SciFi for Kids aged 7-12?

Hi there in the LT-Universe,

as I've been quite unsuccessful finding proper Science-Fiction novels for kids aged 7-12, I would appreciate your recommendations:

Which SF do your children read?

Thanks al lot!
Flo

I recently got two nieces hooked on an old Dutch sci fi book series, called Euro 5. With great succes it seems. Unfortunately those don't get reprinted anymore.

I wouldn't underestimate kids at those ages though, having noticed how the kids of friends are not exactly shy from Asimov, even Heinlein.

I guess the crunch question is what do you define as "proper".

Please don't think I'm trying to put anything on a knifes edge here, it simply rings a bell with a discussion we recently had with an American couple visiting which culminated in a rather emberassing conflict case along the lines of "tabula rase versus predetermination with a dose of authority syndrome (sans concept of taking actual responsability) without argument beats all plus a little snif of xyz is bad because this or that representative of some deity says so. Around here, we tend to put more faith in communication and clarification, giving kids a learning chance at life and perspectives, something which tends to conflict with views more along the lines of restricting viewpoints or experiences. So "proper" is more a case of "what you do together with your kids reading together".

I've seen 5 year olds reading Heinlein's Starship Troopers with their grandfather, followed by many a night discussion between those on the book and things they saw on TV and heard adults talk about from newspapers. They had a fun read, good exchanges, and learn to seperate fiction from reality while catching a glimpse of how each can affect the other.

A tag search for "juvenile science fiction" seems fruitful. It offers Tom Swift titles, K. A. Applegate and Madeleine L'Engle just on the first page.

A Wrinkle in Time is a great place to start.

I think the OP means "proper science fiction", not "proper for kids". Not fantasy, or science fantasy, in other words.

John Christopher's Tripods trilogy, or The lotus caves would be good for 10-12 year olds, especially boys.

> 4

That's the way I understood it. But even that line is hard to draw. Do McCaffrey's Harper Hall books (Dragonsong etc.) make it? How about the Mushroom Planet stories? I could see arguments in either case.

Well, when I was about 11 or so, I started reading Edgar Rice Burroughs YEAH, naked breasts and all on Mars!

Yes it was "crap" but I was also reading worst crap in "Biggles" and Enid Blyton . Within a year, I was though reading the "Professor Challenger"
series as well as Dickens and Asimov. Oh, and Ivanhoe

IMO, There is No such thing as "proper" SF.

Get Vaccinated against "Crap" early and often.

Just READ, READ, READ... Kids are resilient :-)

Guido.

I object against using the words "Biggles" and "crap" in the same sentence! That's my childhood sentiment :)

What about all the Heinlein juveniles--Star Beast, The Rolling Stones, Podkayne of Mars, and others whose names I've forgotten--good for the age 12 end of the spectrum.

Asimov edited an anthology called Tomorrow's Children which is hard to find these days, but was all SF stories with child protagonists--I adored it as a kid and constantly re-borrowed it from the library.

Dear #8 (macmeijers) et. al.

I once touched on this same topic, ie. rereading ones childhood loves as an adult, on another thread, in another group.

I was totally in love with Biggles, Enid Blyton and
Dr. Doolittle (Hugh Lofting) as a child.

Several years/tears ago I tried to re-read those "favourites/loves".

After 3 or so pages of "Johns & Blyton" I carefully closed the books and decided NOT to pollute my Happy childhood
memories of those books/works with my Adult interpretations. Let me remember that 'Golden Glow" of childhood.

Lofting can still be read by an adult though!
Of that I am happy.

Guido.

Consider Danny Dunn and the Anti-gravity Paint and others in that series.

A few more recently published possibilities are Circus Galacticus by Deva Fagan and Galaxy Games by Greg Fishbone.

My first reaction was the Heinlein juveniles, and then Andre Norton. It's staggering that I'm not able to recommend anything other than the things I was reading over 40 years ago.

It depends on the reading level as well as age (7 can be barely past picture books -- 12 almost young adult).

In the lower part of the range, the younger Heinleins & Nortons mentioned -- plus maybe, & relatively more recent:
Interstellar Pig by William Sleator and other books of his
Fat Men From Space by Daniel Pinkwater and other titles
The Giver by Lois Lowry

In the upper part, still Heinleins & Nortons
maybe Enchantress from the Stars by Sylvia Engdahl
plus if the kids are good readers, lots of young adult and even adult SF, esp. if it has a young protagonist -- for instance, Needle by Hal Clement. Of course you'd have to monitor the titles and/or authors if you're esp. concerned about any type of content (too violent, too sexual, too dark, too ideological, etc), even more so with more current authors.

