Sci-fi for an 11 year old

[PepeLePew]

I got such good recommendations from this board when I asked for funny books for dd that I am going to try again - 11 year old has just discovered sci-fi and his grandfather wants some recommendations for things to buy for him (he does a “new book a month” for his grandchildren which is rather sweet).

He loved Ready Player One and I, Robot and was scared half to death by the first book in The Tripods. He’s a very competent reader so adult books are fine from a language point of view (and I’d like to encourage him to push himself a bit) but he’s nervous and also quite innocent.

Series are obviously good as it helps my dad but also very open to one offs. I know dystopian fiction is huge in the YA sphere and we will give that a go but DS feels strongly that books like that aren’t sci-fi. I think it probably needs robots, space ships or damn good tech to qualify!

[cdtaylornats]

If he really wants hard, fun sci-fi E. E. Doc Smith has several series

The Lensmen series - super science, evil monsters, galactic cops
D'Alembert series - intergalactic spies under the cover of a touring circus.

Larry Niven is good too in the known space books. Planets such as Wemadeit, Wunderland and Jinx. The Ringworld books are in the known space universe.

[InfiniteCurve]

Andre Norton wrote fantasy as well as sci fi,but her sci fi books definitely fit the space ships etc brief and are free from sex ...
Beast Master and Catseye are still on my favourites list.And Star Rangers
And agree with Heinlein - Have Spaceship,Will Travel and Space Family Stone would be my choice.
What about David Brin - thinking of Startide Rising which is dolphins in space,sort of.

[cdtaylornats]

The Bartimaeus trilogy by Jonathon Stroud about a boy wizard and his (sarcastic) djinn.

Lockwood & Co. by Jonathon Stroud - ghost hunters

Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Coifer - teen genius and technologically advanced other races.

Virals series by Kathy Reichs

Pretty well anything by Asimov, A.E. van Vogt, Poul Anderson or James Blish.

[CaptainHarville]

I remember enjoying Nicholas Fisk books at that age particularly trillions and Grinny although I see he wrote many more books than I realised. Might be worth a look.

[TabbyM]

Glad to see all the Thrawn appreciation! If he likes the trilogy there is a new one out "Thrawn" which fits with the new timeline.

[EllenJanethickerknickers]

I think I've read every book mentioned! How about some Andre Norton books. They were in the young adults/teenager section of my library way back then.

[PepeLePew]

This is so helpful! Grandpa has ordered the Thrawn trilogy as a post-exams treat and is going to investigate the Heinlein. I found a copy of Earthsea in the study so DS is currently engrossed in that rather than revising chemistry!

[YesThisIsMe]

Any Heineken book under 300 pages is probably OK for preteens. Any Heinlein book over 300 is not.

[PetraDelphiki]

Just reread number of the beast (father daughter incest), job (sex with 12 year old), Friday (rape), time enough for love has mother/son incest...plus there’s a very heavy subtext that women should want to have sex all the time...

None of it is particularly descriptive but he does have odd attitudes about usual sexual boundaries!

[MissConductUS]

It's lovely to see I'm not the only Heinlein fan here.

And the only book I can recall of his that's even slightly racy is Time Enough for Love., which is a fabulous longer novel.

Stranger in a Strange Land is another classic and great for a younger reader.

[Sadik]

The Insignia trilogy by SJ Kincaid might appeal - it's YA but I think fine for an 11 y/o (pretty sure dd was around that age when she read it) - computer gaming teens recruited for virtual-reality space wars.

[LadyMonicaBaddingham]

Came on to say the Hitchhikers series as well, my 11 year old is OBSESSED.

[YesThisIsMe]

I’d second The Martian, Hitchhiker. Also Starship Troopers (Heinlein), Who Goes Here by Bob Shaw (lesser known but was a huge hit with DS), The War Of the Worlds, and any Doctor Who spin off novel whose plot synopsis takes his fancy (they’re normally age appropriate in content, most libraries have a pile of them and you can pick up bundles on the cheap from The Book People). There are also a bunch of Star Wars spin off novelisations if that’s his thing.

From the Tween shelves (less grim than YA but still a chewy read) I’d suggest Itch by Simon Mayo, the Artemis Fowl books and the Infinity Drake series. No spaceships but definitely a SF slant (Artemis Fowl has magic but it’s science fiction flavoured magic) and not dystopian.

[RueDeWakening]

DD is also 11, she reads a fair amount of fantasy/SF. I'd recommend David Eddings Belgariad and Mallorean series, Anne McCaffrey (and other authors - S M Stirling and Jody Lynn Nye both wrote at least one in the same universe on their own) Ships series inc The City Who Fought, plus some of her Pern books, Orson Scott Card stuff, Terry Pratchett especially only you can save mankind, Johnny and the bomb etc, and the Garth Nix keys to the kingdom series.

[MrsDilber]

Robert A Heinlin - Have Spacesuit, will Travel and Starbeast. Suggestions from DH.

[vinegarqueen]

Terry Pratchett "Only you can save mankind"

maybe a little retro but still very funny

[MillyTheKid]

Not sure if it would be called sci fi or fantasy but my 11 year old is into the Skulduggery Pleasant books. I sometimes read them to him and there's a bit of fighting etc but nothing too over the top.

[cloudtree]

I made DS1 wait until 13 to properly appreciate Hitchhikers.

[BossWitch]

Throw in hitchhikers guide to the galaxy as well, still proper sci fi (aliens, space ships etc) but very very funny as well. Good summer reading.

[tharsheblows]

Mine loved the Binti series (space ships and aliens) a few years ago, I think he was maybe 14 when he read it, there's a bit of violence at the beginning: www.goodreads.com/book/show/25667918-binti and Murderbot isn't YA specific but it's great and funny (damn good tech, robots) but again some violence: www.goodreads.com/book/show/32758901-all-systems-red

[Pemba]

As a kid, the first sci-fi book I read was Madeleine L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time , which I absolutely loved, and that got me into sci-fi for life (well, that and the original Star Trek series). It has space travel and a bit of physics, but not really any space hardware. They don't use a space ship to travel. It is such a good story though.
There are now sequels as well, which i think weren't actually written when I was a child (I am old!), so I was unaware of them and only discovered them recently.

[cloudtree]

would time travel count as sufficiently sci-fi? DS2 is also enjoying the time riders series

[Kleptronic]

Ursula K. Le Guin's Earthsea series is epically amazing and brilliant.

[FissionChips]

The Dr Who books are quite enjoyable.

[PetraDelphiki]

If he’d consider fantasy too try the belgariad (david eddings). In the Enders game universe look at the Enders shadow series - the Enders game sequels are a bit hard for an 11 yo