that one too. Unfortunately those are my best recommendations, I usually ended up reading whatever my Dad had laying around the house, so I never got into the younger stuff.
Yes! I had almost forgotten...
- "History shows again and again how nature points out the folly of men" -- Blue Oyster Cult, 'Godzilla'
Diane Duane has a good series called support your local wizard that combines sci-fi and fantasy.
I don't know if this is exactly what you are looking for but I am enjoying listening to a lot of audio books from Librivox. This is the direct link to their page on HG Wells http://librivox.org/newcatalog/search.php?title=&author=H.+G.+Wells&action=Search and here is Jules Verne http://librivox.org/newcatalog/search.php?title=&author=Jules+Verne&action=Search Perhaps a little more speculative the pure science fiction?
Pretty much anything by Andre (Alice Mary) Norton.
The higher the technology, the sharper that two-edged sword.
After thinking on this, I figured I'd suggest an author I've enjoyed. Relatively new, but well worth the read. Start them with Orbital Decay, and work through to Labyrinth of Night.
Another good choice would be Headcrash, by Bruce Bethke, very amusing (ProctoProd! TM) in it's own way, although not "hard" scifi, more cyberpunk (without being dark)
Do you see the FNORDS? I refuse to post anonymously, as I am fireproof!
Slightly dark, but a great story. Really gets the imagination going. I've read it many times and always love it.
If you can find them, the Tom Swift Jr. series was great for me at ages 8-11.
Is there a new Victor Appleton III (yeah, I know it was a pen name)?
General Relativity: Space-time tells matter where to go; Matter tells space-time what shape to be.
Seriously, you remember those classics because they were good. Science fiction is about pushing boundaries to begin with, so their interest in the genre shouldn't be rewarded with mindless McCafferyesque drivel. Take them to the sort of public library that sells old books for a dime, or the sort of bookstore that has shelves piled high with beat-up paperbacks. Give them each a maximum budget ($10.00 goes a long way at $0.75 per book) and let them browse around and pick the books they want. Give them a solid hour or two to wander the stacks. If they want crap like Piers Anthony, they'll pick it out themselves. If they feel like they're ready for Thomas Pynchon*, you should be proud, not worried. Nothing in a book is going to ruin your kids unless you're unwilling to talk about it with them. Make sure they let you scan the pile before they hit the checkout register, so you can weed out The Joy of Sex and other stuff that worries you.
Kids won't read books they're not ready for. When I was little I tried to read Bonfire of the Vanities and so much of the book was going over my head I threw it in a closet and forgot about it. Regardless, the whole point of science fiction is expanding your horizons, so I don't see the point in limiting them. You should be reading the books they're reading too, so that if they come to you with questions you'll have the context, and you'll have the opportunity to give them guidance should you see something in the book that concerns you.
I'm a parent too, and I think we should be acting as guides, not censors.
* - on second thought, maybe not so much with the Gravity's Rainbow. They won't appreciate that book until their middle teens.
REM Old programmers don't die. They just GOSUB without RETURN.
Everyone has favorites, and books that kids "must" read, but your children have their own tastes, and finding books that match those is the most important thing when reading for pleasure (as all fiction reading should be).
Enter the librarian. Librarians don't check out your books (that's staff unless the librarian is helping out) and librarians don't just show you how to use the online catalog--librarians do so much more. A good librarian will subtly interview each of your children and perform what is known as "readers advisory." After talking to your children about books they liked and what they liked about these books, your local librarian should be able to give your children several suggestions that make them want to read more.
Take advantage of your local library and the librarians that work there!
I notice that a lot of the suggestions that people have posted tend to be more fantasy than Sci-Fi.
But one rather useful title that I haven't seen anyone post about is Monument by Lloyd Biggle Jnr.
This blew me away when I was younger.
Come on. The OP wants to introduce his kids to sci-fi and you want to push Calvin and Hobbes? or DOONESBURY?
Not that there's anything intrinsically wrong with reading any of the comix you mention, but seriously. None of them even fit the genre (unless you count the Bloom County voyages of the "Enterpoop", that is.)
I would also make sure my kids took the philosophy of *some* of these particular comic strips with a large pinch of salt.
Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens.
I second the Barsoom series, starting with "A Princess of Mars". When I was 13 or so, I found "The Gods of Mars" in the attic (belonged to my great-uncle Art) and was instantly entranced. I think I stayed up all night reading that first book which is the second in the series.
I loved the Tripods trilogy when I was a kid.
But honestly, just about anything should be okay. If you're uncertain about a book, suggest that they give it a try - maybe they'll like it, maybe they won't. Some things I wouldn't give my nieces until they get a bit older, but there's plenty that I reckon they'd handle very well indeed that many people would think would be too "adult".
I read the whole Lord of the Rings trilogy when I was in the 7th grade, and I loved every minute of it. What really got me into sci fi (and reading in general), however, was the Thrawn trilogy of Star Wars books by Timothy Zahn. I loved the Star Wars movies, and the realization that there was *more* to the story got me hooked on books for good.
The Riverworld series by Philip Jose Farmer are great reads, and mix in a little bit of history (historical figures, anyways).
I reckon Stranger in a Strange Land was my fav as a kid. Heinlen always ends in an orgy fest
When I was 12-ish I read the book Virtual War and loved it. It's a couple decades in the future where everyone lives in bubbles cuz there's too deadly of bacteria existing in the outside world. Instead of the traditional wars that would kinda crack everyone's bubbles and drain already stretched resources, they have a virtual war with a giant war simulation video game. And the 3 super powers raise up genetically enhanced teams of 3 kids to fight in it. The winner gets control of a newly discovered island that's deadly bacteria free. It's awesome and interesting enough for a kid and not overly geeky and just perfect for kids!
Google's Super Secret Search Algorithm: SELECT @search_results FROM internet WHERE @search_results = 'good'
'have space suit, will travel' by heinlein is easy and not dark at all. actually it is my favorite book of all time-- first read it when i was around 9-10.
I just re-read a bunch of HG Wells, Edgar Rice Burroughs... Raphael Sabatini wrote some great adventure books (I got several public domain texts from archive.org, reading them using my old Palm 5!). Also, Frankenstein and Dracula, they're all public domain now! Great stuff. A few other suggestions (from my kids): Mistmantle Chronicles (about squirrels) and Warriors (about cats). Have a great trip!
Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes. About the onset of the Revolution. A great favorite of Michael Bloomberg.
I recently read "A Wrinkle in Time" and it SUCKED. How did this book get any notoriety at all? Maybe it was good in 1962 Goodness but it FAILS today. Just my opinion.
I liked the Artemis Fowl books a great deal (mix of sci-fi and fantasy superbly). New novel to the series coming out in 8 days - Artemis Fowl - Time Paradox
House of the Scorpion (excellent futuristic novel on cloning - crazy good).
Shades Children (If you haven't read this you are missing out)
Ear Eye and the Arm. (classic imo)
Delta Force (awesome title along the lines of Ender's Game)
Dark Lord of Derkholm (if they are leaning toward fantasy)
Hex (series really good about outcast hackers in a futuristic world... look for it)
And just to mix up things take a peek at Gordon Korman books (especially the McDonald Hall series). Funniest books I have read in my life (and that is saying something). Also like his "Son of the Mob" series.
Anything by William Sleator is good for kids pre-teen into teen. Shoot, I still enjoy them as an adult.
I thougt E.E. (Doc) Smith's Galactic Patrol stuff might work well for that age group: no romance, lots of space action.
When I was a teen (a long, long time ago) I greatly enjoyed Heinlein's "Have Spacesuit Will Travel". Asimov's Robot Anthologies: "I, Robot" and "The Rest Of The Robots" were excellent. I don't know any young fan of Sci-Fi that didn't find Orson Scott Card's "Ender's Game" fantastic. I found the two next books in the series "Speaker For The Dead" and "Xenocide" to be 2 of the best books I've ever read in any genre.
I did not see any mention of David Eddings' series, and I would highly recommend the Belgariad for 10+. One of the first series that I can remember reading was by Lloyd Alexander called The Chronicles of Prydain
I'll try and skip the obvious ones. I'll mention I think a lot of the recommendations are a bit much for preteens. Stranger in a Strange Land? For a preteen? Really? I suppose it depends on the parents and the kids in question, but that certainly doesn't strike me as a "preteen" book. (By the way, it's one of my favorites, along with "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress")
It has always bugged me that sci-fi is considered a genre, because it's really more of a setting. There are plenty of sci-fi books that are simply adventure stories that happen to take place in the future. And there are socio-political commentaries that happen to be in a sci-fi setting ("The Fountainhead", "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress", etc). And there are guys like David Brin and Robert Sawyer who just like to take an idea and poke around with it in story format. And then there's actual hard sci-fi like Rocheworld (Robert Forward) and Rendezvous With Rama (Clarke). Other "genres" are much more cohesive -- You know the basic theme of a romance novel, or a horror novel, or a mystery novel before even reading the back. With sci-fi, you have no idea until you start reading it.
Sorry, that doesn't help. It just bugs the hell out of me, especially with all of the general snobbery about science fiction books.
One book *I* thought was obvious was "The Sword of Shannara" by Terry Brooks. It's a classic hero-quest book, and I think I read it in 7th grade. Another series I got sucked into around that time was the ORIGINAL Dragonlance trilogy by Weis and Hickman, starting with "Dragons of Autumn Twilight". The other dragonlance novels are pretty bad, though there may be a few gems that I never found.
A great place to start compiling would be scouring the newberry medal winners list for sci-fi/fantasy. Offhand, "The Giver" is a good one on that list. The book that got me started on Fantasy was "The Book of Three" by Lloyd Alexander. I read it in fourth grade so it should be pretty easy for them. The second book in the series is better known, "The Black Cauldron". Disney made a terrible movie out of it. The fifth book (The High King) won a newberry medal I believe.
Depending on age, Roger Zelazny's "Chronicles of Amber" is for my money one of the best fantasy series ever written. Maybe better suited in a couple more years though.
If they're very good readers already, I also enjoyed "The Dragonbone Chair" by Tad Williams. It features a young hero, but it's very slow moving, so unless they're already avid, fast readers, it will develop too slowly.
James and the Giant Peach is awesome if perhaps a bit young. Dahl has lots of great stuff. I STILL like reading his books :-)
"Bridge of Birds" by Barry Hughart is phenomenal and about the right age, though I didn't read it until I was an adult.
I'm sure it's been mentioned but "His Dark Materials" by Philip Pullman is fantastic. It has some VERY heavy themes but that's WHY it's so impressive. It's written simply and plainly for young readers. It doesn't insult their intelligence, and the ideas presented could be challenging for anybody.
Stephen King wrote a fantasy book for his daughter called "The Eyes Of The Dragon" -- That's probably around the right age. It's not horror at all, though naturally because it's Stephen King, it's kind of dark.
Arthurian legend is always fun -- T.H. White wrote "The Once And Future King" which is good for that age. That's what Disney turned into "The Sword in the Stone". When they're older, the best Arthuran legend book I've ever read (and I've read a lot of em) is "The Crystal Cave" by Mary Stewart.
Xanth novels by Piers Anthony were great around that age. They're not quality literature but they were a good quick read when I was that age. You have to be careful of Piers Anthony though, some of his other series (Bio Of A Space Tyrant for instance) is halfway to porn. And I enjoyed the hell out of that series too, but perhaps not preteen material.
Alan Dean Foster's "Pip and
If you just want to get him hooked within a few milliseconds. Put Ender's Game in his hands. Then build the 'foundation' with Asimov of course. Switch it up big time with some Zelazny. Not Lord of Light. (yet) Try Doorways in the Sand. Dan Simmons Hyperion Cantos is excellent. Then blow his mind away with Clifford Simak - City. Back to Hard SF with some Verner Vinge - A Fire Upon the Deep. Mix in Pratchet and Douglas Adams when things get too moody. My number one suggestion is that you read the books first and then pass them on. You can talk about the books together. Even if it is what you might think of as tough material for a kid, if you talk about it together, then you can help him work through it with your years of wisdom. Don't let him get within a mile of Dhalgren by Samuel R. Delany. It will twist up his mind. Most adults can't get through it. Avoid Peter F. Hamilton until he is much older.
I wouldn't call Discworld very sciencey at all, but I did enjoy them when I was 12 inspite of not getting the jokes. Mort, Nightwatch, The Truth, and Soul Music are easy enough to enjoy for themselves, but Wyrd Sisters requires reading some basic Shakespeare to really get into, for example.
The Young Wizards series is rather more sciencey than fantasy and I ate it up readily.
If they like star wars, then get them just about any of those. I went in for two of the han solo trilogies (Daley and Crispin). The latter might have more yuck romancin', but it reads a lot more easily than the former, which is closer akin to the old school sci-fi.
Speaking of old school, you know you could throw Edgar Rice Burroughs (Tarzan) at them. It's close enough to being an alien world, or so I thought. Or Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea.
Jurassic Park was well thumbed also. I definitely read it more often than I watched the movie, and more Crichton couldn't hurt. Andromeda Strain, Timeline, etc
I'm getting off-base with science fiction here I guess; they might be sciency and be fiction, but they're not set in far off astroworlds, but I'll just go one step further and recommend the Dirk Pitt books by Clive Cussler. They're practically made for young boys (and tomgirls). My classmates and I pretty much ate them up during 6-8th grades. You might just find yourself laden with a couple of marine biologists afterwards.
A great sci-fi book that does sci-fi w/o all the modern special effects.
I might have been too precocious a reader for my experience to be useful, but I remember enjoying Heinlein, Keith Laumer, Andre Norton, and a lot of other authors. Have a think about short stories - they're often more approachable than novels, both in complexity and size.
Danny.
I have written over 900 book reviews
War of the Worlds was one of the first sci-fi books that ever kept me turning pages, and it moves along at a pretty quick pace so it should keep them interested. Hopefully they haven't seen the Tom Cruise / Steven Speilberg recreation or the end will be spoiled!
Procrastinators, Unite Tomorrow!!
Guys, there has to be something better than this dinosaur SF. Especially that Asimov drivel or gods-help-us Heinlein's absolute CRUD (do you really want moronic hippy lasseiz-faire capitalist individualist fascist dross shoved down their young throats??). Somebody must have written some good SF for young readers out there, just hunt around. If you are REALLY determined to go after "the Classics", ie. stuff written long ago, but you want GOOD rather than just PULP: One thing I can recommend is the 'The White Mountains' trilogy by John Christopher. Its based on the idea that Wells' tripods won the war but didn't completely terraform the earth. More adventure than pure SF but still a very good read and quite intelligent and pithy. One of the best SF stories I ever read was a young-readers book and I've still got it in my collection, namely: The Missing Persons League - by Frank Bonham. http://www.amazon.com/Missing-Persons-League-Point/dp/0590338471 I'm sure there are others, if I think of them I'll put them up here, but I'd seriously question the value of going after the dinosaurs just because they got a lot of publicity: they usually weren't actually that good or even particularly 'Science' fiction. And don't forget - Short Stories! There were some very very good short stories and some excellent anthologies exist. Try 'Who Goes There' by John W. Cambell - this will give them nightmares, especially when you show them 'The Thing' which is a fairly faithful telling of it. :)
I enjoyed Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke first published in 1972. It looks like its also set to be a movie in 2009.
Terry Prachett
Heinlein's juveniles
James Schmitz
Arthur C Clark
The first three or four Harry Potter books
Maybe The Hobbit. (But not LOTR which is waaaayyy too long)
And maybe if you come across a copy, the best Science Fiction novel no one has ever heard of -- Ward Moore's "Bring the Jubilee"
And I'd also start looking for suitable main stream fiction. By the time those kids go off to school you want them to know who Austen, Solzhenitsyn, Faulkner, Hemingway, Tolstoy, Swift, Voltaire et al are and to have read some of them. If you never give them anything but Science Fiction and Fantasy, their education will be left to schools -- which, for reasons that elude me -- tend to teach books that are guaranteed to turn anyone off of reading.
You can't see ANYTHING from a car, You've got to get out of the goddamned contraption and walk...Edward Abbey
579 replies and nobody has mentioned Andre Norton?
I decided that behaving ethically was the most nihilistic thing I could do. - Paul Pavel
If she's got "power and confidence", then what the hell is she doing preying on little boys?
I mean, I see the elision you (or McSweeneys) are talking about, but I think the absence of mature sex drives is more intended to get the rest of the stuff in without complications kids are simply unequipped to understand than to pretend that they don't exist.
As always, all IMO. Insert "I think" everywhere grammatically possible.
Eragon and Eldest are great books. (Part of the 4 book Inheritance Series still under publication.)
1. Find the authors you mentioned cynical
2. Wish to shield your children from it
Looking around at the state of affairs today, I have found that Science Fiction writers (especially the ones you mentioned) have the MOST accurate and grounded view of reality. But give em Harry Potter if you really want them to be safe (& asleep).
I have read lots of scifi, because I love the genre, but I must admit I've not read any scifi books that I wouldn't consider as being much more than fluff for pre-teens to mid-teens. So, what is the best scifi novel? Answers on a postcard, make sure you take of your nostalgia goggles before responding.
Dragonback trilogy by timothy zahn(starts with Dragon and Theif), Dragon riders of Pern by Anne McAfree but only the first three are any good (Dragonflight, Dragonquest, The White Dragon also note these might be a little too adult in parts), the Seven Tower series by Garth Nix, Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams (nothing like the movie), The Foundation trilogy by Issac Asamov, iRobot by Issac Asamove (again nothing like the movie), A Wrinkle in time by Madeleine L'engle, the dark is rising by Susan Cooper (nothing like the movie), A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K Laguin, the White Mountan trilogy by John Christopher, the Black Cauldron by Loyd Alexander, Dragonlance Chronicles by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, and everest by Gordon Korman, Hardy Boys. Those are my favorites,
Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand, though it might be a little wordy.- better for a teen.
Starship Troopers is not dark at all, and it what I would recommend first for pre-teen.
The real implications of genetics are a side of science that the politically correct have always cowered away from; the idea of the wish for all to have equal liberty is very difficult to reconcile with the fact that people are not, and never have been, equal in any objective sense. But we almost all pick our partners for their objective good qualities; looks to brains, effectiveness at providing, demonstrated success in the sieves of education, business, physical performance, compassion. We're all guilty of eugenics - we certainly don't pick the most disadvantaged bum from the camp under the bridge and mate with them.
Neither Skylark or Lensman are morally sound. Having said that, they're still great fun to read.
The books I suggested at the top -- Decision at Doona and Welcome to Mars -- are both morally sound AND great fun to read. As some of the replies suggested, McCaffery is mostly known for her dragon books, which aren't exactly high quality SF; they're actually pretty poor fantasy (with, let it be said, huge appeal to kids - dragons, after all...) Decision at Doona is something else entirely. A great read. Welcome to Mars is - again IMHO - actually inspiring, though just a little dated if you're up on your electronics.
I've fallen off your lawn, and I can't get up.
I remember loving the "Starstormers" series by Nicholas Fisk... aged around 9 or 10. I don't think it's the most fantastic quality writing, but it was gripping stuff at the time. Building spaceships from junk - what more could you want? http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nicholas_Fisk#Full_Bibliography_of_Nicholas_Fisk.27s_Works http://darrylslibrary.wordpress.com/category/genres/science-fiction/
I'm actually kind of surprised no one until now has really mentioned any of Asimov's robot series, or the Norby Chronicles written by him and his wife Janet Asimov. Perfect for a pre-teen.
The sending of this message pretty much inconveniences everyone involved.
Don't know if he's still in print but great stuff.
Can be dark (but what is the point of SF if its just the Jetsons).
Short enough that 9-12 yearolds won't be intimidated.
"Inherit the Stars", by James P. Hogan. The whole Giants series is pretty good, but this one is an exceptional read. All of his books lead you down a well laid path to an obvious conclusion, then set the ending completely orthogonal to what you expected, even though it fits the story line. Always an interesting surprise.
If you don't mind drifting from SF/Fantasy, I would very highly recommend "The Count of Monte Christo", by Alexander Dumas, and "Mysterious Island" by Jules Verne. Both are excellent books, and Verne always takes a scientific approach to things.
By Carl Sagan. Sci-fi mixed with a little bit of learning - can't go wrong. :)
While it may well end up being what you want to avoid in the end (who knows, there are 3 books left to go, so anything could happen), so far, George RR Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire is what you're looking for. I also recommend Joe Lawson's The Calm Before the Storm. It's been a while since I read it, but I recall that it was free of the plot mechanics you mention. Again, though, it's only the first book, so things could change.
"16MB (fuck off, MiB fascists)" - The Mighty Buzzard
Well's stories are often short. Verne's can get long and plodding. There are many great sci-fi short stories.
anything written by douglas adams but is good sci fi for young guys (hitch hikers, Dirk Gently) but you have to watch out cuz he drops the F bomb in some of his books
I think you were right to think of Heinlein. I grew up with his books. The political stuff is only there because now YOU have a context to recognize it. They won't. Starship Troopers, Red Planet, Between Planets, Have spacesuit will travel, Space Cadet... The whole teenage series is great. I still re-read them every few months myself...
Since I was a kid, my favorite author is Diana Wynne Jones. Her stuff reminds me a lot of Orson Scott Card's stuff for some reason. My favorites are "A Tale of Time City" and "Howl's Moving Castle" (which is almost nothing like the movie, much better). The Chrestomanci series is good too.
I also remember liking stuff by (does some frantic googling) H. M. Hoover. "Away is a Strange Place to Be", and "This Time of Darkness". Haven't read those in a long time though.
Also:
"A Wrinkle in Time", Madeleine L'Engle
Anything by Orscon Scott Card
The Chronicles of Narnia
"A String in the Harp" by Nancy Bond
The Tripod series by John Christopher
The Myth books by Robert Asprin
"My Teacher is an Alien"
"Voices After Midnight" and "Secrets of the Shopping Mall" by Richard Peck
Wow, I haven't read some of these in ages. I'll have to go ransack the library!
Don't overlook these classics by Lloyd Alexander -- they're quite magical.
Also try "The Perilous Gard" by Elizabeth Marie Pope.
I loved The Giver when I was young. They might have read it for school already (I'm not sure at which level we read it) but its still a good read.
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For a fun read you can't go wrong with Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy...
For that age, perhaps you could look into the Tom Swift series.
Garth Nix has written several different series the are geared for the young adult. I highly recommend him.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garth_Nix
I dream in binary.
Ditto on the Piers Anthony recommendation. Great for a pre-teen, but still a bit tongue in cheek as I remember. Dad can read along.
Dragon Riders of Pern (Anne McCaffrey)? Read it as a teen, but might work for pre-teen.
Sorry for the double post, but I guess that I should have cited some awards:
1999 - awarded a Special Award in the Golden Duck Awards for Australian Contribution to Children's Science Fiction
1995 - Aurealis Award in the categories of fantasy and young adult literature for Sabriel
2002 - awarded the South Australian Festival Award for Children's Literature for Lirael
2002 - awarded the Ditmar in the category of Best Australian Novel for Lirael
2003 - Aurealis Award in the category of fantasy novel and YA novel for Abhorsen
2003 - Aurealis Award in the category of children's long fiction for Mister Monday
2004 - awarded Honour Book in the Children's Book Council of Australia Book of the Year Awards for Mister Monday
2005 - Aurealis Award in the category of best YA short story and Golden Aurealis for best short story for 'Nicholas Sayre and the Creature in the Case'
2005 - Aurealis Award in the category of children's long fiction for Drowned Wednesday
I dream in binary.
I would recommend Rainbows End by Vernor Vinge. It is a recent book that they might enjoy.
The Ender and Shadow Series by Orson Scott Card is great. They are the only books that I have really read and enjoyed at the same time.
When I was in fifth and sixth grades, I loved the Tripods trilogy, by John Christopher. "The White Mountains", "The City of Gold and Lead", and "The Pool of Fire" are beautiful, powerful novels for children, but I was surprised how moving I found them when i reread them a couple years ago. (It's safe to skip the prequel, "When the Tripods Came", which was written 20 years later. It's not bad, but not up to the standard the others set.)
They're not "hard" science fiction; the science is sketchy at best. But they have a great postapocalyptic setting and a delightfully creepy vibe.
---glv
The original, original, released in 1980, was an excellent book. The various followups are worth skipping. A tiny bit of sex and violence, but largely okay for an 11-year-old.
There's also Engdahl's The Far Side of Evil.
Just to second a few other mentions: The Stainless Steel Rat series by Harry Harrison is good fun; the protagonist is profoundly anti-violence but does like his liquor. Starship Troopers, as mentioned in the summary, may not be the best choice, but Heinlein wrote tons of excellent juveniles.
Sitting in my day care, the art is decopainted.
Rocketship Galileo-Heinlein
Space Cadet-Heinlein
Have Spacesuit Will Travel-Heinlein
Storm Over Warlock-Andre Norton
Star Rangers-Andre Norton
Slan-A.E. Van Vogt
The City and the Stars-Isaac Asimov
I Robot-Isaac Asimov
Lucky Starr series-Isaac Asimov
Childhood's End-Arthur C. Clarke
Expedition to Earth-Arthur C. Clarke
Brightsuit McBear-L. Neil Smith
Raiders From The Rings-Alan E. Nourse
Rocket to Limbo-Alan E. Nourse
Star Surgeon-Alan E. Nourse
The Counterfeit Man-Alan E. Nourse
Hospital Station-James White
Star Surgeon-James White
Hestia-C.J. Cherryh
Dragonflight-Anne McCaffrey
Dragon's Egg-Robert L Forward
Mission of Gravity-Hal Clement
Spacepaw-Gordon R. Dickson
Blackcollar-Timothy Zahn
Enemy Mine-Barry B. Longyear
And of course pretty much anything by E.E. Doc Smith, but specially the Lensman series.
