Sci-Fi for YA

Cool list here from David Brin of SF for Young Adults.

Of course, “YA” is a broad arena. Where does it start?  Where does it end?  Given that I still read some of these, as an adult — but started reading them in my teens … where is the boundary?

Also of course, from a “YA” perspective, I’m thinking of what to pass on to my daughter that she might enjoy (as a voracious reader at age 11).

Of what he lists, the following are are the ones I can recommend (from my own experience and memory):

• Adams, Douglass: The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy – Silly, non-sequitur fun.
• Anderson, Poul: The High Crusade – Not my favorite Anderson book, though Brin admits that any of Anderson’s books would potentially work. I’m a big fan of Operation: Chaos, myself.
• Anthony, Piers: A Spell for Chameleon – I hit Xanth in college, and loved it for about three books before I got bored, bored, bored.
• Asimov, Isaac: The Caves of Steel – I still read this book. It remains one of my favorites.
• Asimov, Isaac: Foundation Trilogy – I recently re-read this.  I’d target it for kids who have started reading in depth about civilizations in Social Studies, so  that they get the parallels to Rome.
• Asimov, Isaac: I, Robot – Some of these tales are technologically very dated, but there are still some elements that might appeal.
• Bradbury, Ray: The Martian Chronicles – These stories are so poetical (like so much of Bradbury), they overcome their being scientifically dated.
• Christopher, John: Tripods Trilogy – This is a great series for younger YAs, I’d think, particularly boys. Loved these as a kid.
• Clarke, Arthur C.: Childhood’s End – This strikes me as a fairly adult book, or at least with fairly adult themes. There are a variety of other Clarke tales, including some great short story collections, and his Rama books.
• Gaiman, Neil: The Graveyard Book – Yes!
• Harrison, Harry: The Stainless Steel Rat – I loved this series, though it eventually (several books in) wore thin. The first book?  Yeah.
• Heinlein, Robert: Tunnel in the Sky – This book drove my nuts as a YA for how unfairly awful its ending felt.  But still good stuff.
• Heinlein, Robert: The Door into Summer – Creaks a bit around the seams, but a good plot.
• Heinlein, Robert: Have Space Suit, Will Travel, Farmer in the Sky, The Star Beast, Red Planet, Podkayne of Mars – I really don’t know how Heinlein’s juveniles will play for YAs, as dated as some of the early ones feel.  I’d rather recommend, say, Methuselah’s Children or Revolt in 2100.
• Herbert, Frank: Dune – I barely made it through this in college. I’ve never quite grokked the appeal.
• Huxley, Aldous: Brave New World – Don’t worry — they’ll hit this in some class sooner or later.  I didn’t care for it as much as Orwell’s 1984 (which is also a perennial in English classes).
• Le Guin, Ursula: The Earthsea Trilogy – I never cared for this series as much as some.
• Le Guin, Ursula: The Lathe of Heaven – This is for fairly mature YAs.
• McCaffrey, Ann: The Ship who Sang – Yeah, good series.
• McCaffrey, Ann: Dragonsong – I would not recommend the Harper Hall Trilogy first off.  Except, maybe, for the Y end of YA.  Go for the full first trilogy first (or, rather 1-2 of that, then the HH Trilogy, then 3 … that’s the order intended).
• Niven, Larry: Ringworld – Fairly sophisticated for YA.  If this book works, pretty much all of Niven’s Known Space tales would.
• Norton, Andre: The Stars are Ours – Brin notes that anything by Norton would work for YA.  I very, very, heartily agree.
• Piper, H. Beam: Little Fuzzy – This didn’t grab me as much as it did some at that age, but it’s pretty good stuff.
• Scalzi, John: Zoe’s Tale – Came to this as an adult, obviously, but it would clearly work for many YA readers.
• Stewart, George: Earth Abides – This is serious shit. Really. And, ultimately, I found it very depressing. It remains for me the archetypical “post-Apocalypse” book.
• Tolkein, J.R.R.: The Hobbit – The language here is going to be tough for some, but worth it.
• Tolkien, J.R.R.:  Lord of the Rings – I and my friends hit this in High School. Minds. Blown.
• Weber, David: Mission of Honor – Okay, guilty pleasure time here: I’m a huge fan of Weber’s Honor Harrington space opera. And, yeah, it would work for moderately mature YA.
• Wells, H. G.: The Time Machine – I’d only recommend it for its iconic tale. Ditto War of the Worlds. Better off with the George Pal movies.
• Zelazny, Roger: Lord of Light – Fairly sophisticated YA, if you ask me.  But good stuff.
• Zelazny, Roger: The “Amber” series – Again, the is later High School / College stuff, but highly recommended.