18 of the Best Science Fiction Books for Kids

As an eleven-year-old kid, I got interested in science fiction thanks to the Artemis Fowl books by Irish author Eoin Colfer. The series follows Artemis Fowl, a young prodigy and tech mastermind, and his various adventures with secretive hi-tech fairies. In the course of several books, he develops a close relationship with Holly Short, a female elf who’s an important officer within the fey police division. Although the books abound with Irish folklore, Colfer skillfully reimagines the creatures in a sci-fi context with plenty of futuristic technology.

Lois Lowry’s influential novel, The Giver serves as a perfect introduction to the concept of utopias and dystopias. In particular, it highlights how a seemingly ideal society can actually be a dystopia, and why civilizational redesign is such a difficult, if not impossible task. The story unfolds in a world where “suffering” has been seemingly eradicated at the cost of erasing all individual differences, and the young Jonas is tasked with a very important responsibility to maintain the status quo. Poignant and philosophical, the questions raised in The Giver continue to raise discussions and debates among readers.

If you’re intrigued by bio-technology and alien flora and fauna, you should definitely check out Nnedi Okorafor’s Zahrah the Windseeker that infuses Nigerian myths and traditions into an exciting quest narrative. It follows the shy, thirteen-year-old Zahrah who’s constantly bullied by her peers for her dreadlocks and has a fear of heights. But when her best friend falls ill, Zahrah has to confront her fears and journey into the Forbidden Greeny Jungle to find the mystical antidote. From “digibooks” to fortune-telling frogs, the novel is engagingly-written and filled with curious details about plant-infused technology.

Those who enjoyed watching or reading The Wild Robot will also enjoy The Last Human by Lee Bacon. It unfolds in a world where humans are more or less extinct—until a particular robot discovers a human girl called Emma, and with the help of other robots, the duo embark on a dangerous mission. With an adorable robot protagonist, plenty of human-robot banter and a heartwarming narrative, this cutesy sci-fi novel is sure to be a hit with kids.

The Magic Sequence books by celebrated author Andre Norton has plenty of timey-wimey adventures for readers to get engrossed in. For instance, in the first book, Steel Magic, a group of kids are transported to Avalon—the mythical home of Arthuriana. Similarly, in the second book, Octagon Magic, the young orphan Lorrie is sent away and then she stumbles upon a mysterious house that transports her to the Victorian era. Thus, each of the novels involve interesting characters confronting the past in some form, and may particularly appeal to those who have a soft spot for Doctor Who and other time travel tales. 

Science and magic seem to be at odds with each other in this engaging tale by Nicole Valentine. As the title suggests, this book is also a timey-wimey adventure, focusing on Finn who believes in the power of science, mathematical truths and concrete facts, while coming to terms with the disappearance of several family members. But when he discovers that the women in his family are secretly time travelers and his mother maybe stuck in a certain timeline, Finn must question his long-held beliefs if he’s to be united with his loved ones. Easy-to-read yet cleverly multi-layered, Valetine tackles complex topics in an engaging and accessible fashion.

Cinder, the first book in Marissa Meyer’s Lunar Chronicles, is a charming Cinderella retelling in the sci-fi vein where our titular protagonist is a cyborg and gifted mechanic who gets a chance to get closer to Kai, the Crown Prince when he tasks her with repairing his personal android. In a world where cyborgs are treated as second-class citizens and strange plagues abound, Cinder soon finds herself caught up in political turmoil as her feelings for Kai grow stronger. Filled with futuristic details, Meyer’s spin on the popular fairytale is certainly spellbinding. 

Scot Westerfeld’s YA dystopian novel The Uglies is the first in an engaging trilogy that tackles the theme of pretty privilege. It’s set in a world where everyone is considered ugly until at the age of sixteen, they’re eligible for an extreme cosmetic procedure that turns them pretty. The “pretties” of course, have all the special privileges, and it’s up to the rebel girl Tally Youngblood to prove that becoming pretty isn’t everything. Thought-provoking and exciting, the novel carefully highlights all the pitfalls of an image-obsessed society.

Finally, if you’re in the mood for some sci-fi thrillers about secret laboratories, genetic experiments gone wrong and human-avian hybrids saving the day, add Patterson’s Maximum Ride series to your TBR. Fast-paced and lucidly written, the books follow the adventures of Maximum Ride and her friends (called “The Flock”), promising hours and hours of entertainment. 

Tony Abbot zips into this list with his wacky series, The Weird Zone, set in the super-wacky town of Grover Mills. 

In Zombie Surf Commandos from Mars, Liz, Holly, and Jeff decide go to Lake Lake for some summer swimming, and run into the undead hanging ten. 

The kids must conjure all their quick-thinking to battle the zombies and rocket them back into space. And this is only the first in a series of strange events in their little town! 

A mad scientist moves in and starts shrinking kids. A ravenous dinosaur invades the school’s cafeteria, though given how gross the school’s lunches are, that might not be such a bad thing. And a science project starts to develop a mind of its own...

All these adventures and more await the students of W. Reid Elementary in this adventurous series. If you're a fan of the Sideways Stories from Wayside School, Abbott’s weird world wants you to visit next. 

Animorphs, the '90s sci-fi series from KA Applegate (the pen name of the writing duo, Katherine Applegate and her husband Michael Grant) pulls no punches.