I also consider Starship Troopers somewhere in there, but you have to consider that young boys won't really get the political side of it until they get older and re-read it.
I also highly recomment the Earthsea series, the 4th book, Tehanu, is actually my favourite book of all time.
There are actually 6 books:
- A Wizard of Earthsea (1968)
- Tombs of Atuan (1971)
- The Farthest Shore (1972)
- Tehanu (1990)
- Tales from Earthsea (2001)
- The Other Wind (2001)
Tehanu is a revist to the world of Earthsea through female characters. Tales from Earthsea is a collection of short stories (fairly long short stories) which occur mostly outside of the plot of the other 5 books, but who give context to the world itself and the final book. The last book continues from Tehanu and brings her narrative and the whol series to a more conclusive, and beautiful, end. Highly recommended for any age of person!!
As a kid, I read all the standard Hitchhiker's stuff. One series I thought was particularly fantastic, though, is the Stainless Steel Rat series by Harry Harrison. It's an excellent read, and really suave scifi. He also did a series called Bill the Galactic Hero - not as suave, but still pretty fun. They're not grand literature, or even hardcore scifi like some of his other books. Excellent summer reading - I may have to pick them up again this summer myself.
~ Leilah
Aside from the majority of the Star Wars novels (especially the X-Wing series), my three favorite authors are Timothy Zahn, David Weber, and Eric Flint.
Zahn's stuff is a bit older than the other two (80's on up). His books are generally fast-paced, with enough action to keep a younger reader interested but they also almost always deal with themes or include moral dilemmas which keep even jaded college students such as myself thinking. Some of my personal favorites include The Icarus Hunt, the Cobra trilogy, and the Conqueror's trilogy.
Weber is almost a "Tom Clancy of Sci-Fi". He writes almost exclusively military sci-fi, almost hard sci-fi but with one or two "fantastic" technologies (usually some form of FTL travel and some form of artificial gravity, but no more). His language is a little coarser and his characters sometimes get into adult situations, but its pretty much PG-13. Some of his best work include the Honor Harrington series (which has been described as Horatio Hornblower in space) and the Empire From the Ashes trilogy.
Flint is the comedian of the group. In every one of his books I've read there has been at least one or two points where I've laughed out loud. In addition, he seems to be very adept at writing characters who younger Sci-Fi readers can relate well to. He writes mostly fantasy, with an emphasis on alternate history. He's probably best known for his 1632/Ring of Fire Series, in which a small West Virginian mining town from the late 20th Century gets sent back to Seventeenth century Germany, in the middle of the Hundred Years War. Flint's material is also generally PG-13.
If you're interested in trying out Weber or Flint, the Baen Free Library has much of their work available for free in about a half-dozen formats (including HTML and RTF).
Someone up there mentioned David Brin, so here's a second for him. Epecially the Uplift Series, and Kiln People. Also, Heart of the Comet with Gregory Benford.
Many people mentioned Ender's Game...this is a perfect, empowering book for kids.
I just read Peter F Hamilton's The Dreaming Void recently and loved it.
David Weber's whole Honor Harrington series, or Bujold's Miles what's-his-name series. Weber's more recent one, Armageddon Reef, was good.
Robert Sawyer.
Andromeda Strain. (Great Train Robbery by Crichton isn't sci fi but a fun read for a summer car ride)
Stephen Baxter's Evolution if you want to blow their minds, or his NASA Trilogy if they're space nuts like we used to be.
Besides Clarke's 2001 etc., his large short story collection is good.
Snow Crash.
Brave New World.
McCaffrey, only if your kids already like dragons. Otherwise, it's not really that great.
A Fire Upon the Deep, a Deepness in the Sky, everything else by Vinge.
The Mote in God's Eye.
Iain M Banks Culture stuff (keep them away from his non-scifi stuff for now!)
That should keep them busy for a while.
Kim Stanley Robinson.
Aside from all the great ones already mentioned, I really enjoyed the "Circle of Magic" series by Deborah Doyle. Re-released a few years ago, and has a level of detail that appeals to the physicist in me, while still being very readable for a 10 year old!
Physicist, consultant, science communicator
William Sleator wrote scifi/speculative fiction for young adults--his books are exciting and generally an easy and fun read--good for a car trip. I'd start with Interstellar Pig, the Green Futures of Tycho, Singularity, House of Stairs, the Duplicate, and The Boy who Reversed Himself were my favorites.
I also remember an anthology of short stories called Young Mutants (edited by Isaac Asimov, Martin Greenberg, and Charles G. Waugh)--this was a great introduction to scifi short stories.
I recommend the short stories of Philip K. Dick--they generally have really good twists, and I found them addictive. If I were to start with a PKD novel, I'd recommend Eye In the Sky--thematically it's engrossing, accessible, and thought-provoking. Later they may choose to read some of the more mind-bending PKD.
Finally, I really enjoyed Kurt Vonnegut when I was in high school. It's definitely for a more mature reader, but his works are also considered classic literature.
I echo all the recommendations of Ender's Game, as well as Dune. However, if they read Dune too early, they could be turned off of a book that they would enjoy when they're a little older (this happened to me when I tried to read Lord of the Rings in seventh grade and couldn't get through it--I still haven't gone back to it).
Happy reading!
http://bash.org/
...
I remember liking it:
http://www.amazon.com/Revolving-Boy-Gertrude-Friedberg/dp/0345287703
Tactics of Mistake
Necromancer
If we're looking at fantasy books, the Oz series (starting with the Wizard of Oz) were the Harry Potter books of the early 20th century. I read many of them when I was young.
Many were hard to come by at the time; but now all of them seem to be in Project Gutenberg
(T>t && O(n)--) == sqrt(666)
Some of the Star Wars books
Apprentice Adept series or other books by Piers Anthony
Dune books
Surely You are Joking, Mr. Feynman (by Richard P. Feynman) depending on age
Books by Isaac Asimov
"Childhood's End" by Arthur C. Clarke
Gemini Game by Michael Scott. It was one of my favorite books when I was a young'in.
Card catalog description
When players of their virtual reality computer game fall into a coma, Liz and BJ O'Connor, teenage owners of a computer games company, flee from the police in an attempt to locate a copy of their game and correct the programming.
Random Thoughts From A Diseased Mind (Not For Dummies)
I would suggest IMHO trying something like Harry Harrisons, The Stainless Steel Rat. Got me hooked with his sense of humor. When I read the pre-text... "I can steal anything, anytime, anywhere, regardless if the guards are Human, Electronic, or Other. I was so good that by the time the space cops finally caught up with me, there was only one thing they could do. They made me a cop!" No F-bombs or needless: Brown chicken brown cow (say it out loud with that 70's funk)! Kept me interested since I was a wee lad!
It's controversial author aside, Battlefield Earth is one of the best science fiction books ever written. It's written in a straightforward pulp-action style that is great for kids to digest (as long as they're not intimidated by the ~1k page count). There's nothing too deep or demanding, it's just sci-fi action at it's best. Make sure to buy the copy with the original cover art; leave the hammy John Travolta cover in the store.
The following are all "coming of age" stories which I hope might appeal to your children. Most are winners of the Nebula and or Newberry prizes for literature - which generally means that they can be found in a local library. I will not bother to list all of the wonderful Heinlein novels and stories as they clearly have many champions, though I will plug the anthology "The Past through Tomorrow" which hooked me at age nine and started a life long passion for reading.
David Eddings
Lloyd Alexander
Ursula LeGuin
R. A. MacAvoy
T.H. White
That should keep them busy over the summer.
Stainless Steel Rat series by Harry Harrison? Although I like the earlier books in the series more than the books last few books in the series.
Madeleine L'Engle, author of the somewhat famous A Wrinkle In Time series (the "Time Quartet") was a great author for pre-teenage fantasy/sci-fi. Some of the concepts may be a bit over your children's heads, but they will learn. :)
PS, I hate you, Slashdot, for making your captcha so difficult for the learning impaired to type.
good short stories, nerdy as all get out, and pre-teen accessible.
A lot of the books recommended here are really old. Good, but old. How about the "Temeraire" series by Naomi Novik (dragons and the Napoleonic Wars) The Ear, The Eye and The Arm by Nancy Farmer (adventure in future Africa) The House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer (clones in future Mexico) The Bartimaus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud (magicians in an alternate history London. Much better than Potter) Jumper by Steve Gould Wildside by Steve Gould (don't hold the movie against him, the books are high adventure in the vein of Heinlein juveniles, but more up-to-date in the underlying societal assumptions)
Pretty much anything by the late Arthur C. Clarke.
His short stories (of which there are many) are not based on fantasy for the most part but on relatively solid scientific underpinnings.
In particular his novel 'Childhoods End' had a deep impact on me, inspiring me to start applying myself at school and eventually obtaining a degree in applied science.. I can honestly say without that inspiration I'd be working in a trade right now. I'm not sure if this would be suitable for a pre-teenager though.
On another note, I couldn't not recommend Isaak Asimov.
When I was a young lad of 11-12, I read and reread the Robert E. Howard "Conan" stories. Lovecraft came a year later and is probably closer to the sci-fi genre.
I still go back and read that stuff. Love it now 25 years later.
For children that young, the Tom Swift stories tell of a young inventor and his adventures... great stuff....
The Wizard of Oz and the sequels.
The Mad Scientists Club by Bertrand R. Brinley (Some reprints available at Purple House Press.)
Alfred Hitchcock and the Three Investigators
The Cyberiad by Stanislaw Lem. Maybe Solaris.
Stand on Zanzibar.
The Sheep Look Up.
Shockwave Rider.
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, The Door into Summer.
The Dragon Riders of Pern.
The Hitchhiker's guide to the Galaxy.
The Illuminati Trilogy.
The Lord of the Rings, etc.
Sten. (Yup, Bunch and Cole.)
The Stainless Steel Rat.
The Nomads of Gor.
Dune.
Old time radio SciFi. (Free podcast on iTunes.)
If your kids are preteens and into science fiction, get them the books based upon the SF television series or movies of their choice. (That's what I started with when I was in elementary school. Fortunately, it was so long ago that there were only the James Blish "Star Trek" books, so after a bit, I was forced to find other SF in the kids' and YA section in my local library. I started with "The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet" and "The Runaway Robot".) Don't discount comics, either. Check out your local comic shop for everything to the illustrated "Little Fuzzy" to the original "Elfquest" and Carl Barks' "Scrooge McDuck" and Simpson's comics (which are often better than the recent seasons, I find).
John Belairs is a kids H.P. Lovecraft
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Swift#The_New_Tom_Swift_Jr._Adventures_series_.281954-1971.29
-- Slashdot, making the Left look conservative since 1997.
Over 50 authors sorted by chronological age of readers. Some (e.g. Heinlein) have books for younger readers, but continuing with the author leads to adult books. All (except the Acorna series) are accessible to older readers.
L. Frank Baum - classic Oz for the very young
Lloyd Alexander - Prydain
John Christopher (Samuel Youd) - Tripods series.
Susan Cooper - Dark Is Rising series
Robin McKinley
Robert Asprin - Myth Adventures and Phule series. Other series should wait until mid-teens. Just bought Dragon's Wild -- not read yet, but seems more adult.
Jody Lynn Nye - Mythology
Terry Pratchet - Discworld
Christopher Stasheff - Warlock series, earliest books will need to be reread when older; middle of series is great for children; latest are romances for late teens.
Craig Shaw Gardner
Piers Anthony - Xanth
Brian Jacques - Redwall
Lyndon Hardy - Only one fantasy trilogy.
Harry Harrison - Stainless Steel Rat series. Many other books for different age groups.
Marion Zimmer Bradley - Darkover
Katherine Kurtz - Deryni
Barbara Hambly
Anne McCaffrey - Acorna series is for young children, painful for adults. Talents, Brainships, and Crystal Singer are for any age. Dragonriders vary starting late teens.
Joel Rosenberg - Guardians of the Flame series; warning: main characters die!
Stephen R. Donaldson - Mordant's Need (fantasy), then Gap series (SF). Covenant series for late teens.
Alan Dean Foster - pulp writer great for children but too many clichés for adults.
Edgar Rice Burroughs - classic Tarzan, Mars, and Pellucidar are mandatory.
C. S. Lewis - Narnia
Gordon Dickson - Dorsai (especially appealing to boys), many others.
Terry Brooks (Magic Kingdom for Sale series)
J. K. Rowling - Harry Potter, mandatory for this decade
Fritz Leiber - Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser series is great for boys
John DeChancie - Castle series
Fred Saberhagen - Empire of the East and Swords series
Frederick Pohl
James P. Hogan - SF
Laura Resnick - Fantasy
Orson Scott Card - Ender's Game, Shadow series, Enchantment, Songmaster, Magic Street.
Spider Robinson - Deathkiller trilogy and short stories. Callahan's Series for late teens (fun but adult-themed jokes would be missed when very young.)
L. E. Modesitt, Jr. - Ecolitan and Recluse series.
W. Michael Gear - Now writing long-winded pulp with his wife, but his Spider trilogy (and "The Artifact" prequel) is incredible (warning: main characters die!)
Philip José Farmer - World of Tiers
Terry Goodkind - Sword of Truth series starts well
Roger Zelazny - Amber
David Farland (Dave Wolverton) - Runelords
Jules Verne - classic
H. G. Wells - classic
Harry Turtledove - alternate histories, often fantasy.
Douglas Adams - mandatory for potential nerds.
Arthur C. Clarke
Charles Ingrid - SF
Robert L. Forward
Isaac Asimov
Robert Heinlein - mandatory for sci-fi discussions.
Poul Anderson
Larry Niven - Ringworld, etc.
Jerry Pournelle
Greg Bear
Ray Bradbury
Mike Resnick
C. S. Friedman - often requires rereading to understand (even for adults)
I spend my life entertaining my brain.
The Tom Swift Jr. series. A bit dated, but fun. The were the Woz' fave books as a kid. maybe you too can be inspired to build something cool in your garage.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Swift,_Jr.
I loved The Mad Scientists Club by Bertrand R. Brinley before I ever found Asimov and Heinlein. More Science and Fiction than science-fiction, it's a collection of short stories from the '60's. The boys in the club spend their time hanging out, finding caves, building submarines, and solving crimes with a bit of science and math thrown in. There's a website maintained by the author's son, http://www.madscientistsclub.com/books.html
The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet by Eleanor Cameron was a lot of fun too.
I'd like to reinforce one of Sierran's authors:
Never having seen the film "Jumper", I feel the need to warn against judging any of Stephen C. Gould's three books ( "Jumper" , "Wildside , and "Reflex" ) on the basis of the film.
Whatever the the Hollywood production may have been, Gould's books are boy adventure novels with conscience and character. Subtler than Heinlein's "Have space suit -- will travel", "Space Cadet", "Rocket Ship Galileo", "Farmer in the sky" and the like, Gould's books share a similar sense of adventure coupled with a deep sense of responsibility and voices that I believe are more identifiable to modern readers. When I first discovered "Wildside" in my teen years, I reread it repeatedly.
Gould doesn't have the historical inertia of Bradbury, Heinlein, LeGuinn, Butler, Verne, and the countless others who introduced so many of us to worlds of wonder; but I feel he's got the hallmark of an author who will similarly stand the tests of time. While not nearly as prolific as, say, Orson Scott Card; Gould has consistently produced high quality young adult material. He depicts young characters anyone can identify with as they learn how to stand up and do something about the world around them.
I personally prefered Wildside; but don't take my word for it - read them all yourself.
"A Wrinkle in Time"? It's quite a good book, and aimed at generally the same age group as your kids.
Marvin knew: "Think of a number, any number..."
Both "Code of the Lifemaker" and "Ringworld" I found to be pretty fascinating and they each made me think a lot about humanity and our role in the universe.
The Horatio Hornblower novels. Not sci-fi, but very similar in style. They are a light read, unlike most classics, action-focused, and don't bog down with description. The basic theme is a teenager/young man making his way in the world against moderate adversity.
Old sailing ship tech is just as alien and fascinating as future sci tech and just as fun to read about. Perhaps more so since it actually happened.
Of course after 600 some comments I doubt anyone will make down to this post...
Yes. I re-read Ursula Le Guin's A Wizard of Earthsea every few years, and get something new out of it each time. (The Sci-Fi channel miniseries never existed. I can't hear you, lalala....)
Tom Swiss | the infamous tms | my blog
You cannot wash away blood with blood
If you can find it, the Robot City series by Asimov. The main characters should be young enough to keep a teen interested.
But... Foundation is too dry? If you want OC, try fantasy.
My 9 year old daughter loved The Mammoth Trilogy by Stephen Baxter (Silverhair, Longtusk, and Icebones).
I'm surprised I haven't seen any recommendations for Garth Nix. I loved the trilogy starting with Sabriel when I was in my early teens. Shade's Children is also very good, though dark.
Alan Dean Foster's FLINX Series
Robert Asprin's MYTH Series
John DeChancie's CASTLE Series
Terry Brooks' SHANNARA Series
Harry Harrison's STAINLESS STEEL RAT Series
And a whole host of other GREAT Authors...
Are you kidding me? G.R.R.M is without doubt the best author I've ever read, and his ASoIaF is without question amazing, but it's incredibly adult-oriented. I'm all for expanding their horizons and holding nothing back, but if he's worried about dark and cynical, GRRM is not where he should start his kids reading. My little sister is an avid reader, but I wouldn't let her near A Game of Thrones until she's at least 15. Not only is it long and full of political intrigue, it's also full of a Dwarf making randy jokes and having lots of sex.
Here's to love and solidarity, and a kiss behind the barricades
Couple that I don't think have been mentioned yet: Van Vogt's Null-A books (World of, and Players of [also known as Pawns of]) were favourites of mine when I was 11.
Also Keith Laumer's work from the 1960s, esp. Dinosaur Beach and the Retief series. But his work went seriously downhill after he had a stroke in the early 70s.
And yeah, Heinlein's Have Spacesuit Will Travel was probably what got me hooked on sf when I was a bit younger (9 or 10, maybe). They should read that, if they haven't already.
You might want to think about how you want to shape his world view before you choose books. Some books can be light hearted but a little pessimistic like the works of Douglas Adams. Some can be more intellectual stimulating like the works of Arthur C. Clark, Ben Bova or Kim Stanley Robertson.
On the surface Orson Scott Card's works might seem a good choice but his religious views tends to taint his works.
I think Arthur C Clark's book The City in the Stars would be a good read for a young person.
*It's not what you can do for the Dark Side but what the Dark Side can do for you!*
One fantasy series that'll keep any kid busy for a good long while is the " Redwall " collection. I've known more than a few people who were profoundly affected by Jacques clever tales of animal adventure. Most notable (to me, at least) are the numerous people I've known who found these books to be delightful, despite a lack of interest in SF or fantasy.
I first read the foundation trilogy when I was ten, and loved it. I wouldn't hold it back just because you don't think they're old enough.
Actually, don't hold anything back. Because unless your kid gets an arts degree, likelihood is he/she will have a lot less time to read once they start college and beyond.
While not exactly Sci-Fi, I plan on introducing my son to Lloyd Alexande's Chronicles of Prydain, Robert Asprin's Myth Adventures and some Roger Zelazny such as Roadmarks and A Dark Traveling and seeing where he goes from there.
maybe your kids are already too old for these, but i still think they're pretty fun. they were like analog infocom games! here's one for starters
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_and_Beyond
and the rest are nearby.
You might want to look at books before the 1960s or 1970s. When a lot of science was still more speculative, allowing science fiction to go in a myriad of directions. A lot of short stories were written in the 40s and 50s and there's project gutenberg for the really old stuff from verne, burroughs, and wells. Battlefield Earth is a good long read(1000 pages), old version before the crappy movie. Some 50's short story books like "The Space Frontiers", "Invaders of Earth", "Reach for Tomorrow", or "A Way Home" should be workable as the education and lives of young people now are more advanced and complicated than many adults of the 1950's era that these books were aimed at (old bugs bunny vs spongepants(yuk)). They also give a good cross section of authors of the period. I read all of them at age 10 among others and had no trouble following any of them. Many of the stories are short enough to match the attention spans of our young people and many are light enough to be entertaining plus the abundance of stories allow them to choose what they want to read. Authors Clarke, Sturgeon, Tenn, Asimov, Conklin, Vogt, Brown, and others, made for some interesting reading before the big franchises had influence, think Star Trek and Star Wars among others, and before the thinking and presenting became rather standardized.
Anne McCaffrey - Dragon Fuckers of Pern. Seriously that woman has a embarrassing problem.
Orson Scott Card - Outside of Ender's Game, everything is a Mormon allegory.
Robert Heinlein - Never got over his fascination with 19 year old girls and multiple wives. Has absolutely no use for women over 20.
Isaac Asimov - A couple of big ideas. Books that read like logic puzzles but are devoid of all other literary qualities. Complete inability to write female characters.
Yes, I'm bitterly disappointed by the sci-fi I used to love as a child.
If any of them are baseball fans then Michael Chabon's "Summerland" is certainly worth a read - or listen to it as a book on tape, but reading it is best.
The Last Legionary Quartet by Douglas Hill
stay frosty and alert
For light reading I recommend the Dragon Singer trilogy by Anne McCrafferty and the Tripod series by John Christopher.
I'll second that recomendation on the Bone series. Try to find the 1300 page paperback edition. Think Lord of the Rings for kids.
Some newer series that have my pre-teen hooked are the Olympians series by Rick Riordan. Book 1 is "The Lightning Thief". There's also Peter Pan series by Barry Pearson. And finally, the "Warriors" series of fighting cat clans by Erin Hunter.
I am not sure how suitable they are for the pre-teen audience but some of my favorites are:
From a male perspective (Main Character male)
"Wiz Biz" by Rick Cook
"Wizardry Consulted" by Rick Cook
Or from a female perspective (Main Character female)
"Dragonsbane" by Barbara Hambly
On the non-sci-fic side:
"When I say No, I feel Guilty" by Manuel J. Smith (Assertiveness Trainer Techniques)
"How to Stop Worrying and Start Living" by Dale Carnegie
I forget whose pen name that was, but he wrote some satisfying, if pretty grim (as in "Outer Limits endings"), adolescent sf which I devoured when I was in my pre-teens. "A Rag, A Bone, and A Hank of Hair" was a personal favourite. No idea if they're good in their own right as I haven't re-read, but I liked the stories at that age.
No kidding!!! What do you say at this point?
Orson Scott Card has a fairly regular column where he reviews almost anything that he encounters. The column is originally published in his hometown newspaper, but is available online at his website a few days later. Orson reviews MANY books, including quite a few Young Adult and Children's books. He reads many of these books himself in part because he has a now-teenaged daughter who reads voraciously and in part because he finds the quality of the storytelling very good in many cases. As he says repeatedly, kids won't put up with stories that aren't good. That said, you won't find nearly as much time spent on deep, dark night of the soul agonizings such as The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever. And since you are looking for books for your kids, Covenant should NOT be on the Approved Reading List for another decade or so.
I have read quite a few of the books that Orson recommends -- my local library usually has several of them in stock at one branch or another -- and I have yet to be disappointed.
Here is an index of his reviews:
http://www.hatrack.com/osc/reviews/everything/index.shtml
Book reviews are scattered throughout, but the titles of the reviews usually mention movies. Here is one that has two children's book reviews:
http://www.hatrack.com/osc/reviews/everything/2004-06-27.shtml
Scroll down or search for "Midnight Magic" and then just below that you'll find "Sword of the Rightful King."
Good luck with helping your kids keep reading.
No science fiction fan can possibly miss out on Isaac Asimov, or Arthur C. Clark. Both men are rather dated, or even antiquated, now. But, both of those men were real scientists, who wrote stories around their best understanding of science, at the time they wrote the stories. Further, both men wrote stories that reflected Sci-Fi's core theme: "What if........?" Sci-fi isn't just entertainment. In fact, the action movies and television shows that everyone refers to as "sci-fi" are simply garbage. Sci-fi is entertaining, while educational. Sci-fi expands the mind, without relying on illegal chemicals. Asimov and Clark remain the giants in Science Fiction, and they probably will remain so for some time to come. ANYTHING with their names on it is good reading.
"Windows is like the faint smell of piss in a subway: it's there, and there's nothing you can do about it." - Charlie Br
Jules Verne was one of the biggest SciFi writers ever.
And you can get most of his books for free from the Gutenberg project.
If they like Star Trek (a lot)
I'd say that anything by Peter David is a pretty safe bet. Great sense of humor, interesting stories...
I had a sucky sig.
I remember reading Harry Harrison - Death World 2 in grade 6 and I really loved it.
I read the whole trilogy a couple years ago and it's classic scifi but fast enough to keep the attention of a younger reader.
The second book is about a guy who crash lands on a planet with lots of tribes with different proprietary technologies that he then hacks to improve and use for different things in order to escape.
Make Way for Dragons! by Thorarinn Gunnarsson is great. There's simply no other way to describe this as - other than to say that a 5-star rating doesn't quite do it justice. It's definitely more fantasy than sci-fi, but it was one of my favorite reads, ever. The rest of the series, Human, Beware! and Dragons on the Town are also both excellent. The prequel, Dragons' Domain is honestly a bit dark, but it's the sort of pyrrhic ending... I'll not spoil it. These are simply excellently written and I can't recommend them highly enough.
Jabberwocky was a favourite bedtime story for my kids.
