I have a bright, non-fiction loving tween who just had a reading breakthrough in the past few months; this kid LOVED and marathoned Andy Weir’s three sci-fi books.
The tween loves astronomy and space and had previously liked Percy Jackson and Harry Potter, but ultimately didn’t finish those fantasy series. But when we gave this kid The Martian, it was their first unputdownable book.
This kiddo is now in a reading slump wishing to find a sci-fi book that has elements of science/math and a compelling plot.
*My husband wanted to give the kiddo The Expanse series and I think it’s too mature. I was thinking Ender’s Game but I fear it’s not going have enough science/math sprinkled in.
Suggestions?
by AntiAntiRomantic
11 Comments
bobiverse maybe? fun, sci-fi, and from my recollection very clean and suitable for a 12-year-old!
When I was a kid I enjoyed DJ MacHale’s Pendragon series. It’s similar style to Percy Jackson and Harry Potter (the main character starts his adventure as a tween and then by the final book he’s a young adult) and it is fantasy and science-fiction. There’s space travel, but it’s magic/fantasy space travel, not realistic sci-fi.
I think Ender’s Game is a good shout actually. It doesn’t have as much explicit maths/science as The Martian et al (almost nothing does, is the thing) but I’d think the structure and Ender’s logical approach to problem-solving should maybe scratch the same itch – or be similar enough to open them up to reading slightly different sci fi, anyway
Would Kim Robinson books work? She’s on my list but I haven’t gotten to reading them yet so I don’t know about appropriatness level for a 12 year old. Maybe someone else can weigh in on that! Red Mars is the first one in the trilogy and I know she is considered a “hard sci Fi” writer, where the writing is more focused on the science, tech, engineering aspects of space than it is on character interactions and happy adventure time and whatever.
Maybe Connie Willis’ Doomsday Book?
Definitely a good candidate for Jurassic Park! My 7 and 9 year olds loved The Martian and dad is reading JP with them right now.
Last night in the car: 9: “Who do you think is worse? InGen or BioSyn?” 7: “Which one did Dodgson work for? That one is worse.”
Ben Archer and the Cosmic Fall by Rae Knightly. A 12 year old boy sees a UFO crash, finds a dying alien who gives him a power, and the government is trying to track him down.
Endgame by James Frey. There was even a contest with the series for readers to solve puzzles and win money.
Warcross by Marie Lu. Not space but it’s gaming and VR.
Rush by Eve Silver. Gamers are chosen to fight aliens but if you die in the game, you die in life.
Aurora Rising by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff[](https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=b42e03ff43b61ad3&rlz=1C1GCEA_enUS958US958&q=aurora+rising&si=AMgyJEsS9yFPUNnJcpkaSNMRXqlE6dOKwLxjgDOlqsCLtl7JTQkxJDNpUsN4ss5jj5EjbvvHExn54mt-nzkOKodqCFi6dIU_FPwPnNWG0hDc6nPFpvhI5jY%3D&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjT_Yn1hNaNAxVwrokEHZJhH9oQyNoBKAB6BAgtEAA&ictx=1)
I’d vote Contact by Carl Sagan, and I’ve enjoyed everything by Michael Crichton. Scratches a similar itch to Andy Weir. I’d start with the Andromeda Strain.
Enders game is solid. Legacy of the Aldenata and Troy Rising books by John Ringo, too.
The Illuminae Files! It’s so fun!