Science Fiction Reading List

Author Andy Weir had an unusual path to publication, but one which I think is empowering to young people, namely, make your dreams happen. Lightspeed Magazine has posted an inspiring interview with him, including some of his favorite childhood books.

Andy is the national spokesperson for School Library Month. While I would hardly call his book, The Martian, kidlit, I would like to recommend some children's books in the same genre.

Please, please, PLEASE leave your sci-fi kidlit recommendations in the comments. Thanks!


Science Fiction is hardly he norm for the picture book crowd, but aliens and robots are always popular. Try these:

• Marveltown, by Bruce McCall
• Boy + Bot, by Ame Dyckman and Dan Yaccarino
• The Man in the Moon, by William Joyce
• The Three Aliens and the Big Bad Robot, by Margaret McNamara and Mark Fearing
• Company's Coming, by Arthur Yorinks and David Small
• Even Aliens Need Snacks, by Matt McEllligott
• Your Alien, by Tammi Sauer and Goro Fujita

No list would be complete without David Wiesner's Sci-Fi classic Mr. Wuffles! I'll post my review for Perfect Picture Book Friday. See you then!

Chapter Books tend more toward fantasy or, again, aliens and robots. These are some of the younger middle grades I found:

• The Invention of Hugo Cabret, by Brian Selznik
• Pi in the Sky, by Wendy Mass
• Frank Einstein, by Jon Sciezka
• The Gadgets and Gears series, by Kersten Hamilton
• The Cabinet of Wonders, by Marie Rutkoski
• Time Traveling With a Hamster, by Ross Wellford
• The Wild Robot, by Peter Brown
• Zita the Space Girl, by Ben Hatke

 There's a fine line between those chapter books and these Middle Grade, but these tend to be for older MGers. I like:

•  Airborn, by Kenneth Oppel
• The Dead Gentleman, by Matthew Cody
• Impyrium, by Henry Neff
• The Tundra Trials, by Monica Tessler
• Ambassador and Nomad, by William Alexander
• The Secret Keepers, by Trenton Lee Stewart

In the Young Adult category:

• Cinder, by Marissa Meyer
• Uglies, by Scott Westerfeld
• Mortal Engines, by Philip Reeve
• The Diabolic, by S. J. Kincaid
• Future Threat, by Elizabeth Briggs

More School Library Month posts and events for National Library Week coming soon.