By Lewis Carroll. (from Through the Looking-Glass and What Alice Found There , 1872)
Sometimes used to teach about the use of portmanteau and nonsense words in poetry.
The language influence could help them become ??? programmers, who knows.
Go well
It's hard to remember back that far, but the stuff I had in my elementary school library included things like the "Tom Swift Jr." series, about a young scientist/engineer. They were sort of in the vein of "The Hardy Boys" or the "Jonny Quest" cartoons but focused on some pretty far-fetched scientific concepts. I really enjoyed them though and must have read 40+ different editions. Like "The Hardy Boys" they were thoroughly formulaic but still good harmless fun for 9 - 12 year olds.
Also, the "Danny Dunn" series was pretty fun. It was more juvenile than the "Tom Swift" stories but had a better scientific foundation. One thing that stood out in these were the inclusion of a girl as a principle character, and adults who weren't shown as being totally stupid-- a failure of a lot of kid's books.
Fantasy wise, I read Anne McCaffery's "Dragonriders of Pern" short stories when I was about 11. I think the short stories preceded the first novel ("Dragonflight") but I could be wrong about that.
I also spent a lot of time reading comics. There were some great stories back then, but many comics today aren't as innocent as those 70's stories were. Or as subversive, as I think the old "Green Lantern/Green Arrow" comics subtly shaped some of my political views. Some comics could provide a nice break if you decide to let them read some of the more serious works others have suggested.
Happy hunting, and good on you for encouraging your kids to read a wide range of things.
I started reading Nicholas Fisk at around the age of 9 or 10 and it was ideal for my age bracket at that time (Trillions was a great one, think of the movie 'Batteries Not Included' and combine it with some ultra basic nano-tech concepts). Piers Anthony had some great stuff in the Xanth series, but tread carefully there as some of his other works (Bio of a Space tyrant for example) were DEFINITELY a little full on for a youngster. The space-pirate rape/marriage scene as one example and the theme of rape/murder being extremely common. Not so good for pre-teen, but great for a 15-16yo with an enquiring mind and a thirst for shock value writing.
but got me through some rough patches in intermediate & high school:
Memory, Sorrow & Thorn (Tad Williams)
Darwath Trilogy (Barbara Hambly)
Hammer's Slammers (David Drake)
Thieves' World (various, edited by Robert Lynn Asprin)
Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever (Stephan R. Donaldson - both the author and protagonist have been mentioned but not the series)
Already mentioned but deserve more:
Guardians of the Flame (Joel Rosenberg)
Lord of the Rings & The Hobbit (Tolkien)
Anything by Heinlein
Dragonsbane (Hambly)
Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy (Adams)
The Belgariad (Eddings)
mmmm I should read some of these again...
"In the end, there is simply no weapon more devastating than the truth, delivered in just the right way." - tnk1
A lot of the titles here are great Sci-Fi but not as accessible as real "made for kids" stuff that contain science that is easily transitional to the titles mentioned.
The stuff that got me started down the Sci-Fi path:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Danny_Dunn/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Matthew_Looney/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_Investigators/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Encyclopedia_Brown/
Then of course The Hobbit, and Asimov and Niven's short stories. After that any youngster would be hooked and need a 12 step to quit the habit.
"There is nothing to do it. But to do it." -Floyd Pepper
When I started Junior High I discovered copies of Analog magazine in the library. I read every one they had, then asked my parents for a two year subscription.
Lots of great Sci-Fi, plus one factual article every month. It introduced me to some great authors that I might otherwise never have heard of.
And you can find old copies in used book stores dirt cheap. That way the kids can find a variety of authors they like without having to buy full books up front.
A very good series for preteens is The Tripod Trilogy by John Christofer. It should be available at any medium sized library. I read this in 4th or 5th grade and it started a 30 year love affair with scifi.
They're a bit long in the tooth now, but the Lensman novels by E.E. 'Doc' Smith were absolutely fantastic. I also really enjoyed Ivan Southall's Simon Black novels.
You just said pre-teen so I'm not sure what age your kids are exactly, but any of the Eoin Colfer books are a good read for kids. these are aimed squarely at kids though and are not in any way serious fantasy or sci-fi.
don't worry to much about the darkness and politics, the beauty is that we don't start picking that stuff up till later in life. We read and enjoy the story when we are younger.
I strongly recommend Timothy Zahn, and I'm mostly not talking about his Star Wars novels. The Conquerors trilogy is an excellent set of novels and he has quite a few standalone books too, notably The Icarus Hunt and Manta's Gift. There's also a series aimed at younger readers that starts with Dragon and Thief, I believe. Zahn has the ability to flesh out an incredibly detailed universe, complete with rules, tech and alien races, very quickly. His writing is also fairly chaste if you care about sort of thing.
McCaffrey is also great on the more fantasy end of things, though I would stay away from the later stuff which her son wrote. He sort of messes up the rules of her universe, for one thing.
My Dad had the whole series of the books and I devoured them as a youngster. Evil aliens, lots of technology, heroic heroes... the lot... The author was E.E. 'Doc' Smith. I don't know if they're still in print.
In truth every book suggested here could work -- as long as you have already read it, or read it along with your kids. What's most important is the discussion you have about the stories: did you like it, did it resonate with you, scare you, make you question what life is like today? Putting things into context also matters. By itself Starship Troopers is a fun story. As a criticism against the structure of the US military during the Vietnam war it takes on a whole different light.
Pretty Sci-Fi for a pre-teen and for many people reading /.
I guess I started with a book by Ben Bova about a generation ship where all the adults died and the kids continued on. Kind of like Lord of the Flies in space. Can't remember the name of the book.
That summer at the library definitely changed my life. After Bova I read Heinlein's _The Moon is a Harsh Mistress_. And then everything I could find by Heinlein.
Read Dune at about age 11, after devouring all the Heinlein and the other SF books in my mom's library. Paul is about that age, and the depictions of violence are very mild by comparison to modern adult SF.
Then I read the Foundation trilogy.
Then Tolkein.
Personally, I think you should let them read anything they want. If it is something you haven't read, read it first, just in case. If the book has adult themes, insist they discuss these themes with you. (Excellent excuse for a non-confrontational parenting session.)
TANSTAAFL GIGO Acronyms to live by!
Cory Doctorow's Little Brother is great stuff -- just barely SF, though, all stuff that could happen tomorrow. Reads like 1984 in the modern US with a techie teen protagonist.
chuk
Although just a novella, "Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions" by Edwin A. Abbott is quite interesting. Exploring a 2D world from the perspective of one of its inhabitants and a visiting sphere who provides an outside view on the society. It has been said that Abbott was actually uses the novella as a vehicle to make commentary on Victorian society. But it any case, a very interesting concept story.
I just loved Tschai the first time I put my hands on it, I was maybe 14 and read the 3 books in a row, it was great !
And the Kirth Gersen novels are great too (I don't know the title in english, I read it in french)
Anne McCaffrey, Lois McMaster Bujold, Marion Zimmer Bradley (maybe not for teenagers?), Mercedes Lackey (Valdemar is a great world)
Great writers, still read them from time to time
-- A frog from outer Europe
There is always Hole in the Sky or The Door Into Summer or The Rolling Stones and anything in the Xanth series will make a reader for life.
My favourite was "Have Space Suit, Will Travel"
No sig today...
Tom Swift
Tripods Trilogy
David Eddings - See a list HERE. Great books, although the Dreamer series was a bit on the soft side. Regina's song is more of a suspense/horror story and The Redemption of Althalus is a pretty good read. Both of those are stand-alone books. The Belgariad and the Mallorean are both 5 books each. If they liked Harry Potter, they are going to love The Belgariad/Mallorean series. A young boy finds out he is a very powerful sorcerer. Battles Gods, etc. The character Silk and Belgarath's interactions are priceless.
Terry Goodkind - Start with Wizard's First Rule and then go from there. That one will take them a while as the books and the series are huge. Same kind of theme but more adult. Young man finds out he is a very special kind of wizard. The book has some VERY brutal and sexual imagery though so you might want to read it first.
Setting his threshold to 5, Sparky eliminated most of the trolls on /.
Chances are they'll like it too. I was 13 when I read LOTR, and Dune. When I was 11-12 I "discovered" Asimov, Heinlein, Niven, Bradburyand other grandmasters, as well as the Star Trek novels. Those guys are famous for a reason.
Might want to try some collections of short stories, and see what they like. You might already have it in your collection. My library, at the time, had YA stickers on books (young adult), and I remember cruising around the library, looking for those stickers for a few years.
I also used to read the first page in a book, and some other random page just to see if I liked it, or the style. Try that with them.
..........FULL STOP.
These will tend more towards Fantasy than Sci-Fi.
Easy Reading level: (Just guessing... it's been years)
The Lloyd Alexander Prydain series:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronicles_of_Prydain
The Robert Asprin Myth books. (Mything Persons et al).
Medium reading level:
Of course, Conan books by Robert E. Howard, Carter and DeCamp.
The Shannara Books by Terry Brooks (Sword of Shannara et al).
David Eddings series. He has several... the Belgariad comes to mind.
Harder (by pre-teen standards) reading level:
Both Chronicles of Thomas Covenant by Stephan R. Donaldson.
Finally, I hate to say it because they are canned pulp D&D novels, but I remember really enjoying some of the Dragonlance books, particularly the Chronicles and the Legends books by Margret Weis and Tracy Hickman.
Hope that helps and that they are still in print.
-W
Well, for one thing, I think kids like dark -- and won't be harmed by it -- contrary to most parent's expectations. I cut my teeth on Bradbury, and if "Pillar of Fire" isn't dark, I don't know what is. Yet, it is fascinating and beautiful, like most of Bradbury's short stories. IN fact, I highly recommend those.
A lot of Heinlein does work -- anything that he wrote for the YA crowd, like "Have Spacesuit, Will Travel" work. I think Starship Troopers would be a good read, too, but not a lot of his more mature work, quite yet.
Many of Asimov's short stories are great, but forget his novels.
Anything by Terry Pratchett is great, and pretty much safe for teens, though "The Colour of Magic" and "The Light Fantastic" aren't really that great, so I wouldn't start with those.
The Dresden Files series by Jim Butcher deals with mature subjects, but stays pretty PG-13.
Alan Dean Foster has a great range of suitable books.
And, of course, there're the classic sci-fi authors: Clarke, Card, Cherryh, Niven & Pournelle (the stuff they write on their own kinda sucks, generally,) Frederic Pohl, LeGuinne, etc.
Personally, I recommend getting them started and then letting them read what they want. For the most part, what is considered truly age-appropriate kinda sucks, though there are a lot of gems. What's important is to get them to think about what they're reading.
I highly recommend "The Invisible Man." It's not only science fiction, but also an exploration on the edge of human sanity: the long-term effects of altered states.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Fire_Upon_the_Deep
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Deepness_in_the_Sky
Both great authors. Laumer has some great stuff and some hugely funny stuff in his Retief series. Simak writes some great stuff, including "Way Station" which I haven't read in ages but I still can remember the mystery and intrigue of the plot.
My way into SF (outside superheroes that is) was through Clarke's 'Islands In The Sky'. It's a very accessible book I read around age 11. That span off into other Clarke books and by age 15 I'd read most of the Golden Age giants - Clarke, Asimov, Heinlein, Silverberg, Aldiss... Less 'hardcore' kids SF would be the numerous (100+) Doctor Who books out there - lots of fun, no sex, minimal violence, classic bad guys and a happy ending with every (short) read. I read seven 150 page Doctor Who books in one day during the summer holidays once. Bliss.
Travelling forward in time at a rate of 1 second per second.
This a small sampling from among my very favorites of all time. Depending on the reading level of your boys, I would recommend:
Dream Park and its sequel (I forget the name) by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle. It is a "near future" setting, the plot involving a live role-playing game in an amusement park, based on a 20th-Century real-world mythology. This book got me seriously researching the Papua New Guinea "Cargo Cult" in my University library. The plot also includes a murder mystery, to add to the drama. Excellent work, and suitable for younger readers as long as they can handle some descriptions of physical combat / pretend magical themes.
His Dark Materials by Phillip Pullman (the first of this trilogy is The Golden Compass, a recent movie). The movie tries valiantly to overcome two major difficulties: it is only one-third of an involved mystery, so the "end" of the movie leaves us distinctly unsatisfied. Second, it is, after all, a movie made from a book. The trilogy is FAR better than the first movie by itself would imply. (Note: contrary to what has often been reported, this series is not about "killing God", nor is it particularly anti-religious. The being they are fighting is clearly described as a powerful pretender, and it is stated in so many words that it is not "God". However, it must be admitted that the plot carries a strong message against authoritarian Churches, which is a completely different matter.)
The Mote in God's Eye by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle, and its sequel (which is not quite as good). IMHO, next to Dream Park this is their next best set of books. Among other things, it deals with the idea of: what would / should we do if we ran into an alien race that was actually (in some ways) more intelligent and more physically evolved than ourselves, as well as vigorous and competitive? Should we do the "moral" thing and use the Golden Rule? Should we take advantage of circumstances and destroy them? There are other themes as well... these are long, deep and rich novels. (I would like to point out that it is naturally difficult for an author to convincingly portray beings that might be of higher intelligence than ourselves. Niven and Pournelle manage to pull it off somehow.)
Earth, by David Brin. I can't say enough about this one. I do not agree with all of Brin's politics but I highly recommend this novel to anyone. I also enjoyed his "Uplift" series, which is apparently unfinished as of yet.
A Fire Upon The Deep by Vernor Vinge. A very unique idea made into a very good novel: the galaxy turns out to be divided into "zones of thought", which are roughly defined by the relative density of mass. Therefore, the center of the galaxy (where presumably there is a giant black hole or at least lots of closely-packed, dense matter) is known as "the Unthinking Depths", in which thought is slow if possible at all, while the outer fringes are "the Beyond", where faster-than-light travel, computers that are more intelligent than humans, and beings known to the races further down as "gods" reside. The story of course involves humans and other races that occupy the regions between, and who have to deal with both. Outstanding. A central theme: do you really have free will, or are you just a tool of higher power(s)? Vinge, by the way, is the original inventor of the "cyberspace" concept. His story True Names was published well before William Gibson was in print with similar ideas.
Hard Science Fiction:
The Rocheworld series, and anything else by the late Robert L. Forward, renowned physicist. These are actually fairly easy reading and can stimulate inquisitive thinking about science. Also recommended are his Dragon's Egg series (which he described as "neutron star physics disguised as a novel"), and I loved Camelot 30K. His science is real and his novels are, well... novel. But very entertaining. Flight of the Dragonfly, the first of the Rocheworld
http://www.allreaders.com/Topics/info_14268.asp?BSID=1409956
20 years later I still remember this book, I read it when I was 8, it started a lifelong love of reading.
You probably grew up watching the series, but the short stories of the episodes put together by James Blish might be perfect for road-trip reads, you know, no chance of leaving one of the kids in a rest stop restroom because they've committed to a heavy LOTR-type epic. Might disagree about going with JRR for a road trip though. The style he uses...
WARNING: Smartphones have side effects--most of them undocumented.
Shade's Children by Garth Nix
The Declaration by Gemma Malley
Uglies by Scott Westerfeld (there's also the rest of the series: Pretties, Specials, and Extras)
Peeps by Scott Westerfeld
Hover Car Racer by Matthew Reilly
Some good modern childrens sci-fi and fantasy. I work in the childrens section of a bookshop >.>
One of the books that got fueled my love of scifi when I was a kid was the Ear, the Eye and the Arm, by Nancy Farmer. It's not exactly hard scifi, but it manages to pull off a cyberpunk-ish detective story without being too dark or cynical. I think I read it when I was 10, too, so it's definitely aimed at the right age group.
It was also a runner-up for the Newberry Award, which is given to writers of long fiction for preteens. You might check the list of winners: I know there's some good scifi on there, like The Giver.
I recommend the Four Pillars of Swords and Sorcery, in the order in which they were written -- Robert E. Howard's Conan stories (NOT the pastiches); Fritz Lieber's Nehwon/Fafhrd & the Grey Mouser; Jack Vance's Dying Earth series (they'll need a dictionary too, for his opulent vocabulary), and Michael Moorcock's Elric saga (also, "The Eternal Champion, The Silver Warriors, and The Dragon in the Sword are also excellent). Swords and Sorcery pre-dates so-called "heroic fantasy" by a good 20 years. Swords and Sorcery is un-encumbered by simplistic black-and-white morality and squeaky-clean heroes. The protagonists of Swords and Sorcery are anti-heroes. While they may do good, it is incidental, in the course of demanding a say in their own fates. There is more nobility and humanity in Elric's ultimately futile struggle to remain free of the powers which would manipulate him than in all of the suffering endured by Frodo in Lord of the Rings.
right?
I think it is ideal for their age - I loved it at that time (and even now).
I hugely enjoyed the series of Tom Swift Jr stories when I was about 11. They are more science than sci-fi, being about a young inventor who makes an atomic-powered VTOL plane, a submarine, etc. They might be a little dated now (would need to re-read to check). See:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Swift,_Jr.
Note that there are also a much older sequence featuring Tom Swift (sr). And a really cheesy space-opera style series of "Tom Swift" books that are only loosely related to the Tom Swift Jr. series ("third Tom Swift series"). See:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Swift
(Man, it's amazing what is on Wikipedia!)
Oh, and of course the "Mad Scientists Club" books:
http://www.madscientistsclub.com/
I would also suggest finding copies of the old sci-fi magazines (amazing stories, etc). The short stories in there are sometimes just incredibly good. And there is always at least one story that appeals to every reader.
The books that turned me on to sci-fi, as a pre-teen, were the "Dragonfall 5" series by Brian Earnshaw.
There are five books in the series (all titled "Dragonfall 5 and the..."). They tell the tale of a family who live onboard a small spaceship (named Dragonfall 5), which visits various planets where the family has adventures. One of the most memorable stories concerned a civil war in an Orwellian society of intelligent rabbits.
They're definitely aimed at children and are available (mostly second-hand, sadly) from Amazon.
Andrew Oakley - www.aoakley.com
I'd pretty much read anything including a lot of Heinlein when I was a kid. I'd rather a kid be interested in reading than about a million other things.
If you want to avoid some harsher titles, avoid Hubbard's Mission Earth series. Kids will avoid the Dianetics and Scientology stuff on their own.
Forget Arthur C Clarke or Asimov!
No child is complete without some cool intergalactic-special-agent-sci-fi goodness.
The Stainless Steel Rat by Harry Harrison should be in every child's secret library.
My all time favorite book from my early gradeschool years, around 5th grade, in the 1970's and still a classic for today are the SciFi books Eleanor wrote for her son. The several book series (some no longer in print) is about a mushroom planet only visible with a special lense. Two boys respond to an add in the paper to build a space ship and suprisingly find themselves visiting this planet. The first book of this collection and still in print is: "The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet" The second book is still in print also: "Stowaway to Mushroom Planet". Another favorate of mine is "Stowaway to the moon; The Camelot Odyssey" by William Roy Shelton. A young boy gets on baord a NASA flight to the Moon and encounters all the difficulties of space and risk of space flight along with the crew. The idea of a kid sneaking aboard a NASA flight to the moon seems ridiculous on its face, but Shelton really delivers a credible story here. From beginning to end. Kids will love it and adults will appreciate the authenticity.
Question here is, are they the annoying glitter everywhere type or the annoying "oh, at 11 I'm THE MAN" type?
I'd recommend the Wrinkle in Time series by Madeleine L'Engle.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/A_Wrinkle_in_Time
Sorry if it's already brought up, I did not see it.
Where did we get the idea that pre-teens can't be exposed to sex in any way? It's a good idea to read books before recommending them to your children to make sure the presentation of sex isn't sinister in any way, but the mere presence of sex shouldn't disqualify a book.
I see several posts on this page where people rule out any sex whatsoever, but nothing at all lamenting the fact that most classic sci-fi is absurdly sexist. Usually naively and unintentionally sexist, perhaps, and only occasionally misogynistic, but not suitable to be the bulk of your kid's literary diet.
In fact, the best reason for tolerating a little sex is that most of the non-chauvinistic sci-fi does contain sex. Plus, it is a good idea for kids to be self-consciously, abstractly wondering about sex before they encounter their own urges in a concrete form. They aren't going to take their ideas from you, their parents, and the alternatives are books, movies, TV, and peers. Obviously, good books and a few movies are your best hope if you want your kids to take a thoughtful, critical approach.
I don't know ANYTHING about pre-teens except what I know from being one, but I know I read several books about sex as a pre-teen and was alternately amused and horrified by the unreflective, superstitious, fetishistic approach to sex that my peers took to sex. Whatever they heard from anyone between their age and twenty-one, they took as gospel truth. Whatever they knew at a given time was assumed to be pretty close to the whole truth. Good science fiction is a wonderful inoculation against those attitudes. (Unfortunately, it seems that most science fiction is optimized to sell to people who would rather fantasize about sex than think about it, but you just have to find the exceptions.)
Here are a few books that might be suitable for preteens.
Island , by Aldous Huxley. I actually read this as a pre-teen. The main thing I took away from it is that sex and love present some thorny problems, and different people have come up with many very different ways of coping with them. It influenced me to approach sex with a combination of compassion, love, and pragmatism, in that order. I learned to keep that attitude to myself in the macho culture I grew up in, and gave up on it altogether by the time I went to college, but eventually my adult experiences with sex brought me right back to where Aldous Huxley started me out. This is a no-brainer choice to give to freethinking kids. It does advocate judicious use of hallucinogens for spiritual purposes, but I read and admired it as a preteen and was never tempted to test that particular idea. (Twenty years later, I still haven't.)
Fledgling , by Octavia Butler. Perhaps this one should be saved for older teens. I really don't know what to say about this book except that it made me think. I'm normally a pretty quick reader, but I kept putting this one down just so I could think for a while. (I know, I'm supposed to do that with every book. So I'm a philistine; sue me.) The takeaway lesson from this book is that people have to be very ethically careful about relations of power and dependency.
Stranger in a Strange Land , by Robert Heinlein. The older I get the more I realize that Heinlein was a pompous dick who loved to put ridiculous ideas over on people, take undeserved adulation from naive people (like my teenage self,) and then defend himself against the critics by saying he was just "throwing things out there" or "seeing who would take him seriously." So I would definitely rer
From what I can tell I don't think Starship Troopers had any real negative effect on any of us in here (I might even suggest that questioning your personal ethics and politics should start quite young), I would certainly hand it to any teenager that was interested in Sci-fi. Other than that most of what I would put here are repeats of earlier choices:
"Ender's Game" is great, dark, but great.
"Pastwatch" is really good too.
"Snow Crash" and the "Diamond Age" (as with the two above) are rewarding in different ways each time you read them, you take different things, so I would recommend them as soon as possible.
Anything by Keith Laumer, Walter Jon Williams is fun and covers a lot of ground. Eric Frank Russell had some great ones including the brilliant "Wasp" (also anyone that enjoyed the McCaffrey's Rowan series should read "Sentinel's from Space"), Gordon R Dickson's Dorsai series, and though I am loath to admit it here, the original 2 Warhammer 40k books Inquisitor and Deathwing I remember enjoying a lot.
All I would say is that I don't think you could go wrong with short stories by any reputable author, they rarely have time to be too dark, so are a good introduction to more adult themes without throwing them in at the deep end.
I'll shut up now as I could really go on forever.
Anything by Susan Cooper, particularly the 5-book Dark is Rising sequence. (Ignore the terrible, terrible film by the same name - it bears no relation, despite being 'based' on the book.) John Christopher's The Tripods. The Cats of Seroster by Robert Westall.
Nicholas Fisk wrote a series of books years ago called Starstormers. They would be awesome for kids, I remember I loved them. I'd also throw in another vote for Anne McAffry, she's great.
I would recommend early Stanislaws Lem books. Kids should like them, if they're not obligaroty (in poland you must read some of these and they teach you to love them during education)
I would suggest IMHO trying something like Harry Harrison's, The Stainless Steel Rat. Got me hooked with his sense of humor. When I read the pre-text... "I can steal anything, anytime, anywhere, regardless if the guards are Human, Electronic, or Other. I was so good that by the time the space cops finally caught up with me, there was only one thing they could do. They made me a cop!" No F-bombs or needless: Brown chicken brown cow (say it out loud with that 70's funk)! Kept me interested since I was a wee lad!
For something old/classic... definately Ray Bradbury. He has a wealth of terrific juvenille sci-fi. For something new... although the Artemis Fowl series is as much or more fantasy than sci-fi, and it is dark, I still highly recommend it. It contains some amazing ideas on how the worlds of magic and science colide, and the path that Artemis takes from dark to light is very compelling. It is my suggestion that you read them before they do or with them. That way you can discuss any mature issues they may have questions about. After all, space is a harsh mistress. Most tales worth telling involve some element of danger and darkness.
In addition, why not make your own! Hold a production meeting with them. Find some compelling topics and stories from talking to your kids about it. Then write a story, and have them draw it, or make costumes/sets and photograph the story. You could even use lulu.com or a similar site to make a full color comic or hardcover book for around $20 privately or to sell.
Sci-fi series that I always liked (and still do), are the Dunes, all of Douglas Adam's stuff, and much of what Tom Holt wrote (although it is part fantasy/parody/comedy).
More generally, the works of Raymond E. Feist and Janny Wurts are excellent (they are more fantasy genre).
The doctor who and star trek novels seem to be aimed at/suitable for early/pre-teen age groups AFAICT.
I think that kids should read classics like George Orwell, and Joseph Heller's Catch-22 as well, but that's just my opinion...
