9 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.