When I think back, I started reading adult fantasy -- age eleven -- before I started adult SF; but the adult SF followed soon after.

A lot of good suggestions above.

I would add The Forgotten Door by Alexander Key

Monica Hughes' Invitation to the game and the Isis books are excellent and good for girls 10+

I second the Sylvia Engdahl recommendation; Heritage of the star is another good one by her.

H. M. Hoover has written a lot of good SF novels that could be read by children of 10 + ; I recommend The rains of Eridan and This time of darkness.

Louise Lawrence - Moonwind and The warriors of Taan - especially for girls of 12 +

Nicholas Fisk - Grinny and A rag a bone and a hank of hair - 10+ esp boys.

Many, many years ago when I was 7 or 8 I purchased a book by Poul Anderson from Scholastic Books. At the time students could purchase books from flyers that the school handed out. The books were inexpensive and age appropriate and I still have two of the books I purchased from that program. Not that one though.

Since 50 years have passed and you are in the EU I have no idea if there is a similar program available to you or if there is a publisher that still focuses on primary school age readers. If no there should be. I was an Anderson fan for the next 20 years and I am still a reader. Cultivating young readers is a good investment for the publishing industry.

Since one of the title links is wrong in 16 above, I'm TSing it here.

A Rag A Bone and a Hank of Hair by Nicholas Fisk.

>18 2wonderY:: Thank you! I was posting in a rush and didn't have time to check the link.

Thank you all a lot for your recommendations!

Though I learned that I probably have to wait a few years still until I'll give SF-books to my kids, I've been very much inspired here and I'm looking forward reading all those books (by myself ;-) ).

"Proper" meant in this case "enjoyable" for Kids aged 7-12 Years, but that indeed seems difficult - I need the german translations for my kids and those are apparently nonexistent.

It's absurd a little - my son (8 years) knows almost everything about the universe out of his non-fiction books...

Flo

I gather Tobias Buckell was not expecting the popularity of Sly Mongoose with School Librarians,
But with its wide assortment of races and viewpoints a young teen protagonist with very real world problems, and a kickass black hero, not to mention strandbeeste Airships and pirates and Zombies, he should have.

It should provide action and new ideas to anyone moving up into the YA section.

Quarter Share by Nathan Lowell (Science Fiction) 3 Stars; (I would say for the 12 years + age group)

A young boy (17 years old) is left alone in the universe when his mother is killed in a transport accident. He has to make some hard adult choices about his life. He ends up joining the space Merchant fleet and meets and takes advice from the right people. A fun feel good read. This is the first in the series covering his career from lowly mess cook to owner.

I'm one of the younger users of this website, so here's what I read and have noticed others reading...

Ender's Game
Artemis Fowl (This is partly science fiction, partly fantasy. The author has some others that are more science fiction such as The Supernaturalist)
Science Fair
Found, Double Identity, Turnabout and anything else by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Lionboy
The True Meaning of Smekday
Only You can Save Mankind
First Light
Cryptid Hunters
The Angel Experiment (It is probably most suited for those in middle school or above)

These books would all work for children 7 to 12. I really didn't start reading books written for adults until I was in middle school. I understand challenging children, but I at least found some of the classic authors boring when I was young. Don't give up on science fiction! Talk to the young adult group, they'll know more!

Edit- I didn't realize about the German translation issue. If you're willing to do fantasy, there's Cornelia Funke, but I don't know anything about which YA or children's science fiction books are available in German.

Ellen Macgregor's Miss Pickerell series (if you can find it) would be good; the Mushroom Planet series was also intended for roughly that age group.

When I was that age I loved Madeleine L'Engle's Time Trilogy (well, at the time it was a trilogy.) There's a bit of religion in it, but I don't think I paid much attention to it.

As I reached the upper part of that age range, I really liked Alan Dean Foster.

I second Ender's Game. You could also try James Patterson's Daniel X series.

I hated the the Daniel X series, but would highly recommend the first three books of the Maximumride series.

15> Oh my god, I loved The Forgotten Door, but I didn't know anyone else who'd read it growing up!

I'll also second A Wrinkle in Time and The Giver as being fantastic sci fi novels for that age group, and put in my two cents for I, Robot by Isaac Asimov (I very painstakingly wrote a play based on "Robbie" when I was 8), the Young Wizards series (fantasy with sci fi elements), and The Ear, The Eye, and the Arm by Nancy Farmer.