In general kids these days do not seem to be reading much, due to the increasing dominance of TV/cinema/internet...
TV in particular is full of crap, and if you don't watch it (except for specific things worth watching), you'll be better off. Just watching any old crap TV is just a waste of your time and brainpower. These days all of my "TV" comes off the internet in torrent form.
But in general, you can read almost anything, and you will gain something from it, the same can't honestly be said for most other forms of media...
There is no psychiatrist in the world like a puppy licking your face - Ben Williams
Bill, The Galactic Hero......I can only wonder what would have occurred if this was required reading in America 40 years ago.
Never play chicken with a passive aggressive.
When I was a kid I loved reading Jules Verne, read most of his books I had at home twice.
Even better, some are freely available on the Internet (project Gutenberg for example) so you could just print them for free.
... by Douglas Hill, comprising Galactic Warlord, Deathwing Over Veynaa, Day Of The Starwind and Planet Of The Warlord. Also the Huntsman series by the same author, comprising The Huntsman, Warriors Of The Wasteland and Alien Citadel. I have fond memories of them all.
"The Stainless Steel Rat" and "Deathworld" series - they are light, packed with action and not too serious.
Anything by Dianna Wynne Jones
Anything by Anne McCaffrey
Net Force Explorers series - Tom Clancy
The Bartimaeus Trilogy - Jonathan Stroud
The Fionavar Tapestry trilogy - Guy Gavriel Kay
The Temeraire series - Naomi Novik
Pagans Tales series - Catherine Jinks
The Dragonlance series - Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman
They should give you plenty to get through and even though its not really sci-fi/fantasy I *highly* recommend a good illustrated copy of Aesops Fables. The kids will love the tales and hopefully take something of the morals from the many various stories and grow up the better for it :)
Nowadays I can tell you all about how Starwars is just a Dune rip-off, my all time favourite, next to Snowcrash, Akira and GITS of course.
With great power comes great electricity bills.
Gosh!! Any child have to *LOVE* robots. Just give them some Asimov collection of stories and they'll forget the PS at least for an hour ^_^
ps: And of course, any adult *SHOULD LOVE* robots. If you don't, probably you have to be fixed!I have always loved the adventures of Nathan Brazil in Jack L. Chalker's "Well-World" novels, a series of about six books.
According to one wise man, "Belief is premature cognitive committment." NO AMOUNT OF BELIEF ESTABLISHES A FACT.
His novels are just too good for the general population to know about.
As a geek Sci-fi writer, he is the only writer I know to actually explain the maths behind his space drives (Spindizzys, named for what they do to electrons), gravity-polarised explosives, Dirac instantaneous communicators and other weird devices.
He has also written a short series of top-class Sci-fi aimed at young people - The Star Dwellers starts it.
His masterpiece is probably 'Doctor Mirabilis', but I wouldn't read that until you're about 38, and have some medieval Latin under your belt. Of course, this book is not really science fiction - it's science fact, as near as we can get it, but, amongst other things, the development of Einstinian Relativity in the 1200s is so little known about that it might as well be fiction.
As I say, stay away from these books. If you read them, most other Sci-fi will feel tame by comparison. Luckily, they will never be discovered by Hollywood.....
1984 is a good start. It may teach your kids to think about what kind of government they want. They may also learn to think about the implications of government sponsored mass surveillance.
I mean there're so many great stories... you might try a couple anthologies of short stories... When I was young, it was wonderful to read an entire story on a rainy afternoon. Sometimes if they were really great, I could get through two or three.
So for possible full length novels... might I suggest;
Heinlien: "Podkayne of Mars" and "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress"
Niven: "Integral Tree" and "Ring World"
McCaffrey: "The Dragonriders of Pern"
Pohl: "Beyond the Blue Event Horizon"
Bradbury: "Martian Chronicles", "Fahrenheit 451", "Something Wicked This Way Comes"
Vonnegut: "The Sirens of Titan"
Asimov: "The Gods Themselves"
Stephenson: "Diamond Age" or "Snow Crash"
Like I said... too many good books to shake a stick at. Enjoy.
Others have mentioned Nicholas Fisk - my father brought me up on them as "good starter sci-fi" :)
Smegma.
As for SF anything by Clark that is under a couple of hundred pages per novel is very suitable for young readers. The collaborative stuff later is heavily padded and seems to have sex scenes included purely to indicate it is for an adult audience.
At that age I was reading and enjoying John Wyndham, John Christopher, Asimov's Robot short stories, Jules Verne, H.G. Wells, Poul Anderson and a pile of collected short SF stories.
'Ethel the Aardvark Goes Quantity Surveying' can hardly be topped for pathos.
That ain't liver; that's beef kidney!
I've been trying to remember what these books were called all morning. I remember absolutely loving "The Castle Of Lyr" when I was 9 or 10, really great characters and a fantastic story. I'd recommend these to any child.
I think there may also have been some sort of animated film of the Black Cauldron 20 years ago or something.
When I was that age (a looong time ago ;-), I scoured the local library for anything written by Niven & Pournelle. Great stuff, interesting concepts to think about (well, maybe not "hammerfall" or the one featuring the space elephants), and usually funny enough to keep the interest up (the one with the "flying wizards" had me ROTFL quite a few times).
Ever wondered whats wrong with the world? http://www.ishmael.org/
Sure, you can propose some books you think they will like, but please also take them to a library and let them browse and pick up whatever they want. This is how you get kids into reading in the first place. We are all different, I have a lot of books that are dear to me that I've pushed on this or that youngling, and with some I have been successful, with some I have failed totally. I think I bought my sister Michael Ende's "Momo" twice by mistake, and she never read it once.
Real readers start omnivorous, reading all sort of good as well as bad books, but of all the books I read as a child, very few of the more important (for me) were "for children".
At about that age I was introduced to the wonderful set of books THE LENSMAN by E. Doc. Smith. I have treasured them ever since and now carefully nurture the worn copies. If you can still get your hands on them then are a fantastic read.
I read a lot of short stories as a young adult. I could read them during lunches or breaks, in the car, or whatever. There was a lot of variety, and I could skip around and pick stories based on my current mood. I wouldn't worry much about mature themes; although it may have been one of the reasons I liked Piers Anthony so much, it did keep me avidly reading. I didn't _only_ read the titillating books, by any stretch..
Here's the (mostly) SciFi/Fantasy books I remember loving in my 8-13 years. I'm trying to keep them in order, youngest to oldest.
Everyone is entitled to his own opinions, but not his own facts.
...remains one of my favorite authors, and I have been reading her books since before I could read (they were read to me). I think her writing is also morally very rich and stimulating, with none of the powermongering bullshit of most fantasy. The turning point in her stories is usually not a battle. I did not like all of her books as a child (like Tehanu, the 4th earthsea book, which has way too many old people in it for me to get it at age 10).
The earthsea series has already been mentioned (I personally make no distinction between fantasy and Sci-fi), and is a great read for any age. I think The Tombs of Atuan was my favorite book. The Dispossessed is one of her best books, but I didn't read it as a child so I don't know. I liked "The Lathe of Heavens", and "A fisherman of the inland sea", "the word for world is forest", and many of her short stories...
I know that now is a bad time to mention them , but most of you guys focused on the Scifi (LOTR and hobbit not withstanding) classics and neglected the Fantasy classics - the narnia chronicles , wizard of Oz, Alica in wonderland & Peter pan should have been on the top of the list. ,the Paul Anderson Fantasy books , "Riddle master of Hed" trilogy .
I would also add "The Jungle Book"
Seconded! Not for the sensitive, though; the books are pretty bleak, and there are deaths on an Iain M. Banks scale.
Anything and everything by John Wyndham would be the go.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Wyndham
If not the whole set, then at least these two:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Chrysalids
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chocky
The Chrysalids actually has a group of children as the central characters, and heroes and heroines, of the plot.
It would be an excellent read for pre-teens.
Chocky also has a young boy as the central character, so it also could strike a chord.
Finally, "The Day of the Triffids"
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Day_of_the_Triffids
while it does not feature children as the central characters, it is nevertheless also a very good traditionalist ScFi read.
I agree. I would recommend the books that made me love sci-fi. Back to basics! Stanislaw Lem is just great: interesting, informative, insightful and even funny (check out The Cyberiad too).
And talking about funny insightful sci-fi, War with the Newts, by Karel Capek, the guy who came up with the word Robot, is both at a high level
Dawkins Revisited: A person is shit's way of making more shit -- Steve Barnett, anthropologist.
The Mortal Engines series by Philip Reeve is a great take, if not an English language definition of the steampunk genre. Someone had mentioned it to me before and upon getting the the library found it it's actually a series of childrens books.
When I was a pre-teen, I got hooked on John Wyndham.
His best known book is Day Of The Triffids, but he wrote quite a few more, including some very very good stuff.
I also enjoyed the Tripod series by John Christopher (sorry, I forget the names of the actual books in the series).
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stainless_Steel_Rat
I also enjoyed fairy tales. However I never had any help from my parents. I went to the bookstore and found myself what I liked. Bought a lot of second hand pockets for almost nothing (and later saw them raped on the wide screen)
I was about 13 or 14 when I started buying my own books. Neither of my parents had any interest in SF.
This can be also the other way around. Perhaps your kids have absolutely no interest in SF. If they do, let them look in your library or look online what the story is about and see if they like it. If they don't, they will have other interests (that might mean nothing to you)
Learn them to make their own decisions. When it is your own pocketmoney, you sure as hell will buy something you know will be good. Go with them to a bookstore and let them choose. You might learn what their interests are.
Don't fight for your country, if your country does not fight for you.
Looking on google it's by Roger Elwood
I used to prowl the middle school library (many a moon ago) and this is one of the books that stuck out and I often remember. I am surprised not very many people seem to know it.
The first story in particular about a future where success and failure are rewarded (moving ahead - new experiences) and punished (death) by a set of long ago programmed cold machines. Although the story may seem a bit dark, it left a good impression on me about what it is to be an individual and being creative, and how even when an "authority" may claim something to be wrong, it really isn't. So tempted to go out and see if I can pick it up so I can refresh my memory and come back and read this and think "wow, I was way off" :)
.... ... }
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The ones that stick in my mind are:
The Wizard of Earthsea books by Ursula Le Guin
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
The Gods Themselves - Azimov
The End of Eternity - Azimov
Give them some Dick to read. Let's show them how the world can look like if they choose the right path!
It depends on how young they are. Pre-teen covers a lot of ground.
I remember reading the Tom Swift series, and the Tom Swift Jr. series. Targeted at the younger part of pre-teen, they are easy reads and will definitely get you/them hooked.
There have been so many good posts of books and series that had been fun back in the 60's that reminded me of those times!
Another consideration both for reading and entertainment to add would be to look at old radio and TV series and their written spin-offs.
One such would be "Tom Corbett". There are books both printed and often to be found on-line for download -- but there is also the old audio from the radio shows for MP3 players or CD-players.
Some folks might show eye strain symptoms of headaches or car sickness if left to reading for long periods in moving conveyances.
This then opens up shows like Dimension-X, X Minus 1, Twilight Zone and the like.
It would also if played when you could comment upon points of changed social perspectives allowing you to teach analytical thought for rejection or modification for current times.
As a mix in addition to Heinlein's Juvenile pieces, Jules Verne, or series like Tom swift this should expose them to a wide vocabulary and perhaps a sense of the flow of history.
Other classics could more easily follow.
You might consider how much of the mix is geared to the young reader so to build up their comprehension and enjoyment for what might be now "harder" works.
Good luck - sounds like they should be well off in later years in school and later life. :-)
AZhun
a bright tomorrow comes by new mistakes not by repeating the old ones
When I was a senior in high school, a friend of mine tossed me the book The Crystal Shard by R. A. Salvatore. That book got me started into the fantasy genre. The wonderful thing about Salvatore's books is that they are not only action packed they make you think on some very interesting issues. His books are the type were, once you pick them up they are hard to put down.
Another good fantasy author is Ed Greenwood. I absolutely enjoyed the Elminster series. The only problem you might have with that series is it is a bit more oriented for adults.
The Warcraft and Starcraft novels are another good choice. The only issue with them is they are generally written by many different authors but there are two "archive" books that have a compilation of books which were a wonderful read.
The Mortal Engines Quartet by Phillip Reeve would be great for the age group you are talking about.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mortal_Engines_Quartet
(According to that article, the quartet is known as 'The Hungry City Chronicles' in the USA)
It has some really interesting ideas (e.g. towns and cities that have become mobile and predatory, stripping their prey settlements for raw materials)
The setting is post-apocalyptic steampunk and is well realised.
The stories move along at a great pace with plenty of action and adventure.
... that any Sci-Fi would do. I gobbled them up when I was a kid. Though the Stainless Steel Rat was a favourite, as was the Flinx series by Alan Dean Foster.
But shortly thereafter I read "The Sheep Look Up", and was hooked on more serious Sci-Fi. If your kid likes to read that, let them, I'd say.
I remember those two fondly from my pre-teen (and in fact pre-pre-teen) days. I also read E E "Doc" Smith's Family d'Alembert series (D'oh - just read on Wikipedia that Stephen Goldin wrote most of them - childhood shattered!) but they were probably a bit trashy.
If you steal this sig, the only people who will profit are professional criminals.
When I was young, by Sci-Fi tipples were Harry Harrison's 'Stainless Steel Rat' series, and the Pratchett novels. I started with 'Dark Side of the Sun' and a couple of other Non-Discworld novels before I ended up moving there.
I think Pratchett is superb because of the multiple levels the books can be read on. You take as much from the book as you want, or as you are capable. I know I didn't get half the jokes until I was older, but I didn't notice that I'd missed anything till then.
These are the books i've started reading with my father. We are both sci-fi/fantasy fans now. Arthur C. Clarke - Rendezvous with Rama (and sequels) Jules Verne - Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, Journey to the Center of the Earth, From the Earth to the Moon Anne McCaffrey - All of the Pern (Dragon) related books Gordon R. Dickson - Dorsai (and sequels), Tactics of Mistake Robert Asprin - Phule's Company (and sequels), The Bug Wars Roger Zelazny - Nine Princes in Amber (and sequels)
The Inheritance Cycle is a fantastic, although as of yet incomplete fantasy series. The first two books, Eragon and Eldest were excellent and the third is supposed to be released in a few months.
The Thomas Covenant series by Stephen Donaldson; likewise controversial (deals with a man's struggle with lepracy) but not so violent and very good food for thought. The Gap series by the same author is much more brutal so maybe for the later years as well.
Repeated warning: read them yourself first, if you haven't already done so.
Lois McMaster Bujold' Vorkosigan Saga.
A small man in the big, bad world :) Pure fun :)
Tom Swift books were good reads and got me into sci fi. Granted most are a bit dated in this day and age, but your post got me to pull one or two out to thumb through.
Granted I don't know the reading level of your boys, these may be a bit below their level, but worth a look?
When I was a lad I really enjoyed collections of short stories. Especially things like the Armada Sci-Fi collections which were aimed at kids and which you can still get (very cheaply) Second hand.
Mind you they might be a little dated now (I think the "lonely computer" ran off tape etc.) but they're still good fun (I last re-read mine about two years ago and still enjoyed them)
And I'm sure there must be something similar, but contemporary, out there !
IIRC, the first book of that series made it pretty clear that the human lensmen were being created/bred by the aliens.
Best Slashdot Co
The short story collections, Foundation, Empire, and World's of, are also good. All of his stuff is on Gutenberg.
Best Slashdot Co
I read this series when I was really young. It's perhaps the same age group that would read the hardy boys.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/My_Teacher_is_an_Alien
Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow are both very good. Also, try Garth Nix, while not as much Sci-Fi, he is an excellent author...
Hm, I do think he/she was responding to my post, and not to the original question.
That being said, I have read A song of Ice and Fire, though only the first two (or three books); maybe I should check it out again.
The Long Now Foundation
I did not find this posted so to add a new one to the list....
Eleanor Cameron with the Mushroom Planet Series
I really enjoyed these back in my pre-teen years and still enjoy them. It is a great series to read aloud. Easier to find these days, but it will likely have to be in old libraries or the reprints online. I think the two boys in the stories are ~11.
Good for kids. That will make them question reality before they are brain washed by TV and school. That or they will become paranoid schizos, but hey it's worth a try they are not my kids. :)
The Cyberiad is accessible at any age.
I hadn't known there were so many idiots in the world until I started using the Internet -Stanislaw Lem
Most of them are already in the juvenile sf sections. I grew up on them and think many are great for more than just juvenile SF, but for many that was a target audience.
Also, consider the Diane Duane wizardry books. Before Harry Potter and very different - and definitely SF not just fantasy. The purpose of wizards is to slow down the death of the universe....
The Shannara series by Terry Brooks (can you tell I'm a fan?) would be an excellent choice. Read them in chronological order, not publication order, beginning with "Running With the Demon". Brooks recently bridged the gap between the "present day" books of the Word & Void series with those of the "future" Shannara series - the third book of that bridge will be released in August.
1. Running With the Demon
2. A Knight of the Word
3. Angel Fire East
4. Armageddon's Children
5. The Elves of Cintra
6. The Gypsy Morph (coming in August)
7. First King of Shannara
8. The Sword of Shannara
9. The Elfstones of Shannara
10. The Wishsong of Shannara
11. The Scions of Shannara
12. The Druid of Shannara
13. The Elf Queen of Shannara
14. The Talismans of Shannara
15. Ilse Witch
16. Antrax
17. Morgawr
18. Jarka Ruus
19. Tanequil
20. Straken
I read Space Vulture a few weeks ago, and it would be *perfect* for that age bracket. It was written to intentionally mimic the stereotype of 1930's sci-fi for young boys. It did a great job. Check out http://spacevulture.com/
yadda
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle
I did not watch any TV as a kid. Thus, my mother made me read books from age 6.
When I was ten or eleven, I had already read all of Jules Verne and some Kipling & Jack London books (those my mother judged suitable for a 10-year-old anyway). I loved those, and they turned me into a real book-lover.
I read a lot of mythology books too at that time (Iliad & Odyssey, that kind of thing).
By the time I was 14, I had read all of the then-available Stephen King (talk about dark stuff) and most of the Dune novels (politics? religion?) I stalled on the God Emperor of Dune and didn't read it entirely until I was 17.
All of that in English (not my native language, I started learning English at 13).
The Hobbit was my first English book, followed by the LOTR cycle and Dune.
After, almost all books I've read from american or English authors were in English. I don't know how old kids are when they start learning a foreign language in your country, but good reading skills are great for learning a new language.
Also some other books from Herbert, the Hellstrom's Hive comes to mind - I read that 20+ years ago, and still remember it.
'Destination: Void' too, and the sequels.
My mom kept me reading when I was a kid (simply no TV allowed during the weekdays), and I used to read 2 or 3 books a week.
That lasted until I was 18. Now, I read when I have the time. Still a lot, but nowhere near what I could read when I was 15.
Some that come to mind are :
'The Alien Years' and 'Hawksbill Station' by Robert Silverberg,
'The immortals' by James Gunn,
all the Dune novels and the additional work by Brian Herbert,
Michael Crichton's Andromeda Strain',
Paul Preuss's 'Venus Prime' series.
One that I love but would not recommend to a kid below 15 is Henlein's 'Stranger in a Strange Land'.
Definitely great (my favorite Henlein) but weird. I'm not sure I would have liked it as a kid.
Also a favorite : 'Hunters of the Red Moon' by Marion Zimmer Bradley (and the sequel).
As for fantasy, some good suggestions have been made above, and I would also suggest the Inheritance Cycle by Christopher Paolini (only two books out now, the third will be released in September). Addictive, and definitely kid material (although I read that when it was out, about 6 and 4 years ago).
Clancy, Len Deighton and a few others are good thriller writers too.
Fabien BERNARD.
I can't believe this hasn't been mentioned...
Since it is widely considered the best first SciFi book by the Authors mentioned in these other posts!
Andre Norton - Starman's Son
The Doc Savage series verges on sci-fi with its great use of technology. Plenty of adventure there.
As others have mentioned, Heinlein wrote a number of teen books, all of them are excellent, though I didn't much care for Podkanye.
Citizen of the Galaxy was an excellent read.
If they're 12 or maybe a mature 11, Heinlein's Sixth Column would be great.
Zach Hughes has a bunch of space opera books that are pretty good. (For Texas and Zed, Tiger In the Stars, etc.)
H. Beam Piper's Fuzzy books are great. Plenty of fun and pleasant reads, as well.
Andre Norton's Time Trader's series is one of the best teen sets I've read (http://io9.com/392563/andre-nortons-time-traders-series-free-online).
Another is her Solar Queen series: Sargasso of Space, Plague Ship, Voodoo Planet, Postmarked the Stars, Redline the Stars, Derelict for Trade, and Mind for Trade.
Personally, I wouldn't ask anyone to read Card's Ender series. I know that many people were deeply moved by the stories, but I found them somewhat boring and less than fun to read.
I seem to remember enjoying reading pretty much all sci-fi when I was a kid. But some more specific "for kids" stuff that stuck in my memory is: -
The Men From P.I.G. and R.O.B.O.T. - Harry Harrison
Empty World - John Christopher
A Rag, a Bone and a Hank of Hair - Nicholas Fisk
And, although it's more fantasy than sci-fi, I seem to remember enjoying pretty much everything by Dianne Wynne Jones.
Besides the turgid writing style, Covenant rapes a woman in the first book. This rape scene is often mentioned in SF convention panels as a reason why people hate, hate, hate this series.
Honor Harrington by David Weber Highly recommended by a Sci-fi expert friend of mine.
So I'm not sure how pre-teen you're looking but some authentic juvenile fiction:
Timothy Zahn has a new series (currently on book 5 of 6?) called "Dragon and Thief" (and each sequel is "Dragon and _____".) Lots of interesting stuff, and they have study and discussion guides at the end if you care.
Phillip Pullman is good stuff.
We've really enjoyed the Cornelia Funke, and a movie is coming out soon.
As a kid in 4th-6th grade, I devoured the Dark is Rising books. I need to re-read them.
Ditto the Madeline L'engle books.
The Dragon Drums series by Anne McCaffery is targetted at a younger audience. Some of the other novels in that series (and her other series) have more adult themes. (Not that this is bad, but might be a bit much for a 9 or 10 year old.)
Lloyd Alexander's books are great, if either of them have an interest in historical fiction give them the Westmark Trilogy. I also used to read the Sharpe's Series. You know Sharpe's Rifles, etc.
It may be a little old for them but they might get the same kick out of it that I did when I was 12, I read the first book of the Vampire Earth series.
The first book is Way of the Wolf, by E. E. Knight.
Slan: A Novel: A. E. Van Vogt is a good pre teen book. It has a anti rasisic bacground
see: http://www.sfsite.com/columns/over260.htm
Those books are darker, more cynical and more political than you remember because, brace for it, you're darker, more cynical and more political than you were when you were 13. All that stuff flew right over head at that age, and it'll fly over your children's heads too.
I was responding to my parent, not the OP. Kids shouldn't be reading ASOIAF, I agree.
"16MB (fuck off, MiB fascists)" - The Mighty Buzzard
I enjoy reading alternate history, specifically books written by Harry Turtledove. He has a series of books written specifically for young-adults. I have not read any of them, so I cannot say how appropriate they may be for your children, but I find the author has a talent for writing historically accurate books, with thought provoking twists. These may not the "classics" you are looking for, but fun to read nonetheless.
"Stars my destination" - Alfred Bester
"Dune" - Frank Herbert
"Robot tales" Stanislaw Lem
"Ender's game" - Orson Scott Card
by Adam Rex. Great book - 1st person narrative of a pre-teen girl navigating an alien invasion of earth. Good for kids, good for adults.
It is probably too late to get noticed, I think this is over 1000 posts now. Here are some books the our family has enjoyed: ---The Temeraire Series by Naomi Novik. Set during the Napoleonic Wars, with the added component of dragons makeing up the air corp. The book is very accurate to history, so they can actually learn something besides having a good fantasy read. the 5th book in the series just came out I think. ---The Mistmantle Chronicles by M I McAllister. Another talking animal book, written more towards the 8-10 year old level, but still good reads. ---The Dark is Rising series, by Susan Cooper. Arthurian legend, extended to modern times classic good vs evil story. Also any of the other books by Susan Cooper will be good. ---As cliche as they sound The Hardy Boys, and the Nancy Drew books were fun for me at that age too. I am too lazy to post in HTML this morning so I apologize if this is harder to read.
It's been my experience that children will gloss over a lot of stuff that isn't appropriate for them. When i watch old simpsons episodes or read books that i hadn't since i was a kid, i'll see things, meant for adults, that i never noticed when i was a kid. I mean i wouldn't give him something too obvious, but some subtle stuff: like, say, Starship Troopers, shouldn't be too bad.
You might check out Ursula Le Guin's Earthsea series.
Also, Jack Vance's The Dying Earth. Some of Roger Zelazny's forays into fantasy like Changeling and Dilvish the Damned - the Amber series is definitely an "the end of the world is nigh!" sort of tale, though with less of the "dark one/chosen one" dynamic.
Tom Swiss | the infamous tms | my blog
You cannot wash away blood with blood
"So You Want to Be a Wizard" by Diane Duane is a wonderful book for pre-teens about a pre-teen. It is a wizard book which predates Harry Potter.
"The Golden Compass" by Philip Pullman was another enjoyed by my pre-teens
The White Mountains, City of Gold and Lead, and Pool of Fire are a trilogy by John Christopher. Read them when I was 11, and they were fantastic books.
