The local high school is considering redoing their selections for their 9th grade Sci Fi unit and I’m privileged enough to be able to provide suggestions. Currently they have a choice of Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card, The Adoration of Jenna Fox by Mary E Pearson, Scythe by Neil Shusterman, and Unwound also by Shusterman.

It doesn’t have to be explicitly YA, but definitely YA accessible, and preferably something that will keep a 9th grader interested and isn’t just a fluffy book but challenges thinking/perceptions like good Sci Fi can. My goal is something near 300-ish pages but if it’s a faster read more is ok.

TiA

  • SirDankbud@lemmy.ca
    2·
    8 days ago

    I’d recommend Childhood’s End by Arthur C Clarke. I first read it at that age and its been my favourite sci fi short read ever since.

  • JaymesRS@literature.cafeOPMEnglish
    1·
    8 days ago

    Since there are a good number of great novellas out right now, I also considered 2-3 novellas can equal one novel depending on length.

    Books I considered:

    • Murderbot 1&2 by Becky Chambers
    • Binti 1-3 by Nnedi Okorafor
    • Long Way to a Small Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
    • Kindred by Octavia Butler
    • Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler
    • Left hand of Darkness by Ursula K Le Guin
  • FoxyFerengi@lemm.ee
    1·
    8 days ago

    Anne McCaffrey was a favorite author of mine when I was a young teen. Some of her stuff is fantasy meets sci-fi, like the Dragon Riders of Pern series. The Crystal Singer was the only book I read of the crystal series, but it’s definitely young adult sci-fi. I’m dating myself, but I read it when Eiffel65 had released Europop, and I can’t help but think of that book whenever I hear one of those songs lol.

    In Conquest Born by C. S. Friedman is my favorite book from my older teen years, it’s very political but also has complex descriptions of the technology in universe. She’s also won awards for her Coldfire trilogy, which I enjoyed but is definitely fantasy and not sci-fi

  • mfdoom@lemmy.world
    1·
    8 days ago

    The Martian, or Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir.

    Sanderson has some good scifi, including a YA series starting with Skyward.

    Most of the original Robot books from Asimov. 2001 series from Clarke.