• more about #thegiver
    TheGreenRanger: ray bradbury did the halloween tree, loved that movie as a kid, sadly, never got a hold of the actual book. #youngadultsciencefiction more »
    seitzk002: This list is really heavy on the white, straight, male authors and heroes, and thus propounds a skewed world-view for any prospective sci-fi-loving YA... more »
    ulanej: There's more than Clarke/Heinlein/Bradbury/Asimov out there. I just started my son on reading the Tripod Trilogy and I'm a big fan of John Christopher... more »
    firstanointed: Brave New World is both fantastic and prophetic, but it has some fairly graphic content. 17+ at least. I recently read The Martian Chronicles after a... more »
    Migg: "House of the Scorpion" by Nancy Farmer. In a dystopian future, a nation between the US and Mexican borders is run by a drug lord who keeps clones of ... more »
    mselorin: I'm surprised to see only one mention of Heinlein, as I picked up the Rolling Stones in 4th grade and devoured voraciously from then on. My parents ke... more »
    disatess: I`ve watched so many teens try and read hitchiker`s guide and say " I don`t get it " . My child read "war of the worlds " was quite impressed by it... more »
    bookwench: I'd say... add in Lois McMaster Bujold's "The Warrior's Apprentice" for softer sci-fi with amazing humanitarian insights, Asimov's "Lucky Starr" s... more »
    Peppermint_m: I was started early on Verne by my father, I watched plenty of SF films with him too (10 years old and watching The Fifth Element and Twleve Monkeys? ... more »
    birdtongue: i'd also go with the Wrinkle in Time series. as for McCaffrey's stuff, she has plenty of series that are more overtly scifi than Dragonriders: Pegasus... more »
    Roklimber: Ahh.... I have very fond memories of reading the adventures of Miguel Ardan, Captain Nichols and Mr. Barbicane, in Vernes' "From the Earth to the Moon... more »
    Lassus: The thing about this list is that to me it's pretty fuzzy and across the board. Whereas you don't want to hand "Flow my Tears, the Policeman Said" o... more »
    franklinshepard: I went through a Daniel Pinkwater phase HARD when I was younger - I read Lizard Music and then devoured his other books. Dear io9, can you do an arti... more »
    MonkeyT: I would also introduce them to Asimov via the easily digested Caves of Steel before throwing them into the more conceptual Foundation series. Though ... more »
    Ydnam: Aren't the Pern books just as much scifi as the Pit Dragon books? Set on another planet, in the future, with dragons holds true for both, doesn't it? ... more »
    ArthurByronCover: A nit, because that's all it is. I mean, a list is a very personal thing, even if it does leave out A Princess of Mars. The Dragonriders of Pern is m... more »
    MonkeyT: I would include Little Fuzzy and Fuzzy Sapiens, a gentle introduction to treating alien cultures as more than foils for invasion stories. #youngadul... more »
    Gallagher1454: A lot of classic sci-fi novels are like sci-fi tv and movies.. they didn't age all that well. Classic they may be, but I don't that Wells or Verne li... more »
    Sunshineyness: This is a good starter list. I'd also add "The Girl With the Silver Eyes" on to that list. It's a fine title that falls into the "girls with psychic p... more »
    Ricky Cruz: I would include "Flowers for Algernon" for High School students because it would help open frank discussions about abuse and people with disabilities.... more »
  • #booklist

    Where To Start With Young Adult Science Fiction

    Where's the best place to start your kids with reading Science Fiction? Here's a booklist of some of the best Sci-Fi for the discerning young adult, because it's never too early to teach them about the dangers of dystopian societies. More »
  • #falseutopias

    Paradise Is A Lie: A History Of False Utopias

    If you're living in a shiny happy world where everything is provided to you, and your white pajamas never ever get stained, then chances are you're in a false utopia. Someone's going to be coming and harvesting your organs, or culling you at age 30, or drugging you into obedience. The fake paradise built on a foundation of shit seems to flourish most during times when technology seems to be solving all our problems (like during the dotcom boom.) Click through for a list of false utopias. More »