Around the same time I read Ender, I found Miles Vorkosigan's adventures quite entertaining. Maybe when your kids have read Ender, they can read some of Miles' adventures/stories.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lois_McMaster_Bujold
I love Brin, and found (by accident) that he's written at least 3 books aimed at younger readers. They're not outdated, and are simpler than his well-known books. Just right for younger kids.
I'm not at home, so don't have the names of these books. If interested, let me know and I'll dig them out.
i discovered "the white mountains" by John Christopher ( pen name for Samuel Youd )when i was about 11 and was thouroughly hooked. I read all of his stuff i could get my hands on. Really great for kids and not too dark. Try the entire Narnia series as well. And, Ursula Le Guin's Earthsea books are excellent. The Great Brain is a series of children's books by American author John Dennis Fitzgerald, also one of my favorite reads but a bit off of sci-fi. I got more, but that should start and keep them very happy if they are readers. Happy Trails.
no one has mentioned the hobbit yet - if they're pre-teens, it's an easier read than lord of the rings. anything by bradbury should be fine for that age as well. my 7 year old is reading the star wars books (ie books from the films) - he's enjoying them quite a bit, but they don't really qualify as "literature". how about jules verne? i read 20,000 leagues under the sea at 10-ish. but then again, i also read beowulf translations and le morte d'arthur by then, so maybe i'm not the best one to give advice ... tho on reflection, the "real" beowulf isn't a bad read for a bloodthirsty 10 year old ...
When I was a kid I was into comic books big-time. Then a friend of my father's recommended Edgar Rice Burrough's John Carter series (A Princess of Mars, etc). I always thought this was a good transition from the usual Superman/Spiderman, etc world of childhood fantasy to the more adult fantasy of ERB.
Another recommendation, although I think it's out of print now, is the Tom Swift Junior adventures by Victor Appleton III. Something like 30 books in that series. While definitely sixties/Cold War in many of its plots, the books are on a level that younger, inexperienced readers can enjoy.
The biggest challenge is just getting pre-teens and teenagers to read on their own. Teachers always assign dead-boring books, which I think is a mistake. The trick is to figure out what level of maturity the kid is at, and what their interests are, and tailor the reading list to that. If the kid's into Star Trek or Star Wars, there are lots of well-written novels available in that area. Just remember, your kids are not you. They *may* have different tastes, which you may not appreciate.
"My country, right or wrong; if right, to be kept right; and if wrong, to be set right." --Senator Carl Schurz (1872)
A wrinkle in time,
Wind in The Door,
Many Waters,
and A swiftly tilting planet
by madeleine l'engle
I read these when I was 10, great books. Also give them something a little darker you'd be surprised at how well they handle it and probably enjoy it.
Bradbury
Apart from what's already been said:
- Ubik: very easy to read and fun, although it's more because of irony than jokes...
- The Hobbit: I read it in an early age, and enjoyed it very much
Nobody's mentioned Cordwainer Smith yet. Norstrilia or one of his short story collections. Brilliant, unconventional, totally accessible to a young reader.
I read Norstrilia when I was 10 or 11, and loved it.
I've calculated my velocity with such exquisite precision that I have no idea where I am.
John Varley has written some books ("Red Thunder" and sequels, IIRC) that very intentionally evoke the feel of the Heinlein juveniles. They're a little silly, but a fun adventure/sci-fi read. Also, the original Heinlein juvies.
You're asking /. readers for advice on reading material for your children ? Are you sure ? There's still time to save them...
Who challenged and converted C.S. Lewis. They were part of a writer's group that met at a tavern and enjoyed a few bourbons if I recall correctly.
Personally that scene is why i HATE the character Thomas Covenant, but I understand why it was necessary to the character. Still I wouldnt avoid it because of that scene it made me cringe and I feel that teh world might be a better place if peple cringe sometimes and face darkness as opposed to skipping it because its uncomfortable.
Course Donaldson has thing for Rape scenes
Perhaps my favorite of his youth novellas. I think it also stands up to the test of time quite well.
These were the fist sci-fantasy books I ever read:
Interstellar Pig
House of Stairs
Singularity
Strange Attractors
The Duplicate
They are clearly written for young adults, and yet they have serious themes. A young reader with an inquisitive nature will end each book with profound (for their age, anyhow) questions. All of this is done in prose that is easily accessible to a pre-teen.
I also recommend (highly) the Norby The Mixed-Up Robot series, co-written by Isaac and Janet Asimov.
Is also quite good. And I believe pretty pre-teen friendly. Also quite enjoyable.
- The Saj
Check out Scott Westerfeld. Particularly his Midnighters, Uglies and Peeps series (these are three different series). He is a new writer who will definitely be considered one of the "greats" before long.
Not to forget Classic Children's books,one book that really moved me in middle school was The Giver. Definately Sci Fi and aimed like a laser at children that age.
I also recently read Cory Doctorow's Little Brother, which read a little easy for me (fair since its juvenille fiction) and i think it would have been one of my favorites at that age.
Theres lots of grat Sci Fi out there aimed specifically at that age group and really speeks directly to pre-teens, you can find some real gems if you think outside the scifi/fantacy section and go to juvenille.
A book series you can never start too young with is the Tom Swift series. It is in the demographic of the Hardy Boys and Nancy Drew, but instead of mysteries it's a high school super-genius inventor getting into sci-fi adventures. They aren't what I would call educational per say, but they are entertaining for the younger age group.
There has been a series nearly every generation since the 1900's. My series had flying surfboards and alternate realities and Virtual Reality. My Father's generation had a Giant Robot, a Flying Lab, and a Rocket Ship. The Original had such gems as Tom Swift and his Motor Cycle, Tom Swift and his Electric Train, Tom Swift and his Moving Pictures.
That is basically why I believe in Science: because Tom Swift has given us a nice, continuing Record of Science Fiction becoming Science Fact. No fiction outside of MacGuyver played a bigger role in my education.
And one more bit (from Wikipedia):
Computer developer Steve Wozniak has stated that he grew up reading Tom Swift Jr., whom he regarded as the epitome of creative freedom, scientific knowledge, and the ability to find solutions to problems. For him Tom Swift also represented the potential rewards that invention might bring. "Spirit of American Innovation: The Personal Computer is Born"
Common Sense isn't as Common as people think...
ctrl-f "gaiman" found no results.
Stardust is arguably the best fairy tale written in the last several hundred years.
Here is Gaiman's wikipedia page for more info.
Your sig(k) has been stolen. There is a puff of smoke!
Try 'The Mote in God's Eye' by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle. In my opinion it is one of the finest science fiction books ever written.
Ahmmm. . .you do know that C.S. Lewis was one of the most popular writers on Christianity in the 20th century, right? And you do know that Lewis not only intentionally filled the books with Christian themes, symbolisms and parallel story-lines, but that he copped to it, quite happily so too.
Now, if you want a Christian writer whose work can be said to have "christian overtones" but which specifics are generally a stretch, try one of Lewis's best friends, Tolkien on for a stretch. You wouldn't believe the rubbish that's written about Christian analogies in his work, when it's just not there. . .
I'm assuming by this comment that you haven't read all of the Narnia books, have you? I'm thinking particularly of the prequel...wait, must google...The Magician's Nephew. Most of that book is a retelling of Genesis, with a couple of the proper nouns changed. And then there's the Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, a retelling of the events in the New Testament. I mean, come on! Son of God, betrayed by one that is supposed to be faithful, sacrifices himself so that the sinner may be pardoned, gets resurrected, does that ring any bells, because it sure sounds familiar to me.
I would consider (and have given to my nephews and nieces) short story collections. Short enough for them to work with but very rewarding. In particular Clarke, Asimov, Niven. For Heinlein I would stick to early Heinlein (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heinlein_juveniles ), say : "Rocket Ship Galileo", "Farmer in the Sky" ,"The Rolling Stones".
I would also consider various short story collections. The great advantage is that if some of them don't resonate with one or more of your kids then next one will.
One new book worth looking at is Cory Doctorow's Little Brother http://craphound.com/littlebrother/about/
Also : with respect to some stories being "darker and more political". As long as they are also reading stories with a different messages / vibes then they will not even notice.
here here for C.S. Lewis Space Trilogy - better than Narnia - Perelandra and Out of the Silent Planet are a great introduction to Sci-fi or pre-teens, as is Madaline L'Engle's 'A Wrinkle in Time' - i got much delight out of these books when i was 10-12 years old - and still enjoy them now. :-)
Walter M. Miller, Jr. wrote some great SF in a rather Catholic theme: A Canticle for Leibowitz. My mother introduced these to me at an early age, and I was hooked. I greatly enjoyed it when I re-read this classic later in life. There is also a posthumous follow-up novel, Saint Leibowitz and the Wild Horse Woman.
What if your kids dont like reading too much, but you want to introduce them to science fiction literature? Why not get them to listen to the 1950s serials Dimension X and X Minus One . Both were adaptations of short stories found in Amazing Science Fiction magazine. The dramatised stories included authors such as Heinlein,Asimov,Bradbury,Blish,Leinster,Dickson basically any authors who were up and coming in the 1950s. If they enjoy the radio plays then it might get them wanting to read the actual stories on paper.
I was a huge fan of Robotech as a young sprog. The Jack McKinney books were a good read, more coherent than the show since the books were designed to be an overarching story from the start. The books are aimed at the same general audience for the show, roughly ages 8 to whenever-you-grow-out-of-liking-giant-transforming-robots. (Never!)
If you are looking for ways to get the kids reading, you can start them on the show and then they'll want to hit the books to know more about the characters and what's going on.
I know that the McKinney books have been reissued recently so you can either buy them in the omnibus editions or download them from torrent sites.
Then again, there's a metric shit-ton of new young adult books out there now, far more than when I was a lad. You'd have to check the amazon reviews to see which ones are suggested by the reading public at large. The classic juveniles such as Heinlein's might be a bit too dated. I know when I read Asimov's Lucky Starr novels, I was very annoyed that the science was wrong. "There are no bloody oceans on bloody Venus!" It was written yonks ago, he didn't know. "No excuse!" Well, there aren't any Martians either, you pedant. "Self, quit arguing with me."
Kwisatz Haderach
Sell the spice to CHOAM
This Mahdi took Shaddam's Throne
Note that virtually all of the James Schmitz' books are now available for free either from the Baen Free Library (http://www.baen.com/library) or the Baen CDs
The Martian Chronicles was a school reading assignment in 6th or 7th grade - that book really fired my imagination and got me into science fiction for the first time. Of course, that was the early 70s when it looked like we would have people on mars by the 90s so the book seemed a bit more "realistic" than it might today.
The Lord of the Rings trilogy would be good. Sadly I have yet to read them. The Hobbit I started reading a few years back, but never finished. I plan to reread it though. The Chronicles of Narnia would probably be good too. I just read Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? It is an easy read, but there is some sexual content, though not much detail and it is very brief. It is nothing more than a male human having sex with an android female out of curiosity. I am reading The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy next, which would probably be good. I am a big H.P. Lovecraft fan, but his stories are very dark, gothic, and cosmic. Lovecraft also writes in a particular way that pre-teens may have trouble understanding.
"Without curiosity and knowledge, the mind is a vast void. Without the mind, curiosity and knowledge are nonexistent."
There is actually an Enders Universe book designed for younger kids, It's called First Meetings in Enders Universe, It is around 5 bucks on Amazon and has several short stories on how Ender met some of the people in the full length books, it also has a few pictures. Not a bad buy.
Most anything by James P. Hogan is quite good - but I recommend the Two Faces of Tomorrow, as one of his best.
I vaguely remember (cocaine's a hell of a drug) the Asimovs' Norby Chronicles. I seem to remember it being geared toward children both in plot maturity and context.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norby
Arguably Sci-Fi:
The "Lillith's Brood" trilogy by Octavia Butler. ("Dawn", "Adulthood Rites", and "Imago") I wouldn't recommend Parable of the Sower to a pre-teen, but they might like it anyway.
The Callahan books by Spider Robinson. Although that may teach your child that punning is appropriate behavior, which may not be a great thing. (The first three, at least... the second trilogy isn't as good, in my opinion.)
The Lucky Starr stories by Asimov, writing as Paul French (You can still find them used, though I'm pretty sure they're not available at all new).
The "Norby" books by Asimov. Asimov robots, with books targeting young adults.
The first Robot City series (created by Isaac Asimov, written by a bunch of other people). The second series may also be good -- I haven't read it.
I agree with "Have Spacesuit Will Travel" and "Podkayne of Mars" (or however that's spelled), recommended by other people.
Not really Sci-Fi:
The Odessy. Get the Fitzgerald translation -- it's one of the best (and my personal favorite, but that of course has nothing to do with my recommending it).
Anne McCaffery. The "Planet Pirate" books, the brainship series, and "Coelura" and "Nimisha's Ship" are arguably Sci-Fi. The Pern books aren't really, no matter how much the author may claim they are. (Still reasonable reads, though.)
John Bellairs; he wrote some of the creepiest mystery novels I ever saw published as "Young Adult" novels.
Tamora Pierce -- Any of the Tortall books are probably reasonable.
Robin McKinley. Pretty much anything.
Patricia McKillip. The "Riddle-Master" trilogy is brilliant. "Forgotten Beasts of Eld" is darker, but a good read.
Most importantly, don't try to limit their reading. If there are sex scenes or violence in the book, so what? They'll mostly skip over them anyway. And if they don't, well, they'll see worse if they turn on the TV or the computer. Encourage them to read EVERYTHING: biographies, mystery novels (I'm partial to Agatha Christie, myself), histories, poetry, books of mythology (actually, Greek Mythology is well worth some time... a lot of modern fiction has its roots there), whatever. I went through most of Shakespeare's plays in 6th grade or so, and loved it.
Don't try to push them to read things they don't like; just let them enjoy reading.
Try the Artemis Fowl series and/or the Bartimaeus trilogy. Very entertaining, with interesting plots, and a couple of "messages" (be nice and stuff...)
I'd also suggest His Dark Materials, but I'm not sure pre-teens can handle the whole religion issue. Maybe a little later on...
Peter and the Starcatchers,
Peter and the Shadow Thieves and
Peter and the Secret of Rundoon
by Ridley Pearson and Dave Barry.
They're (fairly) new and my 10 year old ate them up. If you get the audio version for your long car trip, the added bonus is that they're read by Jim Dale, the same guy who read the Harry Potter series.
E. C. Elliot (Books around a central character Kemlo great for pre teens) Arthur C Clarke (any of his books are a great read at ANY age) Ray Bradbury (start with short stories) John Wyndham (books much better than the later films) Also for real fun and nostalgia research into the audios of Journey into SPace from the BBC. By the way your post is a superb way to gain an insight into good fun reading for kids:)
If you can find it.
SJW: Someone who has run out of real oppression, and has to fake it.
it's a "new classic" i also agree with the chronicles of prydain... they were good in middle school. however, you might wanna located the Heinlein compilation called "the past through tomorrow"
have you shown them 2001 or the first few star trek movies? st IV might be good for em
From about my preteens up till today I have been naturally drawn to the SCIFI aisle at the library youth and adult books alike ... Perhaps your children would do well to have a tour of that location, with an explanation that some books might not be enjoyable even though they have flashy covers, where as other books with their single color hardcover will be more exciting than previously imagined.
In short - let them decide, and help them explore this.
And finally .. if they're not too young for this simple book "How to dig a hole through the earth" ...
Enders Game by Orson Scott Card.
Anything in the Disc World series by Terry Pratchett.
Anything by Lloyd Alexander.
Also, you might take a look at *some* of Orson Scott Card's stuff. My son (10) loved Ender's game and the "back on earth" followups (Ender's Shadow, etc.)
"He who would learn astronomy, and other recondite arts, let him go elsewhere. " -- John Calvin, commenting on Genesis 1
From my childhood:
Two of the first fantasy book series I ever read:
Black Calderon - Lloyd Alexander
Lion Witch and Wardrobe - C.S. Lewis
One series I read in grade 7 that some might consider "trash" fantasy, but I swear is what got me really interested in reading:
Dragonlance - Legends Trilogy - Margret Weis and Tracy Hickman
Science fiction is a bit harder to remember at that age. Two that come to mind are:
A Wrinkle in Time - Madeleine L'Engle
Chrysalids - John Wyndham
I could name off a ton more books both fantasy and science fiction, but those would be my youngest selections.
I take it you aren't very well-versed in the scripture. The Narnia books go *waaaay* past overtones... they are full allegories, using the bible as the source material for the major themes, stories and characters.
Just to pick the most blatant example, Aslan's self-sacrifice and rebirth in _The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe_ *is* the death and resurrection of Christ. Just as Christ is beaten, humiliated and forced to wear a crown of thorns, Aslan is taunted, shaved, and abused prior to his. Christ is an innocent, a sinless man willingly sacrificed for the sins of others, just as Aslan is sacrificed for Edmund's misdeeds. The breaking of the stone table is the tearing of the curtains in the temple. For Christians, Christ's death is the event that marks the end of the "laws" of the old testament and a fundamental change in the relationship between humans and God, just as Aslan's death results in the end of the "old laws". And so forth.
This is just one example of many... the bible is the "DNA" of the entire Narnia series. This was C.S. Lewis' explicit intent... he was writing stories for children that communicated the "truth" of the bible to them in an engaging, highly-accessible way. If you look at his other writings... "Mere Christianity" and "The Screwtape Letters" for example... you'll see that it is entirely appropriate to describe him as a "Christian" author.
-R
Farmer in the sky, Star Beast. Then, for non-fiction, Robert Johnson/Martin Caiden "Thunderbolt".
Pipedreamergrey says:
Great discuss starter! Unfortunately, it's hard to answer this question without knowing more about your kids. I've always thought that choosing books was a very personal processes. However, there are a few sure bets out there for the middle school crowd.
One very good place to start is the Newbery Medal & Honors list. (http://www.ala.org/ala/alsc/awardsscholarships/literaryawds/newberymedal/newberyhonors/newberymedal.cfm) These are tremendously good books hand-picked by people who agonize over the very question you are asking. These books are not only age-appropriate, engrossing, and morally unambiguous, they withstand the test of time. Books that appear on this list from the sixties are still relavent and interesting.
The American Library Association also has a nice list of reading material, though, I have to say, their list contains a bit "fluffier" material - the books are much more Disney-family-movie-of-the-week-esque. http://www.ala.org/ala/yalsa/booklistsawards/bestbooksya/bestbooksyoung.cfm
My own favorite read at roughly that age were:
John Christopher's Tripods series: The White Mountains, The City of Gold and Lead, The Pool of Fire, When the Tripods Came ... ... and of course, anything my Douglas Adams, Pier Anthony, or Terry Pratchet.
Robert Asprin's MythAdventures series: Another Fine Myth, Myth Conceptions, Myth Directions, Hit or Myth, etc.
Susan Cooper's Dark Is Rising series: Over Sea, Under Stone, The Dark Is Rising, Greenwitch, The Grey King, Silver on the Tree
Lloyd Alexander - The Chronicles of Prydain: The Book of Three, The Black Cauldron, The Castle of Llyr, Taran Wanderer, The High King
Orson Scott Card's Ender Saga - Ender's Game, Speaker for the Dead, Xenocide, Children of the Mind, Ender's Shadow...
You might also want to look into "vintage" horror and suspense stories. What was considered frightening in the fifties and sixties is just about age appropriate for today's kids, and it makes for a really nice change from material written specifically for children. When I was in middle school, I read a lot of Alfred Hitchcock Presents and Twilight Zone anthologies.
at parents that pre-screen their kids lit, with qualifacations like "heinlein too dark and cynical".
Kids, and especially pre-teens are in that age that they WANT to know what is dark and cynical. They WANT to do the things you think are bad for them.
LET them.
here is an idea: give them a library card, and weekly visit to browse whatever they want.
ps, Heinlein was BY FAR my favorite pre-teen author.He has a lot of good books. I would particularly recommend the Incarnations of Immortality series.
"Trust that little voice in your head that says 'Wouldn't it be interesting if...' and then do it." - Duane Michals
From the original publisher's blurb: ...We must be as stealthy as rats in the wainscoting of their society. It was easier in the old days, of course, and society had more rats when the rules were looser, just as old wooden buildings have more rats than concrete buildings. But there are rats in the building now as well. Now that society is all ferrocrete and stainless steel there are fewer gaps in the joints. It takes a very smart rat indeed to find these openings. Only a stainless steel rat can be at home in this environment...
I was about to say wasn't there rape in the GAP series? Been some time since I read them. I think it was a guy named Thermopyle or something like that. Perhaps I am just confused.
That said I read the Covenant series when I was pretty young and really liked it.
A series of books that I enjoyed reading as a fifth grader was "Jack Anderson's Presents The Young Astronauts" by Rick North. It only had six books as I recall, and I was disappointed that it ended there. Basically, it was about an international program to launch a flotilla of three large spaceships full of teenagers mostly. The ships go on a one way trip to Mars to establish a permanent colony. It has some drama, an interesting international cast of characters, and a poor side attempt at romantic conflict, but on the whole I found it to be an enjoyable piece of semi-realistic sci-fi.
I think Foundation and some of the others mentioned (like Ender's Game) are for older audiences. But what about Asimov's robot series?
Give the "The caves of steel". It's about a detective who partners with a robot to solve a crime. It's a great book, I read it when I was a kid and then couldn't stop reading Asimov's books.
Kurt Vonnegut is always a classic, I'm surprised he hasn't been mentioned here yet. Black comedy and science fiction. I remember reading some of his short-stories as a kid and really liking them. They never got me to pick up the novels though. Slaugherhouse-Five and Breakfast of Champions are good and are referenced a lot in later literature.
When I was a kid I really enjoyed (actually I still do) "Alice: The Girl from Earth" by Kir Bulychev. I 'don't know how good the english translations are, but Kir is one of my favourite authors (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kir_Bulychev).
Also there are some books by Stanislaw Lem which are quite good to read for younger readers.
I also would always go for the classic authors Verne, Wells, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kurd_La%C3%9Fwitz
For classics I would suggest anything by Michael Moorcock. I would start with the Swords Trilogy or Elric of Melniboné but mostly because that's where I started. There is a proposed reading order on Moorcock's website http://www.multiverse.org/fora/showthread.php?t=3562.
For new books you could try Little Brother by Cory Doctrow (www.craphound.com) which is quite good and an easy read.
I, too, found the children-being-miraculously-smart thing a bit too much, but I still thoroughly enjoyed the book. In the edition I got the forward from Card tried to explain it away but I'm not buying it. Erm... Mormon overtones? I was raised Mormon and I didn't see any. Would you have thought that if you didn't know he was Mormon? Perhaps you were looking for the overtones and, as Scott said in the same forward, came away with your own individual interpretation?
Personally, as an Anonymous Coward, I always enjoyed Asimov's Lucky Starr series. He actually wrote it with "juveniles," such a librarian term, in mind.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucky_Starr_series
sexually mature woman seducing little boy, yeah
The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume One, 1929-1964 is a great anthology of Science Fiction short stories; the best of the best. It is still in print, or you can find it at your public library. There is a Wikipedia article on it.
four of my favorite books of all time, the three myst books (yeah based on a video game so what) and star gate (no relation to the movie) by Pauline Gedge. all my other favs have been mentioned (hobbit/lotr, martian chronicles etc)
The creator of the world is tied to a table, sacrificed, and then resurrected. Sounds fairly Christian to me.
My very first sci-fi was one of the Mushroom Planet books: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wonderful_Flight_to_the_Mushroom_Planet
...has been missed, if I saw right. She's written some great fantasy novels as well, but the scifi work is what I read first.
Wow, there's a lot of good ones in there. If your looking for very kid friendly, non-dark stuff did anyone mention the Tom Swift series? Someone mentioned something about what "kids these days" not being interested in certain things. I wouldn't worry about that, expose them to lots of stuff and maybe they will surprise you. If "kids these days" aren't interested in some things maybe it's because they were assumed not to be and so never exposed? I wouldn't worry about the reading difficulty level either. If something is beyond their level they will figure that out themselves and get an easier book the next time. Maybe if they tried some adult sci-fi books they would find they like them and be that much better practiced readers. I know I read lots of books that were beyond my age level as a kid. I'm talking about difficulty, not content, that's for you to figure out as the parent. Just my 2 cents... "Road-trip reading season is upon us"... Have they already begun to read in the car? Or is this a new idea for the kids. I ask because if they aren't already used to this you might want to consider buying some motion-sickness medicine beforehand.
Anything by Varley is honestly-approached, conversationally-written, and overflowing with fascinating ideas, and human interaction. Some of the strongest, most believable female characters in science fiction, and utterly respectful of everyone. He has a recent series of books aimed at younger readers (Red Thunder, etc.) but ALL of his writing is appropriate for younger readers.
Tom Swift and the Old Hardie Boys series. Almost anything from Asimov, Clarke, Heinlein, Phol and the other early masters and there are two reasons. Most of the early masters included lots of hard science (they knew what they were talking about) while offering damn good writing that used correct grammar and spelling. Another I'd consider is James P. Hogan as he's in the same sense as the old masters like Asimov and Clarke with lots of hard science behind what he writes and don't forget Tom Clancey and many of the other Techno-thriller writers. It may not be called Sci-Fi but much of what they write about might be possible in the next 10-20 years.
Mod me up/Mod me down: I wont frown as I've no crown
I'm late to this thread but anyway I'd like to recommend several books by Kir Bulychev. Wikipedia is carrying only article about Alice, Girl from the Future but there are several books about "Alice Seleznyova" which is a little girl coming back from future and finding friends in present while trying to hide her abilities that she brought from future from adults ... Unfortunately it does not seem to be well known in English speaking world.