His name is Jake. Just Jake. He can’t tell you his last name, see, because they're everywhere. Who are 'they'? The Yeerks – alien slugs that crawl through your ear and take over your brain. It’s impossible to tell the difference between a free human and a person under Yeerk control. The Yeerks have already taken over numerous other planets, and now they’ve come to earth.

But hope is not lost! One night, Jake and his friends have a surprise meeting with a benevolent alien, Elfangor. He gives the five kids the power to morph into any animal they touch, just before the Yeerks kill him. Now Jake and his friends must find a way to save the world, without ever being able to tell anyone that they’re doing so.

Don’t be deceived – this pulpy series is one of the most harrowing war epics ever constructed, but told in a way young kids can understand. Jake and friends, naming themselves the Animorphs, fight the Yeerks at deep cost to their familial relationships, but they also form bonds stronger than family among each other. 

Applegate explores the hardships of war through her diverse rotating cast. Along the way, she gives kids a scientific exploration of animal minds. Any animal-loving, tree-hugging child will be sure to devour this series. 

Lois Lowry’s Newbery Medal–winning classic wins new hearts every year, and it only gets better with age. 

Twelve-year-old Jonas seems to live in the ideal world. There’s no hunger, no poverty, and no injuries in his community. All he has to worry about is his life assignment, coming up at the year-end ceremony, where he will be assigned the job he’ll hold for the rest of his life.

But when the community leader skips over his name, Jonas finds out he’s not in for an ordinary life anymore. Jonas is to be the new Receiver of Memories. His mentor, the Giver, transmits memories of when the world was different – when the world even had difference. Jonas learns about strange things like sunlight, color, sledding, and love.

In the process of receiving these new memories, Jonas understands that his seemingly-idyllic community harbors dark secrets. It’s up to him to make it right, and teach his community how to feel again.

Lowry’s understated story has enriched the minds and souls of young readers for generations. Adult readers can love this book too, as its suspenseful exploration of what makes a person whole resonates with each passing year.

Young Meg Murray, a thirteen-year-old girl, misses her father. He disappeared one day while conducting mysterious physics experiments. Then she meets an eccentric neighbor, Mrs. Whatsit, who refers to something called a tesseract — the concept Meg’s father was trying to understand when he disappeared.

Mrs. Whatsit, along with her strange friends Mrs. Who and Mrs. Which, are beings who travel on fifth-dimensional foldings of space — tesseracts. Meg brings her child-genius brother Charles Wallace and her friend Calvin to visit other planets in an effort to find her father. 

The children meet centaurs, stars, and psychics as they learn how to travel through space. They also discover that their world is covered in a darkness, one that religious figures, philosophers, scientists, and artists all fight. In order to save Meg’s father, they must travel to the darkness’ heart, and hope that theirs aren’t taken over in the process. 

A Wrinkle in Time, published in 1962, was often rejected because of its female protagonist. However, it went on to win the 1963 Newbery Medal, the Sequoyah Book Award, the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award, and was the runner-up for the Hans Christian Andersen Award. And it kicked off a quintet of stirring science adventures for its characters!

Vonda N. McIntyre's Barbary takes the old saying that "curiosity killed the cat" to a whole new level. The story follows the titular Barbary, a 12-year-old girl who has dreamed of going to space for most of her life. When she finally gets her chance, however, she can't help but bring along her best friend: a tabby cat named Mickey. 

Mickey's mischievous nature gets them both into trouble when they reach Einstein, the distant research station. More to the point, the cat is distracting from the real risk, which is that alien ship that keeps coming closer all the time ...

This classic science-fantasy book has captivated readers of all ages since the 70s. It went on to win a Nebwery Medal, and be adapted into a cult hit animated movie.

The book follows Mrs. Frisby, a widowed mouse with a sick son and a house that's scheduled to be destroyed by the farmer's plow. When she learns that the rats who live in the farmer's rosebush may be able to help, Mrs. Frisby meets a group of highly-intelligent rodents who've escaped from a research lab. 

Their highly-advanced society offers Mrs. Frisby hope, but also conceals dark secrets. 

Another Newbery Medal winner, When You Reach Me is an emotional time travel tale that will captivate young readers.

Six-year-old Miranda doesn't know what to do now that she and her best friend aren't talking. Things get even more confusing when someone starts sending Miranda anonymous notes telling her she needs to write a secret letter about her own life. 

Even stranger, this note-writer seems to have a talent for predicting the future—and what they predict for Miranda will change everything. 

Min feels stuck on the planet of Jinju. After all, she's a fox spirit — she should be having adventures and shape-shifting, not hiding out in a boring desert. 

Min's brother, Jun, has plenty of adventures in the Space Forces. And when he goes AWOL, Min knows she has to follow in his footsteps to find him. 

From the moment Troy Horan began work at Kyger’s pet store on Korwar, strange things started to happen. 

The animals telepathically warn him that he's in danger, but it's too late — Troy is already enmeshed in a perilous adventure. Soon, he goes from being just another kid from the “Dipple,” a poor part of a human colony on Korwar, to the master and captive of an extraordinary band of warriors. 

Catseye is the first of Andre Norton’s Dipple tetralogy. It features a young protagonist, and will be enjoyed by young readers, but also appeals to adults. 

With breakneck pacing and a plot full of wild twists and turns, this classic read will be sure to intrigue.