Any good YA science fiction (in space)?

[Smudge]

There is great fantasy and futuristic YA novels (Potter and Hunger Games to name a couple) but are there any other science fiction for YA that would be space based, aliens, etc?

 

[Timba]

Just finished Fire Season by David Weber, it is based in his Honor Harrington universe. There was another book before it but my gray matter will not spill out the title right now. Anyway, highly recommed both. Fun, fast paced entertaining reads.

 

[Vince W]

Early Heinlein would fall in this category. A couple of my favourites were Space Cadet and Starman Jones, not to mention Rocket Ship Galileo.

 

[Anne Lyle]

Not out for a few weeks yet, but I'm seeing good things about this one: Katya's World

When I was young I liked Andre Norton - most of her books would be classified as YA now, I suspect. Catseye was a favourite! Also Rite of Passage by Alexei Panshin, which was republished fairly recently.

Finally, not really YA but very suitable for teens, the Hospital Station stories by James A White - great for readers who are into xenobiology. Most of the stories are about a group of doctors working out how to cure unfamiliar alien species, a bit like a space version of House

 

[Parson]

"Have Spacesuit, Will Travel" by Robert Heinlein, would really fill the bill for space based and aliens.

"Catseye" is a real favorite of mine as well.

David Weber's Stephanie Harrington series is highly recommended as well. "A Beautiful Friendship" is excellent. Very interesting slant on alien race here. I am just beginning to read "Fire Season." So far so good, and respect Timba's take a lot.

 

[Vince W]

The Lucky Starr books by Isaac Asimov, written as Paul French. These would fit the bill.

 

[Stephen Palmer]

"Catseye" is a real favorite of mine as well.

Me too, that was a really good one. I still have my original Puffin copy, and re-read it recently. It remains pretty good.

 

[nightdreamer]

"Have Spacesuit, Will Travel" by Robert Heinlein, would really fill the bill for space based and aliens.

Let me second this. It's my favorite and most memorable novel of my own youth, and Peewee remains my favorite character in all of science fiction. I'm the proud owner of a copy of the original hardback edition.

 

[iansales]

There's also 172 Hours on the Moon, which got a good review on Pornokitsch this week.

 

[Mark Robson]

There is great fantasy and futuristic YA novels (Potter and Hunger Games to name a couple) but are there any other science fiction for YA that would be space based, aliens, etc?

Try Philip Reeve's 'Larklight'. It's a totally bizarre adventure in space - great steampunk set in the Victorian era but with space travel, space fish and giant talking spiders - lots of fun.

 

[JunkMonkey]

I just came to add Larklight too. Rollickingly good fun - though I am less keen on the second and third books in the series. I'm currently reading Larklight to my ten year old and she is loving it (and getting a lot of the SF reference jokes too - "Dammit, Captain I'm an Alchemist! Not an engineer!" )

 

[Moggle]

I think Ender's Game qualifies. I'm surprised no one mentioned this one. What about A Princess of Mars?

Not out for a few weeks yet, but I'm seeing good things about this one: Katya's World

When I was young I liked Andre Norton - most of her books would be classified as YA now, I suspect. Catseye was a favourite! Also Rite of Passage by Alexei Panshin, which was republished fairly recently.

Finally, not really YA but very suitable for teens, the Hospital Station stories by James A White - great for readers who are into xenobiology. Most of the stories are about a group of doctors working out how to cure unfamiliar alien species, a bit like a space version of House

I've been wanting to read Hospital Station for quite some time now. Forgot all about it.

 

[Robert C Adams]

Larklight sounds cool. There's another story I know about but I'm not sure if it's okay to mention it though.

 

[BetaWolf]

Margaret L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time qualifies, though it's closer to traveling between worlds by 'wrinkling' time than conventional spaceships and such.

 

[LastRemnant]

Hitchhikers guide to the Galaxy is a must read. MUST. READ

 

[LastRemnant]

Wrinkle in time is good, as posted above. ALso the Pendragon series could fall into that catigory!

 

[ed9428]

I think Ender's Game qualifies. I'm surprised no one mentioned this one.

I second this, big time.
I really enjoyed the first 3 books in the enders saga series. Enders game is also being made into a movie. I believe it is coming out soon. can't wait.

 

[psikeyhackr]

Rite of Passage by Alexei Panshin.

Citizen of the Galaxy by Robert Heinlein

Fire Season and Treecat Wars don't come close.

psik

 

[Timba]

Sharon Lee and Steve Miller's Liaden Universe is also good stuff.

 

[kythe]

My 13 year old recently read (and loved) Ender's Game. I wouldn't have otherwise thought of Ender's Game as YA because of some heavy content, but it seems popular at her school.

I loved the Tripod trilogy by John Christopher when I was that ago. It starts with the book "The White Mountains". It's about an alien race that came to Earth and conquered the world through mind controlling adults with "caps" they implant onto their heads when they are a certain size/age. A small group of teen boys escape capping and form a resistance against them.

ETA: the Tripod trilogy doesn't actually involve space travel though, although the aliens do some terraforming on Earth.