If you’re like me and my Geek Schooling family, you may just find yourselves reading Science fiction books. While our bookshelves tend to be filled with Fantasy titles, you can also find some Sci-Fi among them. If you’re looking for more Science Fiction to read or want to be reminded of some favourites, here are some of ours. (Please note that what is suitable in our home may not be deemed suitable for yours – use your own discretion and/or read the books yourself before offering to your children).
A Wrinkle in Time Series by Madeleine L’Engle
Meg, her brother, and her friend are whisked away to a far off planet to find her father. It’s a strange series, but with such an original plot and characters, it makes for fascinating reading. This series is suggested for ages 10 and up.
Star Wars Novels
You know about the movies, but did you know that there is an extensive series of books that expands the Star Wars universe? Read novels set anywhere from 5000 years before the movies are set to 40 years afterward. Yes, you can even read all about the children of Leia and Han and company, although they don’t match up to the new set of movies. Click on the link above to download The Star Wars Novels Timeline to see all the novels and in which period they are set. There are a number of free titles for Kindle and ePUB (Kobo/Nook), so be sure to do a search for your e-reader. Written by a number of different authors, these books are suggested for ages 12 and up.
The Little Fuzzy Series by H. Beam Piper
It’s a fair assumption that you haven’t heard of this particular author. His novels were out of print for some time and you could only find them by combing through the shelves of used book stores. Piper’s books have recently been reprinted and are now available as ebooks. You can read the first book, Little Fuzzy, free on Kindle. On a planet named Zarathustra, a prospector named Jack comes across cute little ewok-like creatures when the planet is supposed to be devoid of sentient life. Piper’s books are more novella-sized, and are easy and fun to read.
Novels by John Wyndham
John Wyndham is one of the great (often post-apocalyptic) authors of Science Fiction. Here are a couple of my favourite titles:
The Day of the Triffids
In the aftermath of a world stricken blind after an unprecedented meteor shower, a man named Bill Masen finds another lucky person like him, Josella, who has also retained her sight. If a world turned topsy turvy by mass blindness wasn’t enough, they must try to survive attacks by triffids – 7 foot tall plants that can kill. Suggested for ages 13+, it does include some mild swearing.
The Chrysalids
The Chrysalids is set in a post global nuclear war future. It follows a boy named David (10 years old when we first meet him), who, in a society where people who are different are are banished, begins to realize he has a power that makes him different. Probably best for ages 13 and up. This is one of the first Science Fiction books I read when I was 9 years old and I loved it, and it was also a book studied in high school when I was 15.
The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins
This series is on our to-read list in our homeschool because so many of our friends have read and loved the books. In a dystopian future, children aged 12-18 are put in a lottery yearly and the “winners” are forced to fight to the death in “The Hunger Games”.
The Books of Ember Series by Jeann DuPrau
This is another series on our to-read list. We enjoyed the movie “The City of Ember“ and are looking forward to reading this series of books. They follow two 12 year olds living in a crumbling city underground, built for when the world above was destroyed.
While many science fiction titles and series can deal with some heavy, sobering material, I find this can often lead to some great discussions with your children.
What are some of your favourite science fiction titles and series in your home? Please let me know in the comments below!
Love, Luck &
Laughter,
Kimberly