Give them some Pratchett, Lloyd Alexander, Brian Jaques et al, but don't forget: -- C. S. Lewis to butter them up for a bit of future religious indoctrination. -- George Orwell (1984 in particular) to show them how the world really works. and some.. -- Philip K. Dick to fuck them up, send them slowly insane and introduce them to the wacky world of curious drugs with all sorts of exotic side-effects...
Hi there,
Hope you'll read through all 1000+ comments and find this. :-)
It's too new to be a 'classic' but I just read Cory Docrorow's Little Brother and thought it was fantastic. I'm in my 30s but it's about teenagers and I think teens would love it. The best part is it is available online as a free e-book.
Also, Lois' Lowry's The Giver is absolutely fantastic.
Both are bordering on the light edge of Sci-Fi but they're both great books.
Dear Slashdot: next time you want to mess with the site, add a rich-text editor for comments.
I have two problems with this recommendation. First, the later Xanth novels (after Piers stopped starving and became rich), suck. Second, Piers is a dirty old man with a preoccupation with underage sex. A young kid, enjoying the Xanth stuff, might then read some of his other stuff and get a pretty screwed up idea of sex.
Spot on with RAH and Aspirin's Myth books though.
DRM 'manages access' in the same way that a prison 'manages freedom'
Jules Verne
H.G. Wells
Douglas Adams
Arthur C. Clarke
Isaac Asimov
Pretty much in that order. That way you start with well written old-school. Adams provides an invaluable experience in out-of-the-box thinking. Clarke and Asimov take them into real science. I also loved the "Tom Swift" series when I was a kid, but I don't know how well it would play to the XBox crowd.
Don't forget to throw in some non-geek material, too. The "Happy Holisters" series rocked my world when I was between like 8 and 12.
You never really know how close to the edge you can go until you fall off.
One thing you might want to ask yourself is whether you want your kids to enjoy Sci-Fi or learn to love words. There is plenty of sci-fi that is fun to read. And then there are short stories and novels that can truly move you, deeply affect your life and remain with you forever. The difference is basically the difference between "a book" and "literature." Both have value. It's great to be able to sit on the porch with a good pulp sci-fi book on a summer's evening and immerse yourself in the struggles of the Lensmen against the evil agents of Boskone. It's even better to read Ray Bradbury's "Dandelion Wine" aloud as a family and find yourself moved to tears at the surprising conclusion. My recommendation: give them both, and make sure you talk about what they've read afterward. A simple "what did you like about it?" at the dinner table can spark a wonderful conversation.
One thing you absolutely have to do is make this a two-way operation. There's nothing that will kill an emerging reader's joy in words than to have his absolute favorite book pooh-pooh'd by an adult. So if your kid falls in love with with Eragon, by Christopher Paolini then you ought to get out a copy too- and read it carefully so that you can intelligently discuss character, setting, and plot.
Oh, and please read aloud when the material calls for it. Bradbury, Faulkner and many others wrote words that simply don't deserve to be stuck in ink on a page. If you need convincing, get a copy of The Hallowe'en Tree, by Ray Bradbury. Read a chapter to yourself, then read the next one aloud. You'll hear the difference. The Tale of Despereaux, by Kate DiCamillo, is another example.
Hopefully I've embedded enough recommendations in there to keep this reply on-topic.
One of my early favorites was Andre Norton (our school library had many of her books).
The Tripods by John Christopher. Now available in a boxed set of 4. The first book is actually a prequel that was written later and is not as good as the original three books, but all a must-read for kids.
"I, Robot" stories by Asimov. Nothing like the movie, good for kids.
Also, while not sci-fi, Tarzan and Conan series are fun.
I remember reading, and massively enjoying, Harry Harrison's "The Stainless Steel Rat" series as a child. Asimov's robot / three laws short stories were really good, too, although the full novels may be a bit too much.
Fantasy Medieval for Teen:
- DragonLance : Those trilogy are so awesomely written, the perfect balance between action/drama/religions/magic/epics conquest all written with a funny touch that will make everybody, at any age be in trance reading them.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Dragonlance_novels
I would probably read it in that Order:
The Raistlin Chronicles
* The Soulforge (January 1998), by Margaret Weis, (ISBN 0-7869-1314-2)
* Brothers in Arms (August 1999), by Margaret Weis and Don Perrin, (ISBN 0-7869-1429-7)
The Chronicles Trilogy
* Dragons of Autumn Twilight (April 1984), Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, (ISBN 0-88038-173-6)
* Dragons of Winter Night (April 1985), Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, (ISBN 0-394-73975-2)
* Dragons of Spring Dawning (September 1985), Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, (ISBN 0-88038-175-2)
Legends Trilogy
Main article: Dragonlance Legends
* Time of the Twins (February 1986), by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, (ISBN 0-7869-1804-7)
* War of the Twins (May 1986), by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, (ISBN 0-7869-1805-5)
* Test of the Twins (August 1986), by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, (ISBN 0-7869-1806-3)
And look at this:
Young Adult Chronicles
[Note: These novels are adaptions of the original Chronicles Trilogy to a format specifically targeted at young readers. See also the section of Young Adult Readers Novels in this article.]
* A Rumor of Dragons (June 2003), by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, (ISBN 0-7869-3087-X)
* Night of the Dragons (June 2003), by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, (ISBN 0-7869-3090-X)
* The Nightmare Lands (October 2003), by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, (ISBN 0-7869-3093-4)
* To The Gates of Palanthas (October 2003), by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, (ISBN 0-7869-3096-9)
* Hope's Flame (December 2003), by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, (ISBN 0-7869-3099-3)
* A Dawn of Dragons (March 2004), by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, (ISBN 0-7869-3102-7)
I don't know what those books cover... Is it the complete Chronicles Trilogy, or less or more... But I was at 14 years old when I read those "adult" book, but they are so easy and fun to read, it didn't bother me.
I had read The Foundations or Dunes after the Dragonlance, and to let you know, Azimov is slow and hard reading.... ;) Dragonlance rock all.
Jourdelune
How about DangerBoy and its sequels?
I never thought of the lensman series in that light.
The bad guys as you put it, were messing with the gene pool as were the "good guys". The author makes it pretty clear in the beginning that the bad guys are just simply bad, and the good guys just good. The arisians due "breed humans" to kill their enemy, but they don't mess with much else than a small group of humans. I suppose the grey lensman might be scary, but it does save on legal fees, and prison expenses...
go Miles go...
Those are great books. Written for children, they are accessible though not naive, with really compelling stories.
The stories include travel(s) through time (Roma era, prehistoric times, Da Vinci, etc.), the re-creation of a valley from the dinosaurs' era (The Dawn of the Dinosaurs, one of the best), a guy defrozen from the middle ages, a thinking robot, travel to Mars, etc.
There is a mix of SF, adventure, and improbable events. I really liked those as a kid.
Look at: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fantastic_Conquerors_Series
All of Jack Vance (of course).
Robert Sheckley writes funny and interesting SF.
My father read "Day of the triffids" to me when I was about 9-10. I've read and re-read his books many times since then. John Christopher's "Tripods" series is great for pre-teens. It was also made into a reasonable TV series, except they lost funding and stopped about 2 episodes before the end :(
Another good one is Heinlein's "Tunnel in the sky". It has only a smidgen of Heinlein politics, but lots of interesting stuff about how society works (or doesn't) and character development, and as it was written for as juvenile fiction it doesn't have graphic sex or violence like some of his later books.
A series of books looking at the struggle between mans desire and fear of discovery. The series looks at both sides of the story. The antagonist feels that man has gone out amongst the stars to early in its development. While the protagonist is just trying to stop the antagonist while looking for a new avenue of exploration. Unfortunately, most of the books are out of print. I should also warn you the series has no actual ending. It is left off at a sort of stalemate between the two sides.
"His Share of Glory, The Complete Short Science Fiction of CM Kornbluth." Contains the very classic "Marching Morons" which is even more relevant today than in the 1950's. Some of the stories are weak but some are great and thought provoking.
I remember reading the 'Tripods' series and Jack Vance's "dying earth" books as a kid, and liking them a lot.
I'm surprised you mentioned Starship Troopers, but not any of the Heinlein "juvies" which were specifically written for kids.
Of these, I'd say Rocket Ship Galileo & Have Space Suit Will Travel should be the first couple. But all of them are perfect for what you're looking for.
And while not a juvie, I'd also suggest A Door Into Summer, but you should read it first and make sure my memory's not wrong.
"Sometimes a woman is a kind of religion, she can save your soul & set you free from all your sins" - Bad Examples
*Flailing arms*
What you consider 'great' may not apply to a different generation.
A hard pill to swallow, but swallow it you must.
That said, I would try early Heinlein, they can make one think about actual science, albeit in a limited way.
Alan Dean Foster's books are usually excellent. The Flinx books were ones I enjoyed as a pre-teen.
Aliens was an awesome adaptation, I enjoyed it as much as the movie.
I would avoid foisting the classic 'Hard Sci-Fi' on them. Asimov can be good, but I can easily see where you need to be in the right frame of mind to read it. Children will sense when you are forcing something on them and resist. Even just really wanting them to read something can be perceived as forcing to one's children.
That why I have a few select books just 'lying around'.
I gave my daughter the 'Daring book for girls'. She likes to read, but wasn't interested. (It's a thick book.). So I just left it out in here room, a few months later and she is reading different parts all the time, and is doing a lot of the things in the book.
For boys I recommend 'The Dangerous book for boys'.
My son likes his. He just found it lying around his room one day. Imagine that.
I would recommend starting to think about books that teach critical thinking. A demon haunted world might be a good book to ahve just lying around the house.
I'm not sure why you want to limit your kids reading to Sci-Fi selection. There are some excellent fantasy books, like the Bible! ZING!
The Kruger Dunning explains most post on
I went to a reading by GRRM. To put it bluntly, in person, he's a sick, twisted fuck. I did read his stories though. There is something to be said for some elements of his style and he is not afraid to do things that other writers shy away from. Saying much more would be a heck of a spoiler. One thing I did find annoying was that he seems to be fond of having dozens of plot-lines running at once and only coming back to finish of half of them.
The trouble with the rat race is that even if you win, you're still a rat." Lily Tomlin
Kids are hopeful. That book is hopeful.
This really sunk in for me when I read Michael Swanwick's The Iron Dragon's Daughter. The book really presumes you know something about the fantasy genre and (particularly the ending) about pagan magic.
Not having that background, the book made no sense to me. A good novel should get its point across without making the reader look things up - of course, it's always good to have some depth and let the reader explore further, but Swanwick's book seems really pointless unless you've been reading that kind of stuff for years.
Absolutely everything by John Bellairs.
Sometimes, life itself is sarcasm...
2 Books that got me hooked on Science Fiction when I was preteen, 5th or 6th grade if I remember correctly were "R is for Rocket" and "S is for Space"
"Frost and Fire" and "Sound of Thunder" I recall as 2 that really got me hooked on the whole genre.
This has been my favorite novel since I was about 12. Even though it's got Forward's normal hard sci-fi scattered throughout, it's overall very endearing and a pretty easy read.
The novel follows the complete evolution of a race of creatures living on the surface of a neutron star. They eventually make contact with humans, but since they live a million times faster than us the contact is problematic.
It's always been my absolute favorite, and first recommendations to anyone. The sequel, Starquake, is also pretty good, but usually a bit more difficult to find.
Like most, I fell in love with SciFi and fantasy at about that age. I never really stopped, and still appreciate these books today. I tend to be more on the fantasy side, but I think they appeal to the same tastes.
A few modern teen-reading recommendations that I haven't seen listed yet:
* Garth Nix. His Abhorsen series is stellar -- it includes Sabriel, Lireal and Abhorsen. Shade's Children is good; the Keys to the Kingdom series is mediocre.
* Any of Robin McKinley's books. I particularly loved (and still love) "The Blue Sword." Also quite good are The Door in the Hedge, Rosedaughter, Beauty, Sherwood and anything else she's written with two important exceptions: Sunshine and Deerskin. Both of these deal with adult themes. Deerskin in particular feautres violent sexual abuse.
* Raymond E. Feist's "Magician" series -- especially the first two books -- are excellent for more ambitious young readers.
* Kingdom For Sale by Sword of Shannara author Terry Brooks were quite funny and made a nice easy and engaging intro to this genre.
The rest of these are okay books -- but they are easy to find and completely age-appropriate:
* Tamora Pierce's books are all middling-good fantasy books and almost all feature strong female leads.
* Diana Wynne Jones -- all of her books are also easy age-appropriate (if not ultimately inspiring).
* Phillip Pullman - His Dark Materials series is another fair-to-middling age-appropriate series.
Finally, I would be remiss in noting that the Star Trek books are actually quite excellent ways to introduce youngsters to reading. I loved them all when I was that age, and still have all my Blish short serializations sitting proudly on my shelf at home.
Given the defined age group, there's a wealth of material by Andre Norton that will fit the bill. Well written and engaging- prerequisites for a road trip of sufficient duration where cannibalism in the back seat becomes a real concern.
It appears that a large number of responses argue for taking the enforced confinement and transforming it into an opportunity to exercise those juvenile brain cells. I'd argue that analyzing "Stranger in a Strange Land" or "A Canticle for Leibowitz" is an activity best left for home and school. Get them a good story that is engrossing!
When it comes right down to it, it's your sanity that is the real consideration here. If left to their own devices, the kids will find *something* to entertain themselves with. The upholstery may suffer a fate worse than death in the process, but there it is.
I recommend "The Forgotten Door" by Alexander Key (the author of the original Escape To Witch Mountain). It was one of my favorite sci-fi books when I was a kid, about a young boy who accidentally falls through a dimensional gateway and finds himself on Earth without any memory of who he is. He is then befriended by a kind family as he tries to make it back home. A great book for readers of all ages.
Zooperman
What YOU read when you are a kids don't cut it. Sorry, you're old welcome to the club. Deal.
Maybe you should look around at what their friends seems to be reading. Talk to their friends parents and ask. If you find like minded parent, maybe the two of you can happen to leave the same title around so your kids and their friends can read the same thing and talk about it.
Maybe some of those books will be 50 years old, maybe not.
If someone could write the same formulaic series of books like Harry Potter, but (IN SPAaace!) I'd be thrilled. Not becasue the Harry Potter books are a wonderful piece of literature(they aren't), but that they got millions of kids interested in reading books hundreds of pages long, it got parents into book stores and libraries.
I ahve seen so many friends let their excitement over what they read as a child stand in the way of what their child would enjoy. Not becasue they are bad parents or people, just that kids couldn't relate culturally.
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I think most of the books mentioned are really for teenagers. For pre-teens I'd recommend William Sleator. This may betray my age, but I enjoyed a number of his books as a pre-teen in 5th-6th grade. I remember specifically reading Singularity, Intergalactic Pig, and my favorite The Green Futures of Tycho. His writing is simple but his ideas are not.
More info: http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/ea.cgi?William_Sleator
The Owlstone Crown by X. J. Kennedy was another one I remember fondly from that time period, though it's more of a fantasy.
To follow up my previous post's theme and to agree with you, I'd have to say nobody should be reading this stuff. Except of course I did, and any adult who wants to of course can. While I'm hardly a prude and laugh at the people who say they won't let their kids read anything that may allude to sex, some of the stuff in these books is really nasty, twisted and kinda sick. To be honest though, my parents' library covered the walls of two rooms in our house and I picked up and read anything I wanted from there. If I didn't like it, I didn't read it. I'm certain that as some people have commented, personally, as a kid, I didn't notice/understand or glossed over stuff that may have been beyond me. One doesn't have to understand 100% of the content in a book to enjoy it. In fact, I can honestly say that there are so many things going on in Terry Pratchett books that even now on a second reading I'll recognize that there was stuff I missed on the first reading and yet I still loved it.
The trouble with the rat race is that even if you win, you're still a rat." Lily Tomlin
"The Mad Scientists Club"
Its not exactly science fiction, more of the golly-gee-whiz teenagers doing amazing (and improbable) things with science, but it has the science fiction feel to it.
The book series that I enjoyed most when I was younger was defiantly the Ender series by Orson Scott Card (Ender's Game is still my favorite book). Also, while the movie was certainly not all that great, Eragon and Eldest by Christopher Paolini where great books. In addition consider Philip Pullman's Dark Materials trilogy. Most of these books (in my opinion) are geared towards slightly younger readers, but are appealing to all ages and reading levels.
Animal Farm, by George Orwell. Not exactly scifi (neither is C.S. Lewis) but it'll hold them and they'll get smartened up quick.
Mod Me Up. You'll make a grown man cry.
He's one of my favorite authors, and the recently-finished Dragonback series is written for that age group.
Any sufficiently simple magic can be passed off as mere advanced technology.
Space Vulture by Gary K. Wolf and John J. Myers It is a new book written in the classic SF style like lensman and flash gordon. It features a pair of preteen brothers helping out the hero. I lent a copy to my eleven year old niece.
Great detail, but if we're trying to avoid dark and cynical a series where everybody dies, is horribly raped, is a victim of incest, or is otherwise somehow destroyed horribly with no glimmer of hope may be a trifle out of scope for the recommendation list.
Confidentiality, Integrity, Availability: without Availability the other two are assured, as is Bankruptcy.
The Stainless Steel Rat
The DeathWorld trilogy
Star Smashers of the Galazy Rangers.
and some excellent short story compilations. I think one was called "Two tales and eight tomorrow's" or something similar.
In all cases, since reading level is such a personal thing, I'd recommend the parent review the book to make sure it's something you are ok with your child reading at their current age. Hope this helps.
For sci-fi:
- Asimov's 'The Caves of Steel'
- Zelazny's 'Lord of Light'
- Neal Stephenson's 'Snow Crash'
- Peter F. Hamilton's 'Fallen Dragon'
- Alfred Bester's 'The Demolished Man'
- Vernor Vinge's 'A Fire Upon The Deep'
- Arthur C. Clarke's '2001: A Space Odyssey'
- Iain M. Banks 'Consider Phlebas'
- C. J. Cherryh's 'Foreigner'
For fantasy:
- Raymond E. Feist's 'Magician'
- Robin Hobb's 'Assassin's Apprentice'
- Jim Butcher's 'Furies Of Calderon'
- Neil Gaiman & Terry Pratchett's 'Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch'
- Brandon Sanderson's 'Mistborn'
- Guy Gavriel Kay's 'The Summer Tree'
- Patrick Rothfus's 'The Name of the Wind'
- Sherwood Smith's 'Inda'
E.E. "Doc" Smith Lensman series of that series I enjoyed "Spacehounds of the IPC".
Jerry Pournelle's "Exiles to Glory"
Harry Harrison's Stainless Steel Rat series.
David Webber's "Path of the Fury" and "Empire from the Ashes". "Empire from the Ashes" is a complete edition of three earlier books "Mutineer's Moon", "The Armageddon Inheritance" and "Heirs of Empire".
I reread Have Spacesuit and recognized the irony. The book must have been rattling around my subconsious as a teenager.
I dont know if this is still on the lines you were considering, but I know that Harry Potter series is popular for all ages.
Focusing on one genre is silly for kids that age.
I'd get them on Jonathan Swift(Gullivers Travels) or Washington Irving(essays like Wouter van Twiller and novels like Legend of Sleepy Hollow), Ray Bradbury (irritated people is awesome for kids).
These guys really captured my imagination when I was that age and I ended up devouring everything I could find by them. A mini game for me was looking up what words like capricious meant as I read them.
On trips with such books, I'd while away the hours reading and looking strange words up.
My dad had boxes full of pulp sci fi short story books from the 50's and 60's and that's where I got introduced to Asimov and Bradbury. I read every one cover to cover many times and never really got sick of them. As you can imagine, they were falling apart and I had to be careful not to split them on every page turn.
If you can find reprints of these things they are littered with short stories by the greats.
Maybe some of it was a little mature for me at the time, but it's not like it destroyed my innocence and turned me into a psycho or something.
People are way too protective of kids when it comes to great literature. Overtly violent stuff (like the Running Man, Lord of the Flies etc) is probably not a good thing, but mature undertones shouldn't set you off. Repression leads to overcompensation ;)
I read 1984, Lord of the flies, and animal farm when I was 13. In retrospect, those were a little intense for my age but made a huge impression on me. Human nature is simply scary... Books that deal with that type of reality are best left for late teens.
-Viz
Don't kid yourself. It's the size of the regexp AND how you use it that counts.
Get them a Nintendo DS, and let the brain-rotting begin.
Seriously, though:
A) Video games aren't a bad thing, provided there is some good logic-teaching in there (learning complex systems in Real-time Strategy games, for example).
B) Let your kids read books with an adult edge that are thought provoking, maybe even socially or politically. That's excellent for them, as they'll have some ammo for the conversation with their friends when it gets good a few years down the road.
My first, and one of my favourite, Heinlein book was Podkayne of Mars. I would also recommend Citizen of the Galaxy, The Door into Summer, Have Spacesuit Will Travel, and Tunnel in the Sky for pre-teen boys.
Emergence, by David R. Palmer should be back in print next year at the same time as its sequel is coming out. It is my favourite book of all time and especially good for intelligent children who like adventure and independence.
Other less-known classics I enjoyed as a child:
Hi,
I'm sure someone must have already mentioned Jules Verne, so let me introduce you to the lesser known works of a best selling author: Terry Pratchett.
TP is well known as the creator of the Discworld comic fantasy books (which are on my top list of reccommendation for adults) but has also written a few less known children's books, both in the Discworld and unrelated to it.
The Bromeliad trilogy is a a seried of 3 books (Truckers-Diggers-Wings) about the Nomes, a 4 inch tall ET tribe that's shipp wrecked in Earth and forgets about its history.
The books are very fun to read, but also beneficial for children as they discuss allegorically quite deep philosophical questions.
There's plenty more info on the Bromeliad trilogy, as well as TP's other works on wikipedia.
On a side note, TP's not strictly SciFi books such as 'The amazing Maurice and his educated cats' and the 'Wee Free Men' trilogy are also really good books for children and adults alike. Not to mention that the Discworld series is by far the most enjoyable read I've had for years!
Some that I haven't seen mentioned already
James Blish: The "Cities in flight" series
Edgar Rice Burroughs: John Carter of Mars series
Other recommendations from what I was reading at that age include:
The Riddle Master trilogy by Patricia McKillip
The Sword of Shanara trilogy by Terry Brooks
The Best of Jack Williamson
The Best of Frederick Pohl
You might also check your local library for when they are going to have their annual/semi-annual Friends of the Library book sale. I've found that on the last day you can usually get a ton of old Sci-Fi paperbacks cheap on bag day.
None of them even fit the genre (unless you count the Bloom County voyages of the "Enterpoop", that is.)
"Spaceman Spiff" on line one. He sounds pissed.
For fun fantasy, I fondly remember Jane Yolen's "Dragon's Blood" series.
Thank you for reminding me of that. I had that read to me as a child then read it over and over myself.
That made me smile on an otherwise bleak day.
Great starter story.
Nothing is foolproof, fools are too ingenious. - Murphy
I see tons of really great ideas here, the only one I haven't seen, and I'm sorry if you're one of the 1000 or so I didn't read, is Terry Brooks. Personally I feel every budding sci-fi reader should be exposed to Ender's Game that's a given. I also feel that the short stories of Issac Assimov and his contemporaries are good. Short stories are especially good road trip material since they are you know...short. Here's a list of novels and writers: 1) Ender's Game 2) Anything by Terry Brooks, I mean it,...anything 3) Arthur C. Clarke 4) Short stories from Issac Assimov 5) Dune, one of the greatest stories ever written 6) Dragonlance Chronicles, its where my fantasy reading began 7) The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, I started these at 10 8) Many of the recommendations I've seen on this list, seriously a lot of the posts here have some extraordinary suggestions. But most of all whatever you do, let them find their own way. Suggest don't force. Experimenting with sci-fi and fantasy literature is always rewarding and most definitely worth it.
Ben Bova's series "Grand tour". If you haven't read it, it's a great very real story about our solar system colonization, starting with Moon base, ten first manned mission to Mars, etc. No forcefields, subspace, magic buttons resolving everything. Just something that may actually happen in 30-50 years. (in 20, if you believe NASA talk).
The Riddlemaster trilogy (or trilogy of the stars)
Riddlemaster of Hed
Heir of Sea and Fire
Harpist in the wind
By Patricia McKillip
A wonderful trilogy accessible to young people
and don't go for any writer who has written a book made into a movie by walden media.
stick to the straight sci-fi. Heinlein, Asimov, Gibson, Gaiman, Dick.
if you want to try something new, try for Drew Karpyshyn.
a love of sci-fi should really begin with something old fashioned. It sparks imagination and appreciation for current technology.
They're using their grammar skills there.
Yikes, I'm in trouble now. Who knows what Hobbes will do when Spiff gets dissed?
Mit der Dummheit kämpfen Götter selbst vergebens.
I had to apply to book sleuth to find this one, but I loved it around 8th grade:
I'm pretty sure you're remembering Children of the Dust by Louise Lawrence.
"Nuclear missiles are flying toward their targets. One family is separated: the father finds his way to an underground shelter while his wife and three children seal themselves in their living room. But only Catherine, the eight year old, stays completely inside, away from radiation, hiding under a blanket-covered table. And only she will survive. Her older sister, before she dies, takes Catherine to Johnson, an eccentric survivalist. Meanwhile, in a government bunker, Bill Harnden, the father, mates and has another daughter, Ophelia. As the years pass, a few survivors try to establish an agricultural foundation for a new society above ground, while in the shelter machines preserve a society unable to function in a new world. When the leaders of the shelter decide to commandeer the livestock of the outsiders, Bill and Ophelia go to warn them. In Johnson's camp, now a small village, Bill finds that his daughter Catherine is the mother of the first of a new breed of genetic mutants who are covered with fine white fur and have strange white eyes and psychic abilities. By the next generation, it is clear that the society underground cannot last, and Ophelia's son Simon must establish a bond with 'homo superior, the children of the dust' so that technological knowledge is not lost forever."
