Teen and young-adult science fiction is exploding in popularity, and there is a teen science fiction book for every reader. These young adult books are thrilling and sometimes a little scary, and, like many teen books, often have a little romance thrown in. Guys and girls will find much to love in this hot genre, and these three books are excellent examples to get new sci-fi fans started.
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (Scholastic, 2008)
The Hunger Games is set in the future of North America. Every year, one boy and one girl from each of the 12 districts, which are poorer areas surrounding a rich capitol city, are forced to fight to the death in a huge arena until only one contestant remains. These brutal “Hunger Games” are televised live. The story follows 16 year old Katniss Everdeen, an amazingly strong character who the reader falls in love with instantly. The Hunger Games is scary, fast-paced, and exciting with a little bit of romance thrown in, and it's definitely one of the best teen science fiction books out there.
The Giver by Lois Lowry (Bantam Books, 1993)
The Giver is one of the oldest science fiction books for young adults, and it's still one of the best. Like The Hunger Games, The Giver is set in a dystopian future. Jobs, children, even husbands or wives are assigned by the Council of Elders, and the society is pain-free, without poverty, fear, prejudice, or even nightmares. Nothing is as good as it seems, however, as Jonas finds out when he is assigned a job he didn't even know existed. Soon, Jonas begins to see his perfect world unravel, and he is forced to make a very difficult decision that changes the whole of his society.
The Giver is a Newbery award winner and is on the curriculum of many high schools, but that doesn't mean it's boring or text book. It's an amazing, emotional young adult book that readers will remember for the rest of their lives.
Little Brother by Cory Doctorow (Tor, 2008)
Also set in a dystopian society, the world of Little Brother is almost too close to ours for comfort. Marcus Yallow, or w1n5t0n, and three of his friends, are under constant surveillance at school and home. So, when they are truant in order to work on an online/real life puzzle game, also known as an ARG, they are caught, and because they have suspiciously encrypted phones, are arrested.
When Marcus is released, he finds his world has become even worse, having turned into a police state. He and his friends fight back, using technology (like cell phones and xboxes) and his own cunning.
Little Brother is excellent for older teens, as it includes some mature language and sexual content. This teen book is also fast-paced and thrilling, and readers will absolutely love watching Marcus stage a techno-revolution using both current technology and things that might just exist within the next ten years. Little Brother is also available as a free teen book from Cory Doctorow's website.
These are three of the best young adult science fiction books available, and they're great for both science fiction fans and young adults who are new to the genre. Be sure to check out this list of young adult science fiction books with strong female leads as well.
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