I like my Sci. Fi. a
little on the realistic side and The Green Book by Jill Paton Walsh fits the
bill nicely.
A tiny snippet
about The Green Book without any spoilers:
"We are at
Shine, on the first day," says Pattie, when, as the youngest member of the
group, she is given the honor of naming the new settlement. Refugees from the
dying planet Earth, they, along with other ships, have been sent into space in
the hope that some of them will survive to continue the human race. But the
success of Shine remains doubtful as crops fail and provisions brought from
Earth dwindle.
I like this book so
much that I’ve reread it a few times since discovering it about 12 years ago,
and even though it is a middle grade novel I’ve used it successfully with high
school students because the themes in it are for all ages. I’ll probably use it
with my fifth grade class later this year.
It is a cool
combination of survival and group dynamics, and what they find on their new
planet is just plain amazing. At a little over a 100 pages it is a quick read,
but the story will linger in your brain.
What’s your favorite
middle grade science fiction title?
I was so amazed by this book when I read it a couple years ago. I couldn't believe how much story was packed into so few pages. Creating a full sci-fi story for a very young audience can be tricky, but I thought Walsh did it perfectly.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Anna.
DeleteI really like this old book called The White Mountains, by John Christopher, but I'm not sure it's pure MG. I don't read as much MG Sci-Fi as I'd like to.
ReplyDeleteThanks Matt. When I have time I'd like to check out The White Mountains.
DeleteIt's part of a trilogy called The Tripods or something like that. It was written in the 60s, I think, but still resonates (at least for me).
DeleteI haven't seen this one, Paul, but it does sound ideal for just about every grade level. I'll be checking it out for sure. Thanks for bringing it to our attention. As for your question . . . hmmm, I'll have to think about that one. :)
ReplyDeleteMy favorite as a kid was The Forgotten Door by Alexander Key. I read it dozens of times, and now I give it to nieces and nephews whenever I find it.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Angelica. I've never read The Forgotten Door, but I love the title!!
DeleteI didn't read much sci fi when I was younger, but a sci fi book I read and loved was Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer. The MC is 16, so it's likely listed as a YA book, but the way the family worked together against the scenarios presented stuck with me long after the book ended. It's one of those books where I don't want to read the next two (it's book 1 of a trilogy) for fear they won't be as good. Silly, I know.
ReplyDeleteI also loved "Life as we Knew It." I read one of the companion books that is set in NYC and thought it was a good read as well.
DeleteDefinitely going to read this one. Thanks for featuring it, Paul.
ReplyDeleteI was a strange kid (some things don't change ;) ). I loved scifi, but immediately dove into adult novels like Dune. I recently read Ender's Game, which I think is MG but seemed a bit high for that to me.
ReplyDeleteI'll definitely be checking this out. Thanks for the tip!
I haven't read this one, though I liked A Wrinkle in Time as a kid. I also stunbled across CS Lewis's Out of the Silent Planet as a middle -grade reader, although I didn't know it was the first in a trilogy until I was an adult. I'm hoping that the buzz is right and scifi is going to be the new trend. :)
ReplyDeleteI was a big fantasy nerd, so SciFi MG books is hard for me to think of! I did, however, read Soylent Green which scared the tar out of me when I was a kid! I had nightmares for weeks!
ReplyDeleteI haven't heard of this one but it sounds great. It's hard to find mg sci fi. A good one is Shanghaied to the Moon by Michael Daley.
ReplyDeletethanks for recommending this one!
ReplyDelete