"sometimes he felt that his whole life was a dream, and he wondered whose it was and whether they were enjoying it."
There are a number of Heinlein's novels that were aimed at the young-adult-to-adult category. Some of my favorites are:
'Have Space Suit, Will Travel.' This is my top pick. Best of all, there's a full-cast audio edition available that's nothing short of a radio play. Outstanding stuff!
Some of my other favorites from Heinlein, though not necessarily available (yet) on audio, are: "Starman Jones," "Rocket Ship Galileo," "Space Cadet," "Between Planets," "Red Planet," "Farmer in the Sky," and "The Puppet Masters."
Others have suggested Anne McCaffrey's works. There are lots of good books from her, true, though I have to say I'm not fond of what I see as a downgrade in quality of writing from her over the last decade or so. If you're going after her stuff, I highly recommend the earlier works, notably the earlier 'Dragonriders' books. Of those, two of my all-time favorites are "The White Dragon" and "The Dolphins of Pern."
I would also strongly recommend the "Inheritance" trilogy from Chris Paolini. The first book in the series, "Eragon" (and the book, BTW, was orders of magnitude better than that horrid excuse for a movie which has, thankfully, faded to obscurity) lays the groundwork. The second, "Eldest," picks up where it leaves off. The third and final one in the series, "Brisingr," is coming Sep. 20th of this year.
There are a couple of lesser-known authors that I went bonkers over as a kid, and I still re-read them to this day. If you can find a book club edition of "The Roads of Heaven," by Melissa Scott, do so. If not, there are three books in her "Silence Leigh" series: "Five-Twelfths of Heaven," "Silence in Solitude," and "Empress of Earth."
If your youngsters are interested in the ocean and its inhabitants, at least one lesser-known author I would recommend is Carl Biemiller. He did a trilogy called "The Hydronaut Adventures" that I found to be a terrific read.
Yet another recommendation (I'm just full of them today) I'd make is the books of James Schmitz who, sadly, is no longer with us. However, he left us a marvelous legacy in the form of wonders like "The Witches of Karres" and the Telzey Amberdon stories.
One of my all-time favorites from Schmitz is a book called "The Demon Breed." Among its other endearing characters, it features a pair of oversize, sentient, mutant otters.
Oh! One more... If you can locate a copy of Edward Ormondroyd's "David and the Phoenix," grab it!
There's probably others I'll think of after I hit "submit," but I think you'll have a pretty good start with this. As for getting the books, many of which are out of print, you would do well to search Powell's Books, as well as abebooks.com, a wonderful site that links together literally thousands of new and used book dealers.
Happy reading!
Bruce Lane, KC7GR,
Blue Feather Technologies
,
, and
. They are good books and I have enjoyed them immensely. I just turned 40 so I don't know if a teenager would enjoy them but if they enjoy Science Fiction, then I think that they will enjoy these. When I was a teenager, I enjoyed the books that people would tell me were for adults. Most people underestimate what a teenager would be able to handle and therefore discount a great many possibilities. If you enjoyed a book, most likely so would a younger reader.
Hyperion series from Dan simmons
Everything from Isaac Asimov and No i dont think kid will snob the writer or that the stories are not actual,,,it's sci-fi.
Any Star trek books or Star wars books.
No one seems to have mentioned the Tripods series, can't remember the author but I read it was a kid and enjoyed it. Can't remember there being anything X-rated, but it is a kids' book as I recall.
Some of my first and favorite Sci-Fi/Fantasy books were the works of Robert Asprin. Specifically the Phule's Company Series, and the M.Y.T.H. Inc. series. These are lighthearted and fun books that are easy to read and provide a good intro to the Genre.
Sundiver, Star Tide Rising, Brightness Reef, Heaven's Reach. Earth is probably one of his best books.
While I recommend Andre Norton because I really enjoyed her books when I was a kid, I think it really depends on your young readers. My great grandfather was a mill worker and his evening entertainment was to read paperbacks. We inherited boxes and boxes of books from him with all kinds of westerns, fantasy and sci fi. I really enjoyed Andre Norton, and as others have mentioned I'd also suggest Clarke and the Fuzzy series.
I think it will really depend on what your kids like. I would recommend anything but the horror books (I just don't like horror, but his fantasy and sci-fi are lots of fun) from Lawrence Watt-Evans as well.
These days, you might just take them to the young adult section of your library and ask the librarian what is popular. If you have a good library like the one here in Corvallis OR that has been blessed by a good selection of manga, you can try out a few of those also. I think Hikaru no Go is a good all-ages title, though not sci-fi. I'd be conscious too about finding something they can share with their friends - that can make reading even more fun. That is a big part of why Harry Potter caught on, IMHO.
The suggestions so far as ALL great. I read pretty much everything suggested so far by the time I finished high school (except for the stuff not written yet - I was into SciFi, but hadn't yet perfected time travel).... I would double up on all the earlier Heinlein catalog (the latter stuff like Number of the Beast is definitely not for pre-teens). I would add "Wrinkle in Time" to the fantasy stuff, though probably not the others in the series. Gotta go with the Foundation books (at least the first 3), I Robot, and LOTR (I read the covers off a set by the time I could drive). I might add Harry Harrison - the Stainless Steel Rat books, the Deathworld books... There are SOOOOO many...
Don't avoid something cause you think it's too dry or too dark and cynical. Trust your kids to figure that stuff out.
Anything by Edgar Rice Burroughs is great, John Carter of Mars (normal human becomes superhuman on Mars) and the Land That Time Forgot (dinosaurs!) series come to mind.
A great series starts with a book called Exiles of Colsec by Douglass Hill, there's 3-4 books in there for them to read. He also wrote an awesome series starting with Galactic Warlord.
If they are starting to get a little older, some of the Xanth novels and the series that starts with Dragon's Gold (both by Piers Anthony) are pretty good. Also, Terry Brooks has written some great stuff, but I would stick with the older ones at their age, the newer ones can be somewhat disturbing.
Stanislaw Lem - The Cyberiad
John Brunner - Shockwave Rider
They aren't the top of the list, but they should be mentioned.
~ a low user id is no indication I have a clue what I'm talking about.
* The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (1979) * The Restaurant at the End of the Universe (1980) * Life, the Universe and Everything (1982) * So Long, and Thanks For All the Fish (1984) * Mostly Harmless (1992)
Ingredients: Turkey, Mechanically Separated Turkey, Water, Salt, Flavour.
IIRC, here is an article that discusses finding books for boys in an attempt to keep them interested in reading. [I presume that there is an analogous paper on girls.] It is based on matching the personality of the boy and the archetype of the protagonist in the book (Subscription or purchase required :( or try the library)
http://www.reading.org/Library/Retrieve.cfm?D=10.1598/RT.61.2.2&F=RT-61-2-Zambo_2.html
"The Reading Teacher : October 2007 : Using Picture Books to ... ... help you identify and select additional titles that address each archetype. ..."
Using Picture Books to Provide Archetypes to Young Boys: Extending the Ideas
Finding the right archetype in sci-fi might take them further down the path you are wishing for them :)
Oh yeah.. and 1 more vote for the 3rd Tom Swift series that I read when I was 10 and 11 yrs old.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Swift#Third_Tom_Swift_series_.281981-1984.29
>Other good ones include Isaac Asimov's "Lucky Starr" books
Second that -- I suspect they're not nearly as widely known as they deserve to be. I discovered them by accident: my parents, both voracious SF readers, didn't even know of them.
David Eddings' novels were some of the first I read when I was younger (likely the 9 to 12 age range) and I quite enjoyed them. I still don't mind them now, though they're a little bit simplistic compared to other novels I read now. I would suggest starting with "The Belgariad."
Airborn and its sequel Skybreaker
Great fun in a steampunk world where airships rule.
Author is Kenneth Oppel. Third book about a year away, I understand.
To miss the Aslan/Jesus stuff and say it's just you putting the overtones in is to admit to some very fast skimming or some significant lack of inspection into the Christian culture around you.
The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever by Stephen R. Donaldson
On a related note, why not subscribe to a magazine like Asimov's Science Fiction? There's a great deal of variety there that your kids could like, and you could discovery some new writers as well.
Make love, not reality television.
The early Heinlein books were written for younger readers later he targeted adults.
But don't forget Jules Verne. From the Earth to the Moon, 10,000 leagues under the sea, and the Center of the Earth and so on. I likely have the titles wrong
Jack L. Chalker
Fun story lots of action. Sort of a Sci-Fantasy.
Plus a bunch of sequels.
Nothing is foolproof, fools are too ingenious. - Murphy
Um,where's the Jules Verne in this list? Time Machine, 10,000 leagues under the sea, the list goes on. All of them are wonderful stories for the pre-teen enthusiast.
His works are some of the foundations all current Sci-Fi is based on. If anything, reading them will ruin the plots of too many movies and books for your boys (-:
I don't know if these books are still in print but I remember reading about Tom Swift's space adventures when I was a young.
Star Conquerors By Ben Bova Ann McCaffery (sp) has already been recommended I read the Foundation serious before it was fully complete but found it good at the 15+ level The StarTrek The Original Series has lots to read that are very light and perfect for the younger crowd...
Being probably one of the youngest here and going through that phase myself I think that I should pass comment. When I was first getting into reading I also began with the Sci-Fi / Fantasy area. Having heard many good things about the Lord of the Rings and Terry Pratchett novels, I attempted to read them. However, I found them too difficult, despite having a 'reading age' well above my actual age. I instead found books such as the Animorphs series, and Harry Potter and so on to be much more on my level. Books such as these do a lot more to excite the reader on every page and it is because of this that I found them to be better.. I then moved onto 'more advanced' books such as the Lord of the Rings later on. So to sum up, consider the 'difficulty' of the book itself. Lord of the Rings & Terry Pratchett books are not an easy read for a youngster, although the Hobbit and the Bromeliad book series are suitable entry level books into the worlds of Tolkein and Pratchett.
* Legend of Huma (Dragonslance) Richard A Knaak (One of the best fastasy books ever written)
* The entire "Legend of Drizzt" series (Forgotten Realms) R. A. Salvatore (The best single series of fantasy books ever written)
* Any Warcraft/World of Warcraft books. (though my favortie is probably Lord of the Clans by Christie Golden)
* Diablo (Blizzard Entertainment) books are pretty good, but Moon of the Spider is a great book. (another Richard A. Knaak book)
The Doug McClure film you are referencing is an adaptation of Edgar Rice Burroughs' "At the Earth's Core" not Jules Verne's "Journey to the Center of the Earth." "At the Earth's Core" was the first book in Burrough's Pellucidar series about an advanced civilization that lives inside the "Hollow Earth" which launched any number of conspiracy theories, as well as a cross-over book, "Tarzan At the Earth's Core."
Some of the novels I read back in my pre-teen days were Dune and Ender's Game. I'm assuming they have already been mentioned above, just adding another AC's point of view and adding the nth opinion to the topic.
I can't believe that this series hasn't been mentioned yet! Great light sci-fi reading, I enjoyed as a teen. I also concur with the Alvin Maker series. I'll second Madeline L'Engle and Usrula K. LeGuin's fantasy books, too. I read Douglas Adams as a young teen, and enjoyed them, though I missed out on half the content. ;)
-Sir Woody Hackswell, the Arch-Fool
Grrr.. Looks like my keyboard is missing an 'l' somewhere. ;)
-Sir Woody Hackswell, the Arch-Fool
I would never hand anyone under 20 a copy of the original Conan. But in general the idea of letting them pick their own books out is a great idea. My parents bascially dropped me off in the young adult section of the library and told me where to meet them later. They didn't ham-handedly steer me towards any particular titles or authors. Though they would occaisionally toss something my way to see if I picked it up. That was how I found out about I Robot by Asimov, and The Martian Chronicles. Reading "above my level" about "mature topics" (ie: sex) motivated me a bit as well. As a kid I devoured books I felt I wasn't supposed to read. When my dad caught me with "Pissing in the Snow and other Ozark Folktales" (delightfully raunchy) his response was basically "let me know if you have any questions." I remember being disappointed that all my time sneaking peeks at it hadn't been necessary. Kids develop at vastly different rates, too, so when one kid may be ready for Tom Swift another the same age might prefer a good Jack McDevitt novel.
Chronicles of Narnia wasn't an allegory. Lewis himself stated they weren't. Instead, he says they were "suppositionals."
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chronicles_of_Narnia#Christian_parallels
Also, they're some of my favorite books of all time and, being atheist, I love them :)
Doctor Who
That is all.
--= Isn't it surprising how badly I spell ?
"Stephen R. Donaldson - Mordant's Need (fantasy), then Gap series (SF). Covenant series for late teens."
Most people only remember Donaldson for the Convenant series. I suggested saving that series for much later. The two books of Mordant's Need and most of his short stories are much lighter and would be suitable for just-become-teenagers (13yo) after reading Rosenberg killing main characters. The Gap series is darker and probably suitable around 15; the style and plot twists are good writing. The Covenant series is for 17+; Donaldson would have been much later in the list without the comment. I dislike dry longwinded writing and would not have mentioned Covenant if the series was not almost mandatory for Fantasy creds.
I spend my life entertaining my brain.
Surfing on the Blackberry, so don't really know if this got mentioned. Fantastic for readers of any age, but targetted to chitlins.
The Redwall series by Brian Jacques is fantastic youth fantasy as well.
"By the time they had diminished from 50 to 8, the other dwarves began to suspect 'Hungry.'" -Gary Larson
When I first started getting interested in SciFi books at about 12 my mother gave me a list of past Hugo and Nebula award winners dating back to the 50's. Its a great way for someone (not just kids) new to the genre to get a sampling of great SF. Then they can pick their favorite authors and start digging into their other works. Some highlights from the list that I loved as a teenager were Enders Game (mentioned above), Forever War, Dune, and Neuromancer.
"I find the absence of Raymond Feist puzzling"
Feist's "Magician" is awesome, but I stopped reading after a dozen books. I deliberately excluded long-winded fantasy: David Eddings, Raymond Feist, Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time, and Terry Brooks' Shannara. I assumed that the boys would be forced to read Tolkein -- that's enough of that genre unless the children really like it. If they did, they could easily find similar material. This list was designed to encourage reading with more action and less descriptive passages. I probably should have excluded Terry Goodkind as part of this genre, but while the plots slow as the series progresses, the writing never gets quite boring enough to qualify (IMO).
I spend my life entertaining my brain.
I just finished reading Little Brother from Cory Doctorow and it is a great book.. Check it out..
And RAH was a dirty old man with a preoccupation with incest. What's your point?
Starswarm by Jerry Pournelle is a great read for kids (or anyone.)
It occurs to me that the Tom Swift series are missing from this discussion. These made quick reads when I was young, so I chewed through the dozen or two on the library's shelf fairly quickly.
The grammatical misstep above is intentional; there are multiple series in the franchise, and I liked most the third series (as noted on the obligatory wikipedia page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Swift )
Tom McGowen (Author)
Trina Schart Hyman (Illustrator)
Hardcover: 155 pages
Publisher: Follett (1970)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0695801678
ISBN-13: 978-0695801670
Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson series (Lightning Thief, Sea of Monsters, Titan's Curse, Battle of the Labyrinth).
The game and the book are related, but artistically independent.
It is a sci-fi twist on the Spartan warrior story. Kids are taken away and trained, augmented with technology, and then defends humanity against overwhelming odds. They are easier to read (think star wars kind of difficulty), but a very enjoyable.
Note: If you do go along these lines, Don't bother with "The Flood".
Have Spacesuit Will Travel - My first
Many Juvenile Heinliens and Asimovs., etc.
Any Asimov Robots series.
Andre Norton Star Man,
And of course the great ones mentioned above.
The Tripod Trilogy (The White Mountains, The City of Gold and Lead, and The Pool of Fire) by John Christopher were ones that my mother got me when I was a young teenager and I loved them. There were only three books in the series when I read them and a prequel was added a few years ago and it's as good as the original three (they can be found in a boxed set on Amazon under the moniker "The Tripod Series"). I read them all again two years ago and still loved them. They are really easy reads but are excellent books.
Asimov wrote a series for teens where the hero is Lucky Starr. Wrote a couple as a kid and loved them. Also, many of his short stories are good for kids (there are probably a couple of antologies for kids)
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucky_Starr_series
Well, I think the problem with Card is that between devising his scientology-grade alternate reality, composing tedious theological musings and teaching me Portugese, he frequently forgets that there's a story to tell. I loved Ender's Game, but reading the piggy arc slowly drained my will to live. I gave up on him after that.
I sincerely agree with you about Goodkind, though. I only managed to finish the first book.
Everything by Lois McMaster Bujold
Ben Bova's "Dueling Machine" and others
Lloyd Biggle, Jr.'s "The Still, Small Voice of Trumpets"
Zelazny's "Amber" series
(hard to find) novels by Jean and Jeff Sutton
Keith Laumer's "Retief" series
early Robert Silverberg
Bradbury's "The Illustrated Man"
The Kuttner and Moore books from the fifties
Any short-story collection edited by H. L. Gold (also 1950s-60s)
Later on, Norman Spinrad, especially "The Last Hurrah of the Golden Horde".
My daughter loved Heinlein's "Starship Troopers" when she was, maybe, ten. I re-read it after she had finished it and was surprised at all the Libertartian politics, none of which I remembered from reading it as a youth.
David Brin: Sundiver, Startide Rising, The Uplift War.
Iain M. Banks: Consider Phlebas, Culture series.
Anne Mccaffery: The ship who Sang, Brain and Brawn Ship series.
Martha Wells: Death of the Necromancer, Ile-Rien series.
Janny Wurts: Curse of the Mistwrath, The Wars of Light and Shadow series.
The stuff from Samuel Youd (aka John Christopher) like "The Tripods" and "The death of grass" was an excellent read. I even think that the Grass novel was a prescribed school reading book for me.
Also memorable were
Day of the Triffids - John Whyndam
Hitchhikers Guide to the galaxy
Most of Ben Bova's modern series
If your kids are enjoying those, try picking up one of the books from the masterworks series
http://www.sfsite.com/lists/orion04.htm
The Arisians bred for increased intellect and moral certitude, making the "master race" of Lensmen - the ultimate boy-scouts. Taken to an extreme - someone who is totally 'moral' and guided by a aeons old civilization's mores - will hold all of the society that they have been charged with policing to a higher standard. For those who obey the rules (even those with "bad" or normal genetics) its no problem to live in this universe. For the rule breakers - they are in for a bad time. i.e. having 'bad' or normal genes wasn't a death sentence.
Try Robert Asprin's "Myth" series. Lot's of parody like Terry Pratchett, but less references to current events that might escape young readers. His "Phule" series is also quite good.
Harry Harrison's "Stainless Steel Rat" series is also quite fun if you enjoy anti-heroes.
For kids all 3 have some great offering..
All 3 wrote some great short stories.. Get the Short story collection books.. Niven's Neutron Star is a good one.. There are loads from all 3.. Asimov the robot stories collections.. Also the Asimov Lucky Star series (writen as Paul French) is good if you can find copies.. Used book stors will be your best bet for any of these.
Look for the early works from the 50's and 60's They were all writing for the pulp sci-fi rags and targeting the teen crowd.
Also look for Heinleins "The Rolling Stones" or "Have SpaceSuit Will Travel"
Both are about teen boys.
If you want to throw Tolken into the mix start with The hobbit.
If you think it's expensive to hire a professional to do the job, wait until you hire an amateur. --Red Adair
Hmm, how about Isaac Asimov and any of the I Robot books, or his Lucky Starr novelettes - David Starr, Space Ranger. I wish I could find and reread them myself.
I don't understand why the poster would want to sheild pre-teens from darkness and cynicism. What a strange attitude.
But to answer the questions, I'd suggest just about anything by Andre Norton.
"If it's real, then it gets more interesting the closer you examine it. If it's not real, just the opposite is true." -
I liked My Teacher is an Alien series by Bruce Coville. Link to all the small books in one big book. http://www.amazon.com/Teacher-Alien-Collectors-Bruce-Coville/dp/0671035711/
10 book series, fairly short, written for teenagers. They are out of print and kinda hard to find, but they are wonderfully written SF, and great for that age group. I read them at about that age, and could hardly put them down. I checked once and was able to find them on Amazon. Failing that, you might be able to find soft-copies.
Starship Troopers and some of the other Heinlein are definitely darker and more political than I remember...
Now that you mention it, Heinlein is pretty dark in almost everything he wrote. Why does that make him unsuitable for teenagers? Adolescence can be pretty dark: you're going through a lot of changes, you spend a lot of time defining and experimenting with your identity, you self image is on a roller coaster. And last but certainly not least, you've just entered that emotional minefield commonly known as Sex.
I can't think of an SF writer better able to connect with teenagers than Heinlein. The political rants in books like Starship Troopers and The Moon is a Harsh Mistress may make some adults tear their hair out, but it's just the thing when you're 15 and want to know How to Fix Things. Actually, adolescence is the best time to enjoy Heinlein, before you get all sophisticated and impatient with his unnuanced view of life.
That said, I'd avoid anything he wrote from 1970 (I will Fear No Evil) on. This is when he got all experimental, and also started ignoring his editors. (Judging from the typos in the first edition of Time Enough For Love, he probably tried dispensing with them altogether!) The result is a lot of rambing, bloated work that is guaranteed to bore anybody who's not already a fan — and many who are.
Bibliography.
Ender's Game. The Speaker of the Dead. Xenocide. I read HHGTTG when I was around 12; so I'm recommending that as well.
anyone mention these yet?
golden compass
subtle knife
amber spyglass.
signed,
anonymous coward
Seconding Ender's Game, White's The Once and Future King and Philip Pullman. I remember reading Douglas Hill's Last Legionary quartet when I was around that age, straight-forward well-written sci-fi for young'uns. Also, for Terry Pratchett, start with his written-for-kids books, the Bromeliad Trilogy is a good one to get them to question perceptions of the world, his Johnny Maxwell books are centred around a 12/13 year old boy, which might help draw them in. Both series cover stuff like racism, dogmatic religion, war and other stuff in a subtle way (Pratchett calls it "Stealth Philosophy") , good for sparking discussions with your kids.
Other than that, let them loose in a library. Cheaper than a baby-sitter.
The English versions of the German Perry Rhodan series were excellent for me at that age. Lots of good clean "space opera" action. You should be able to find some in used book stores or on eBay.
I have two boys who are 9 and 11 and they are incredibly avid readers ( a couple of novels a week). They have very different tastes in reading material but both have eagerly flew through a series by Rick Riordan called Percy Jackson and the Olympians. There 10 year old cousin has read through all the books as well. They are a huge hit. Might want to give them a try.
Suggest Ursula LeGuin, especially the Earthsea series. The writing is good, Earthsea tells an age appropriate, coming-of-age story.
I first picked up science fiction when I read Heinlein's Tunnel in the Sky as a 14yo, but the following year, I was completely hooked when I found EE 'Doc' Smith's Skylark series. I found and devoured the Lensman series later on, and that completed my baptism. I second the comments about Anne McCaffrey's Dragons of Pern series. Love 'em, and re-read them regularly; it's like visiting old friends. Asimov's Robot series is also good stuff to feed young minds. There are a lot of good Asimov anthologies out there too, although probably a lot are out of print. Same for Heinlein. I'd recommend some Poul Anderson, too, to introduce the concept of harder science fiction. Orion Shall Rise is a good one. Finally, I can't leave a recommended reading list without mentioning Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan series. Wonderfully written space opera about the capers of a physically handicapped but brilliant military-minded dwarf; I love the squiggly-minded little man! And he has a great supporting cast of characters, too. :)
Whatever you decide, enjoy!
At least RAH's characters were above the age of consent.
DRM 'manages access' in the same way that a prison 'manages freedom'
Hitchhiker's Guide is good, but one of the books- So Long and Thanks for All the Fish- contains a few chapters which are very much inappropriate for preteens. Just something you should be aware of.
Although the Tom Swift and Tom Swift Jr books were written long before personal computers they do let a young imagination wander through the galaxy as well as some earthbound venues. They all deal with a crime or challenge to be solved by the cast of characters using some imaginative scientific methods.
"The White Mountains" books by John Christopher.
Larry Nevin's books are not too dark for younger minds. Ringworld was one of my favorites growing up. It also won the Hugo award.
Not so much Sci Fi, but there's a great book called Ishmael by Daniel Quinn that turned my world on it's side. You might want to grab a copy of that one as well, for your children and yourself as well.
I do agree with what someone else said here though, don't underestimate your children or their ability to appreciate a great book. In doing that, you truly fail them.
My account is a prime number.
1337 is not a prime number.
My boys really liked the Young Jedi Knights series by Kevin J. Anderson and Rebecca Moesta. These books move pretty quickly and it was easy for them to identify with the characters.
My $0.02.
There are also Schmitz's "Telzey Amberdon" books, as well as his classic "The Witches of Karres."
I can't second these highly enough, and the entire James H. Schmitz canon has just been re-released -- all the Telzey and Trigger stories, all the rest of the Federation of the Hub material, The Witches of Karres, and a bunch of otherwise uncollected material.
