100 Recommended Science Fiction and Fantasy Books for Junior High Students
My list of 300 Recommended Books for Junior High Students may have been erroneously removed from Scribd (see my article about this here, and the ars technica article here), but it’s not forgotten. Today I’m reproducing the science fiction and fantasy portions of the list for those of you who are interested. What’s more, I’ve added to the list. The original list had about 80 sci-fi/fantasy titles, but today I’ve expanded the list to an even one hundred.
I could have called this 300 Recommended Science Fiction and Fantasy Books if I would have listed every book in a series, but I limited myself to the first book, or the series name if the books have been published in an omnibus edition.
Like any list, this one is subjective and biased. Still, I think you’ll find it a good introduction to some great books in the genre. The obligatory books are there, as well as some forgotten gems. I tried not to put anything on the list that I had not personally read or at least heard a great deal about. I also tried to keep junior high and high school students in mind.
In a nutshell: it’s my list, so there!
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50 Science Fiction Titles
- The Annotated Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions by Edwin Abbott
- The Ultimate Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
- The Plague Dogs: A Novel by Richard Adams
- Foundation by Isaac Asimov
- I, Robot by Isaac Asimov
- Caves of Steel by Isaac Asimov
- Eon by Greg Bear
- The Demolished Man byAlfred Bester
- A Case of Conscience by Jame Blish
- Planet of the Apes by Pierre Boulle
- The Exiles Trilogy by Ben Bova
- Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
- The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury
- Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
- 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke
- Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke
- The Forever Machine by Mark Clifton
- Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton
- The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton
- Dorsai by Gordon Dickson
- The Annotated Lost World by Arthur Conan Doyle
- Time and Again by Jack Finney
- Alas, Babylon byPat Frank
- The Stainless Steel Rat by Harry Harrison
- Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein
- Red Planet by Robert Heinlein
- Dune by Frank Herbert
- Battlefield Earth by L. Ron Hubbard
- Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
- Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis
- A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter Miller, Jr.
- The Mote in God’s Eye by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle
- Footfall by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle
- Z for Zachariah by Robert C. O’Brien
- 1984 by George Orwell
- The Anubis Gates by Tim Powers
- Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson
- Berserkers: The Beginning by Fred Saberhagen
- Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
- On the Beach by Neville Shute
- City by Clifford Simak
- Guns of the South by Harry Turtledove
- In the Balance: An Alternate History of the Second World War by Harry Turtledove
- Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne
- Journey to the Centre of the Earth by Jules Verne
- The Time Machine by H.G. Wells
- The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells
- The Island of Dr. Moreau by H.G. Wells
- Doomsday Book by Connie Willis
- The Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe
50 Great Fantasy Titles
- Watership Down by Richard Adams
- Three Hearts and Three Lions by Poul Anderson
- The Broken Sword by Poul Anderson
- The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle
- The Face in the Frost by John Bellairs
- All the Bells on Earth by James Blaylock
- Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury
- Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
- The Sword of Shannara Trilogy by Terry Brooks
- Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll
- Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell: A Novel by Susanna Clarke
- The Dark Is Rising Sequence by Susan Cooper
- The First Chronicles Of Thomas Covenant The Unbeliever by Stephen Donaldson
- The King of Elfland’s Daughter by Lord Dunsany
- The Belgariad by David Eddings
- The Worm Ouroboros by E.R. Eddison
- Magician: Apprentice by Raymond Feist
- Sophie’s World: A Novel about the History of Philosophy by Jostein Gaarder
- Lord Darcy by Randall Garrett
- The Princess Bride by William Goldman
- She, King Solomon’s Mines, and Allan Quatermain by H. Rider Haggard
- Bridge of Birds: A Novel of an Ancient China That Never Was by Barry Hughart
- Redwall by Brian Jacques
- The Wheel of Time Series by Robert Jordan
- The Summer Tree (The Fionavar Tapestry, Book 1) by Guy Gavriel Kay
- Deryni Rising by Katherine Kurtz
- A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula LeGuin
- Lankhmar: Tales of Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser by Fritz Leiber
- The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
- Lilith by George MacDonald
- Dragonsong by Anne McCaffrey
- The Iron Tower Trilogy by Dennis McKiernan
- The Forgotten Beasts of Eld by Patricia McKillip
- Riddle-Master Trilogy by Patricia McKillip
- Elric of Melnibone by Michael Moorcock
- Silverlock by John Myers Myers
- His Majesty’s Dragon (Temeraire, Book 1) by Naomi Novik
- The Gormenghast Novels by Mervyn Peake
- The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett
- Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling
- Empire of the East by Fred Saberhagen
- The First Swords by Fred Saberhagen
- The Crystal Cave by Mary Stewart
- The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
- Lyonesse by Jack Vance
- Tales of the Dying Earth by JackVance
- The Book of the Dun Cow by Walter Wangerin, Jr.
- The Once and Future King by T.H. White
- War in Heaven by Charles Williams
- The Dragonbone Chair by Tad Williams
Thanks for posting this list; I was just about to embark on a hunt for your list of 300 titles (if only to figure out what I’d read and what I hadn’t).
I was an avid reader as a child, since I went from age two when I learned to read independantly to age thirteen without a television to turn to for entertainment. I remember plunging into many of the books on this list with great enthusiasm. Grade Seven for me included a course on post-apocalyptic literature, which expanded my horizons even more.
Your list makes me want to take some time off and go back and re-read the books of my childhood. 🙂
You’re very welcome! Re-typing the list made me feel the same way about re-reading some of these great titles. Thanks for your comments.
I recommend a book by Jim West called Libellus de Numeros (The Book of Math) that makes math and science relevant and fun in a story of magic and danger. The story is about Alex, a young precocious girl, who mysteriously gets transported to a strange world where Latin and Math combine in formulas and equations with magical effects. With a cruel council leading the only safe city of its kind in this world, she will have to prove her worth to stay as well as help this city as it is the target for two evil wizards who seek to destroy the city and its ruling council. To help the city and also get back home, she will need the help of the greatest mathematician of all time, Archimedes. In a world where math is magic, Alex wishes she paid more attention in math class. Search for the book on Goodreads for reviews. A review mentioned, “A lot of the books that have educational elements embedded in the plot feel forced. Libellus de Numeros is just the opposite. The math, science, etc. are natural, organic, contributing parts of the plot that fit in seamlessly. “