Are you looking for the best science fiction books for middle schoolers? Also, you’ll love my pages How to Successfully Homeschool Middle School and Science Fiction for Middle School Fun Jurassic Park Quick Unit Study (DIY Insect in Amber) to round out your day.
Science fiction books encourage reading and are also great options for reading aloud.
Too, they are great for encouraging imagination and curiosity in the reader.
It also opens the door for discussions on the benefits and drawbacks of futuristic ideals of society, technology, and sciences.
Besides that, it is just fun sometimes to step away from reality and wonder what if in the form of an entertaining story.
What exactly is the difference between science fiction and fantasy?
Simply put, science fiction is based on reality. It has exaggerations and possibilities of what could be and is set in futuristic times.
Living in space, time travel, and dystopian societies are often the main plot and settings of Science Fiction
Fantasy is rooted in the impossible but fantastic possibilities.
And is often based on an equivalent time in past human history.
More Middle School Resources
- Free Middle School Science Curriculum and Magazines
- 11 Best Science Fiction Books For Middle Schoolers
- How to Choose the BEST Homeschool Middle and High School Language Arts Curriculum & Options
- 10 Best Science Movies for Middle School
- The Best Eighth Grade Homeschool Curriculum | Tips and Recommendations
If you have a middle schooler who loves fantasy or a reluctant reader who might be drawn into reading fantasy, I have a list with a variety of classic and newer science fiction books to choose from.
Besides January 1st is National Science Fiction Day.
So, I thought it was a great time to share my top 11 best science fiction books for middle schoolers.
Common Sense Media is a great place for you to check reviews and get a little more detail on the themes and language in books; choose for yourself what is appropriate and what is not for your family.
SCIENCE FICTION CRAFTS
Best Science Fiction Books For Middle Schoolers
11 Science Fiction Books for Middle School
Your kids will love reading one or two of these science fiction books or them to add to your unit study.
This newer addition to sci-fi is an absolute delight and is part of a series of 3 books following robot Roz as she navigates her accidental life on a wild remote island. We adored this first selection as a read-aloud.
So begins The War of the Worlds, the science fiction classic that first proposed the possibility of intelligent life on other planets and has enthralled readers for generations. This compelling tale describes the Martian invasion of earth. When huge, tireless creatures land in England, complete chaos erupts. Using their fiery heat rays and crushing strength, the aliens just may succeed in silencing all opposition. Is life on earth doomed? Will mankind survive? A timeless view of a universe turned upside down, The War of the Worlds is an ingenious and imaginative look into the possibilities of the future and the secrets yet to be revealed.
This is probably one of the best book versions of Star Wars ( in the opinion of a teen fan) but it is not based on familiar characters in the Star Wars universe rather it is a new storyline and new characters in familiar locations. This is a stand-alone story with no sequels as of now
It’s an ordinary Thursday morning for Arthur Dent . . . until his house gets demolished. The Earth follows shortly after to make way for a new hyperspace express route, and Arthur’s best friend has just announced that he’s an alien.After that, things get much, much worse.With just a towel, a small yellow fish, and a book, Arthur has to navigate through a very hostile universe in the company of a gang of unreliable aliens. Luckily the fish is quite good at languages. And the book is The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy . . . which helpfully has the words DON’T PANIC inscribed in large, friendly letters on its cover.Douglas Adams’s mega-selling pop-culture classic sends logic into orbit, plays havoc with both time and physics, offers up pithy commentary on such things as ballpoint pens, potted plants, and digital watches . . . and, most important, reveals the ultimate answer to life, the universe, and everything.
Embark on an extraordinary time-travel adventure with H.G. Wells. Explore fascinating future worlds and dystopian societies. Witness the implications of human evolution and societal decay. Engage with thought-provoking questions about the nature of humanity. Experience the brilliance of H.G. Wells’ visionary storytelling.
The city of Ember was built as a last refuge for the human race. After two hundred years the great lamps that lights the city are beginning to flicker, and two friends fight together to save the city in this first of 4 in the series. It is listed as recommended for grades 3-7 but it really is an enjoyable story for even older grades.
This part 1 of a 3-part series has stunning visual imagery and impossible situations like life on the red planet, when even that is threatened the few humans left must travel to yet another home on a distant star unlocking mysteries about time and space,
This is the first of Orson Scott Card's Cards Ender's Saga, to date there are 5 novels and one novella in the Ender series based on the government breeding child geniuses and training them as soldiers against alien attack.
Even if They have already seen the movies I highly recommend assigning your middle schooler this series. It gives a lot of material for discussions of moral choices, allegiance to your government at all costs, friendships, how a future like this could come to be, and more
Similar to Hunger Games this is the first in a 4 part series of a dystopian world where everyone is split up into 5 factions—Candor (the honest), Abnegation (the selfless), Dauntless (the brave), Amity (the peaceful), and Erudite (the intelligent) splitting families and friends and pitting them against one another.
If you have a teen who loves gaming and the 80s along with science fiction they are really going to enjoy this one that is set in 204 but filled with pop culture references from that totally awesome decade
Leave a Reply