The Schmitz stories are incredibly positive (although he does have some pretty dark stand-alone short material), the storytelling is outstanding, the characters are reasonably interesting, and he has very strong female characters -- important for impressionable young female readers, but perhaps even more so for impressionable young male readers! And they're almost entirely free of graphic violence, sexual content, and anything else uncomfortable to recommend to children.
I also felt like Clarke and Asimov stood me in good stead as a child. I missed a lot in works like Childhood's End, but greatly enjoyed and profited from the shorter works.
I'm trying to remember what I read (and loved) in primary school. Preteen is much harder to remember than teen...
Robin Klein - Halfway across the Galaxy & Turn left (has a sequel). She's an excellent author for juniors.
David Eddings - The Belgariad (Fantasy)
JRR Tolkein - The Hobbit - LotR maybe to hard till teens. I remember it taking me months to get through book 2.
Asimov short stories, maybe the first foundation, but only after they have a thorough grounding in the 3 rules ^_^. the bicentennial man made me cry.
Anne McCaffrey - Dragon Singer trilogy, The ship books.
Cynthia Voight - The Kingdom series is vaguely scifi. The Tillerman books are fantastic, but very 'real life'
Robin Mckinley - Damar books and short stories. Also her retelling of fairytales are fantastic.
Piers Anthony - Early Xanth, before they all become about nakedness and sex... maybe not.
Definately series mentioned above - The Dark is Rising, The Chronicles of Prydain, A Wrinkle in Time. The Discworld. Enders Game.
Maurice Gee - under the Mountain - this took some research to find. I remember being at once excited and terrified by this. Alians in human shape, psychic powers, a mine? Great stuff.
Jean Craighead George - My Side of the Mountain - not sci-fi. About a kid who runs away and lives in the mountains. He sets up camp in a hollow tree. I read it because the title was similar to the one above, and I thought it was maybe a sequel. It isn't, but it's great young fiction.
Isobelle Carmody - The obernewtyn Chronicles - Great stuff
Yay me!
It sounds as if your kids are precocious, and that you're basically looking for books that would appeal to "ordinary" smart teens. Here are some of my thoughts:
Maybe they'd like some of the collections of old stories, rather than novels. Many of these are "puzzle" stories, in which our hero discovers a problem and then, quickly, solves it. For example, The Best of Poul Andersen is replete with those. Andersen could get pretty sexual in his longer books, but his short stories were largely free of that.
For Heinlein you'd want true juveniles. Starship Troopers, Time Enough For Love, and Farnham's Freehold are not juveniles ...
Dune is dark and intermittently sexual. It starts with the death of the hero's father. Not exactly what you want.
Zelazny's characters are world-weary amoral demigods. Also not what you want.
Larry Niven isn't all bad, but might actually be a bit sophisticated.
H Beam Piper's Gunpowder God books are great fun. I don't see much in them that young folks wouldn't get, perhaps except for about two sentences mentioning sexual scandals -- "carefully hushed up" -- in court.
Robert Silverberg's (?) alternate history book set in an Aztec-dominated America might be good. I think Turtledove eventually wrote a sequel.
Truly young-person-oriented books include a lot of Andre Norton (I loved The Prince Commands, although that's not SF), Heinlein juveniles, and the aforementioned A Wrinkle In Time.
Anne McCaffrey is too sexual.
Gordon Dickson's Dorsai books are grim and glorify war. And some nasty stuff happens. I wouldn't favor them.
David Brin's good stuff is a little slow.
Pournelle's good solely-authored stuff is like Heinlein juveniles, but not quite as good.
In fantasy, I think they might be a little young for Raymond Feist. de Camp's (?) Compleat Enchanter (or Enchanter Compleated), however, would be wonderful, if they have any interest in mythology.
Another Fine Myth by Asprin is hilarious. The sexual stuff is lighthearted enough you shouldn't worry about it.
One of Turtledove's strengths is writing about ADULTS. I'd be suspicious of any of his juveniles.
And for yourself, get Lois McMaster Bujold's Miles Vorkosigan series. :)
To err is human. To forgive is good system design.
Each parent is going to have his/her own hot buttons as to what is acceptable and what isn't. Even with sexual content there is anything from sexual tension to some down right nasty stuff.
You specifically ask for SciFi and you're examples are in the SciFi area rather than Fantasy.
My kid's reading list:
L Ron Hubbard's Battlefield Earth. (Not to be mistaken with Hubbard's "Mission Earth" dekaology the is not appropriate in my opinion for pre-teens.)
Piers Anthony's Xanth Series. It's thirty three books and counting of bad puns. Just the thing for pre-teen boys. Careful on the sex topics of his other books and series as some of them are graphic and other sexual themes aren't appropriate for pre-teens.
Roger Zelazny's Amber Series.
CS Lewis's Narnia Series.
Pulman's His Dark Materials series.
Asimov's Foundation series would be okay.
Red Wall.
In the fantasy the gorilla in the room is Harry Potter.
I haven't tried them but the Star Trek and Star Wars book series are probably acceptable even if not "serious" literature.
One could always plumb the depths of the Gutenberg Project's text library and pull classics like Jules Verne and Dan Defoe. Some care is needed even here as I recently read Robinson Crusoe and it is not exactly politically correct in the treatment of indigenous people and is a bit snobbish about the ingenuity of Brits.
However the important piece in any of these is to be reading the material in advance and being able to discuss the good and questionable themes with your kid. Saw a study that along the lines of children, parents and TV. The study found that when children watched TV shows with their parents in the room, even of some of the show's themes might be counter to the family's values, the kids would pick up even the subtle vibes of the parents. That if they watched the shows without the parents present, then they tended to mroe directly absorb the values as presented in the show.
I think books are similar. They offer the chance to discuss values. Is Malfroy a bad person or he simply a tragic character in the wrong family at the wrong time? What do you think of Harry kissing girls? (I doubt a parent could ask that question without conveying his/her expectation of there own child's behavior.)
The immediate problem with The Sword of Truth as a children's series is the extreme violence/S&M/bondage in some of the books. That doesn't stop them from being good stories, but it does make them incredibly embarrassing to recommend to your kids. You might want to just leave the books around and let them discover the kinky stuff without that icky "Daddy lent this to me" feeling spoiling their enjoyment of the books.
But better yet, keep them away from Goodkind altogether, unless you are planning on indoctrinating them in oversimplified Randian (pun intentional, I assume, by Goodkind) claptrap. The series got atrociously bad by about the fourth or fifth book, but gave a surprising turnaround with Chainfire, which was good enough for me to feel incredibly ripped-off and disappointed by the final book, whose name I have already mercifully forgotten.
There are two kinds of people: 1) those who start arrays with one and 1) those who start them with zero.
Pre-teen.. when I was in the 2nd to 3rd grade I always liked the Danny Dunn series. http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw/104-4144480-7670368?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=danny+dunn&x=0&y=0
Yeah, that bit was awesome :-)
Why would anyone engrave "Elbereth"?
You already said they are avid readers - challenge them. Just because it might seem dry or too political when you look at it as a parent doesnt mean they wont like it or get something out of it. If they don't like it, they won't read it, but whatever you do don't decide not to bring something because you think they wont like it. Imagine the disaster if they hate everything you bring because you tried to dumb it down too much.
When I was younger, I read LOTR in 4th-5th grade, had an abortive attempt at reading Neuromancer in 6th grade (I loved the old Interplay game so much I made myself try reading the novel again 6 months later. it turned out to be the first book I read under a day). One of my best memories as a child was emailing Orson Scott Card on the old Prodigy network after I read Ender's Game. He encouraged me to read Speaker, albeit with the 'its a bit slower-paced' warning. Turned out I loved Speaker, and my father, who recommended Ender's Game to me, couldnt care less for Speaker.
All of these books, we read when we were kids or teenagers. They shaped our understanding of the world but also helped us formulate our own. Let your kids do the same. Thats the beauty of a book.
truly the very first SF novel
I'm surprised few people have mentioned Ursula Le Guin in this thread. Start with A Wizard of Earthsea and go from there. Rocannon's World is another great starting point in her books. I would second the Jules Verne. But I think the biggest influence on my reading when I was a child was the fact that my parents told us the "TV was broken and we're not getting a new one" when I was 7. We got our news from NPR and the New York Times and the local paper. There was no world wide web back then, so we read books. Lots of them. Mysteries, P.G. Wodehouse, Sci-Fi, Fantasy, childrens' fiction (Bridge to Terebithia, etc.). Madeline L'Engle is great for that age as well. My advice: chuck the TV, hide the video games. The kids will read books, play board games or go play outside. All probably better for them, IMO, than the alternatives. After all, that's how most generations grew up and they all seem to have turned out ok.
Have a look at the Legends books, they're anthologies by a dirty dozen sci-fi/fantasy writers. Orson Scott Card, Anne McCaffrey, Neil Gaiman, others; it's a fine introduction to some modern greats. The short stories would work well on the road too.
My 11 year old son has *just* started asking me if he could start reading my scifi books - I started him with Dark Star [Alan Dean Foster].
@peetm
You of all people should be the best judge when it comes to kwowing what your kids are ready to read. I personally finished lord of the rings before the age of ten, and i'm still alive and only a little crazy so far . If i were to hint i'd say try giving the the Belgariad by David Eddings . imo that's right up there with lord of the rings . I didnt like Asimov either as a kid ... and to be honest, i still don't like it. David Eddings or maybe Julian May the manycoloured land, altho that series is a bit more complicated ... Also Stephen Donaldson i liked a lot, but those are also a little more complicated than the Belgariad ... the classics like heinlein, zelazny and maybe vance are ok too, if they can ... you know ... 'dig it' :p
Ursula Le Guin maybe, and if you're like all-american-moral-majority-type-of-parent you might wanna wait giving them Tanith Lee books ... (they got titties , like age of conan) *winks*
Free speech was meant to be free for all... how can anyone grow up in a nanny state ?
A little OT, but you might want to look at the Star Wars books for young adults, e.g., the Jedi Apprentice series. Some really very good books there, with relevant and uplifting concepts within for young men:
http://wisdomofthejedi.com/?page_id=227
I haven't seen "Starship Through Space" or "Rocket Man" by G. Harry Stine mentioned. I liked these books because they were about young people doing something really exciting in a technically believable fashion. This was the same reason I liked "Have Spacesuit Will Travel" and "Space Cadet". I liked these four books enough that I went out and bought the hardcopy versions of these books so many years ago when all I had was an allowance and had to ride the bus downtown to the bookstore to buy them. I still have those books and treasure them.
A computer may beat me at Chess, but I always win at Kickboxing.
How about my recently published sci-fi mystery novel: "TIME TRIP ON A MOEBIUS STRIP." It is about 16 famous lost historical people of history. They are all in another dimension where time has come to a halt, and how a marine biologist enters this other dimension by means of a giant metal Moebius strip inside of a giant ten foot high nautilus shell he had found on the beach as a child...High school history teachers would recommend this book because of the historical people and what the novel has to say about them....You can see a sample page from my sci-fi novel at my blog: http://moebiustripper.blogspot.com
Best regards, D. Richard Lewis
Not sure how 'pre teen' your kids are. I caught the sci-fi bug in 4th grade. I'm pretty sure I had read most of the classics by the time I was in eighth grade -- when I turned 13.
Much depends on the maturity and determiniation of your kids. Kids are changing incredibly fast -- stuff that would be suitable at age 13 is too heavy at 8 or 9.
An earlier reader is correct -- things that the kids aren't ready for will generally be ignored. If there are too many bits that are hard they will drop the book. Things they are almost ready for will spark questions. Be ready for the questions, and you will have a priceless opportunity to shape your kid's values.
Don't be afraid to give them adult books. (Adult = normal book vocabulary/sentence structure, not sexual.) If their school reading scores say they are reading at a grade 8 or 9 level, let them go!
I read SF almost to the exclulsion of everyone else, and it has shaped my attitudes in the following way:
* I'm constantly coming up with different ways of doing things. So far out of the box, that most of the time I can't find the box.
* I generally believe in solutions. Every problem has a solution, if we are clever enough, and early enough to find it. (At work at present, the school is faced with closing. Most of the staff are resigned, and looking for other work, or carrying out the tasks of wrapping up the closure. I'm still bubbling with ideas.)
* Very upbeat, and take the long view. Climate warming? What the global committee calls a catastrophe -- loss of the ice, 20 meter sea level rises -- is but an inconvenience. Turning the planet into Venus is a catastrophe.
For early exposure to the less kid like books for these authors, look at collections of their short stories.
So, what do I consider a classic:
* All of Heinlein's juveniles, and for almost teens, all of his middle period -- up to Moon is a Harsh Mistress. The stuff after that is a bit disjointed
* Asimov. As a kid I didn't find the Foundation books dry at all.
* Arthur C. Clarke -- Tales of the Whitehart, Fall of Moon Dust, Earthlight
* Alan Norse (Nourse?)
* Back issues of Analog. (One librarian had the foresight to have them bound -- 6 issues per volume. Extra polish on her halo.
* Madelaine L'Engle
* Lloyd Alexander
* Alan Garner
* Jules Verne -- He was very prolific. Lot of titles that are hard to find in English.
* H. Rider Haggard -- Not strictly Sci-fi
* Robert Louis Stevensen.
* Edgar Allen Poe. (Yes they are dark. Kids love gore.)
* Ursula LeGuin (Wizard of Earthsea, Tombs of Atuan)
* Lois McMaster Bujold
* Anne McCaffrey
* Clifford Simak
* Poul Anderson
* Fritz Leiber
* Hal Clement (Especially if they have an interest in science in general.)
* E. E. "Doc" Smith
* George O. Smith
* Ben Bova
* Jerry Pournelle
* Larry Niven (Short stories esp.)
* Lloyd Biggle Jr.
Third Career: Tree Farmer Second Career: Computer Geek First Career: Teacher, Outdoor Instructor, Photographer.
When I was young, i read a few Star Trek books, as well as go the novel version of Star Wars: Return of the Jedi. Back then our schools had a number of publications that you could order such books from. The two I remember most were Troll and Trumpet. Later in life I discovered Battletech Books (which will be making a come back at some point), and I really wish I could have gotten into them well back in my pre-teen years, a lot of good fiction has gone out of print, but what can you do? Another tactic might be to look at certain publishers, like Zondervahn for instance (think I spelled that right), that's just a suggestion though
I loved this series by Douglas Adams when I was in my pre-teens. It's sci-fi but also a good comedy so it's a fun read all around.
Help, I'm trapped in a carbon-based life form.
I know bookstores always shelve them together, but there is a difference in genre so I'm going to split things up too... Sci-Fi: The Fuzzy Books by H. Beam Piper - Largely forgotten, pre-cursors to the Ewoks of Star Wars fame. Great, easy reads. Douglas Adams - Anything Unfortunately the Sci-Fi series I usually recommend (the Matador books by Steve Perry) always have fairly graphic sex scenes and may not be appropriate for pre-teens. Your mileage may vary. I suggest checking them out yourself and see if you approve. Fantasy: The Belgariad by David Eddings (5 books). The Malloreon is the sequel, but I don't think it's as good. The original Dragonlance trilogy by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. Tolkien - Anything.
If Foundation is too dry, "I, Robot" should be a fun read.
Anne McCaffrey is all right, but her books tend more towards fantasy than science fiction (especially the Dragonriders of Pern).
And, I have to admit, I was in love with the Animorphs series when I was in middle school (even though the ending sucked).
Finally, some of the earlier Star Wars books by Timothy Zahn, Micheal Stackpole and Aaron Allston. The X-Wing series, especially so, since the authors' original characters actually occasionally get to die and such.
Vir prudens non contra ventum mingit.
I remember the Lensmen series by E. E. Smith as being fun and not too heavy. I liked the Stainless Steel Rat series by Harry Harrison too. The Xanth series by Piers Anthony was a fun fantasy world for me as a kid.
They are smaller, and very likely, smarter, versions of you. This means they will be able to deal with the darkness, or get past it more easily than you think.
Classic Sci-Fi becomes classic for a good reason: it is brilliantly conceived and executed. The ideas were just as dark back in the day, maybe you missed them because you weren't attuned to that, or maybe you just don't remember how you reacted to that aspect of the writing. Don't cheat your kids out of great literature (and the attendant props you earn for recommending it - this is of secondary import, but not to be totally dismissed out of hand) just because you don't know how they will react. Kids are pretty sturdy, creative about solving problems, and they have you at their back.
Give them the books, one or two or so at a time. If it turns out you've raised axe-murderers or woefully-ill-equipped-to-deal-with-ideas kids, you will know soon enough to switch them to a diet of Barney and Saturday morning cartoons. /ugh
--- Say something clever. Pretend it was me. Thanks.
You might want to think about some of the real classics, like Jules Verne and HG Wells.
You might want to look at authors/books that have won awards like the hugo, nebula, Campbell, etc. You may also want to check them out first a bit as some may be more suitable for juveniles then others.
Author's writings can change over time. Heinleins earlier juveniles would be great, but as you get to the lazarous long and related books some can be pretty adult.
CJ Cherry, Mercedes lackey, Bujold, most Norton, are all pretty good. Eric Flint, Devid Weber and others are good military SF as well as some general SF.
As someone suggested, try your local library, they may even have a separate SCIFI section. Many libraries do these days. If you are near a larger town/city, try them.
Also by Harry Harrison. I remember enjoying these immensely as a 12 year old, even though I hadn't seen a lot of the movies they were parodies of.
Thank you. This may be the first time someone asked before using my material. The first of my writing to appear on the Web was instructions for fixing Windows 95 on Compaq's website attributed to a Compaq employee, then on Microsoft's website attributed to a Microsoft employee; both copies contained my very lame joke. I often find references to my writing from the "referer" when pages link to my website. Most of my writing eventually appears on my website. A backlog of over 100 articles exists because I was extremely busy writing without posting last year and the website will be changing technology later this year. This list is now posted at:
http://solprovider.com/articles/20080709
I appreciate being credited for my work. Please include a link to my version in your blog.
In this case, the "work" was wandering around my library looking for authors suitable for young boys. About a dozen good authors were excluded because their books are targeted at girls. Some good authors may have been excluded because I did not move furniture -- a couch blocks some of the B-E authors (just peeked and added David Brin and Ben Bova), much of N-Q is in stacks waiting for more bookshelves, and many new books are still in boxes. I am glad people are enjoying the list and mostly confirming it.
I spend my life entertaining my brain.
The Warlord of Mars - science fiction novel written by Edgar Rice Burroughs, the third of his famous Barsoom series. Burroughs began writing it in June, 1913, going through five working titles; "Yellow Men of Barsoom," "The Fighting Prince of Mars," "Across Savage Mars," "The Prince of Helium," and "The War Lord of Mars." Old but I still remember these and
it has been at least 50 years since I read the series.
1.) Andre Norton -- These stories are excellent for almost all young readers and have nothing in them to worry a parent. Her stories have won her an award for Lifetime Achievement and are a true example of the storytelling art.
2.) Isaac Asimov -- His stories range a wide gamut of themes. Probably his most famous are the Foundation series and his Robots series. In fact, I, Robot, the Will Smith movie, is based off of his Three Laws of Robotics originating in this series of stories.
3.) Alan Dean Foster-- This author was widely-noted for his novelizations of TV and movies of the 60s and 70s, mostly in the SF genre. He also has written a huge number of novels based on his own ideas, mostly in the 'Humanx Commonwealth' that cover as broad a variety of subjects as Asimov, if not more.
These three authors are all noted for their prolific writing and each has more than 50 titles to their names. I could also suggest Ray Bradbury for some of his Golden-Age stories, many of which have been brought to film.
One of my personal favorite stories by Andre Norton is "Moon of Three Rings," a tale of a space-borne trader who ends up as an unusual victim in a war between native races on a planet called Yiktor.
Of course, I can't begin to list my favorite Fantasy novels, outside of probably the most famous, "Lord of the Rings." The Peter Jackson movies tell most of the story, but leave out a lot. I first read these books when I was in 5th grade... about age 10. They may be a little difficult for an average reader, but if your boys are avid, they should truly enjoy these novels.
At that age and earlier my favorite books were not skiffy, but collections: Aesop, the Brothers Grim, Hans Christian Anderson, and the tales of Greek Mythology. They taught me a lot.
While Starship Troopers was an adult novel, Heinlein for many years alternated between juveniles & "grown up" books, writing one of each kind in turn.
Starman Jones, Have Space Suit, Will Travel, Podakyne of Mars were all Juvies. Asimov had the Lucky Starr novels.
If the kids are already avid readers, though, they probably have the comprehension to deal with more adult works. Sounds like they may be beyond Paddington.
On the flip side, just because a book is geared toward younger humans doesn't automatically make it light-hearted. Madeline L'Engle's A Wrinkle In Time and Roald Dahl's Charley and the Chocolate Factory have their grim moments, though they were both great writers. I'd recommend anything by them.
Writer James Blish collected all the original Star Trek episodes in written form; they're good harmless adventure with known characters and storylines.
Going slightly outside skiffy tales, I'd heartily recommend Lewis Carol. If they have heads for math you might want to try Flatland by Edwin Abbot, a Victorian era novel about a two-dimensional man visited by a 3-D human.
Whatever happens, know you're lucky. You've got kids who read.
I strongly recommend the Myth Adventures books by Robert Asprin. They are geared for young adults but can be appreciated at any age.
The main character is a wizard so some might classify them as fantasy, but the universe is well thought out and internally consistent. Technically they are probably more sci-fi than some things labeled as such.
I also recommend "The Neverending Story". It's better than the movie in the same way as the Harry Potter novels.
Also, "The Mad Scientists Club" may be hard to find but is a great read. It's probably more for boys though. I was tickled to see Babylon 5 creator JMS list it as one of his influences.
Lastly, The Foundation Trilogy was once voted the best science fiction series of all time (by the World Sci-Fi & Fantasy Assoc. if memory serves). It'a great read because it's s a page turner. I agree it's hard to tell how kids raised with IM & SMS will take it but don't sell it (or them) short.
When I was a kid I *loved" the Scott Saunders stories written by Patrick Moore. Back then, I didn't know who Patrick Moore was, but it was his books, along with Asimov's short stories which gave me my love and enthusiasm for space exploration and astrophysics.
The bibliography of his writings mentions some other books aimed at kids. I don't know how much they've aged, and I'm not making any reference to literary quality, all I know is when I was eight, I thought they were the best books ever. Except for the Hobbit.
Vs lbh pna ernq guvf, ybt bss abj. Tb bhgfvqr. Syl n xvgr.
sci-fi book for pre-teens?
how about dianetics, to ruin the minds of the kids of nowadays you have to start early
Heris Serrano Trilogy, now available as an omnibus edition, by Elizabeth Moon. I love how Moon has women characters who are middle-aged and successful in a variety of professions. Too many sci-fi authors only make the men interesting, and the women are relegated to sexpots and nursemaids.
My favorite author (even now at age 24) is still Timothy Zahn. His writing is incredibly good, science based (in a science fiction setting), and extremely clean to boot. I'd recommend his writing for anyone above age 10. He's probably most noted for his Star Wars Thrawn trilogy, but he's written bunches of other books.
Lots of good titles have been mentioned, but I just want to mention a good resource that your library probably subscribes to and you can access from home free of charge from their homepage (probably listed under a tab marked "databases") -- it is called "Novelist"
There you will find several annotated bibliographies relevant to this topic including:
Science Fiction
Grab and Go Book Lists
Author:
White, Carolyn
Description:
This is a list of some of the best classic and newer science fiction books for teenagers. Science fiction is different from fantasy in that it is about a world that could exist. Often set in the future or on other planets, it's science and imagination elements that earn these books a place on this list. Some of these books are written as a series; of those, the first in the series is listed here. In most cases there is only one title for each author. For additional titles by the same author, click on the title that interests you, then click More Books by Author in the upper portion of the title record.
Reading Level:
Teens, Older Kids
Min./Max. Grade Level:
6-8
Database and Persistent link
Persistent link to this record:
http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=noh&tg=UI&an=416541&site=novelist-live
Fantasy for Grades 6-8
Document Type:
Grab and Go Book Lists
Author:
White, Carolyn
Description:
Middle school students love fantasy books, stories that take place in unreal worlds. This list is a sampling of titles from the best fantasy writers, both classic and new, which are appropriate for middle school students. Many of the most popular books are published as a series (such as Harry Potter), and many fantasy writers have written numerous books. This list includes one title from each author. To locate more books written by an author, simply click on the title that interests you, then click More Books by Author in the upper portion of the title record.
Reading Level:
Teens, Older Kids
Min./Max. Grade Level:
6-8
Database and Persistent link
Persistent link to this record:
http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=noh&tg=UI&an=416501&site=novelist-live
Contemporary Fantasy Published Since 1990
Document Type:
Grab and Go Book Lists
Author:
Bolas, Debbie
Fiction/Nonfiction:
Fiction
Description:
The enormously popular Harry Potter books have given rise to a seemingly unending array of fantasy. The excellent novels listed below, published since 1990, exhibit a diverse world of magical powers, perilous quests, talking toys, imaginary realms, and high fantasy. All exemplify the best in characters, plot, setting, and believability -- necessary attributes of the finest fantasy. Many of the most popular books are published as part of a series, so be
I Robot
Anything by Asimov.
Also, not strictly sci-fi, but Karel Chapek. Krakatit, The Absolute at Large, War with the Newts. Stunning read.
As a kid (3rd to 5th grade), From what I can recall, I read Dragon's Lance, Forgotten Realms, Dark Sun novels and Orson Scot Card's Ender's Game triology (The Ender's Shadow had yet to be written).
All of which I reckon are appropriate.
G'luck!