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The one thing science fiction loves is its long tradition of featuring young adults as protagonists. and middle grade science fiction is no different. Aimed at tweens ages 8-12, these science fiction books feature characters in mysterious, action-packed, adventurous, or futuristic situations.
You are reading: Science fiction books for middle schoolers
so if you love a hero’s journey or just a good space battle, you’ll love these middle grade science fiction books.
shuri: a black panther novel by nic stone
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marvel has taken the black panther to a new level with the 13-year-old princess shuri as the protagonist of this novel. she is still a technological genius much like the movie. but as for the other details, including the history of her family, much has changed. shuri just told her parents that the heart-shaped grass is about to die. this plant that gives the black panther her abilities will run out in a matter of days. It’s up to Shuri to save the day, so she sets out with her best friend, K’Marah, also a bodyguard-in-training, to learn why she’s killing the mighty herb in her land. this ultimately leaves her out of her home and on a journey where she gets help from friends and unexpected faces and even more unexpected villains.
ace takes flight by cory mccarthy
in 2048, when 11-year-old ace wells finally enters the school of his dreams, the biological enhancement systems technology program, or rather, he assumes that life is in its heyday. he can step out of the shadow of his finn brother and be himself. however, b.e.s.t., a program that allows cadets to receive augmentations that improve their bodies and minds, goes awry from the start. from his roommates to his coaches, life just isn’t what he imagined it would be. it even comes close to being AI elevator food. As the unusual twists and turns keep happening to Ace, he begins to wonder if there is more to the school than he can see. And when he finds secrets, how will he respond to a place that still contains everything he’s ever dreamed of?
stowaway by john david anderson
We’ve heard of friendly aliens, but aliens willing to help the human race with new technology, in exchange for a rare resource found in the earth’s crust, may be too good to be true. That too-good moment was short-lived, because shortly after the friendly aliens came into Leo’s life, a war ensued, causing his mother to lose her life and his father to send them on a ship into space. . after some time in space, his ship is attacked and his father, a coalition scientist, is taken away. Stranded on a damaged ship, Leo, his brother Gareth and his crew are raided by space pirates looking for goods. Seeing an opportunity, Gareth encourages Leo to hide on the pirate ship so he can stay safe and find answers about his father. what he finds is an interesting twist that he didn’t see coming from the pirates, his father and even himself.
katie zhao’s last player standing
The year is 2067. Reyna Cheng’s life is full of games. at age 12, he even competes in junior day tournament games, with the avatar called theruinar. Since the games are only made for kids, he must dress up to get to the top. When the tournament is about to start, Reyna knows that he can beat anyone and win the $10,000 prize. someone else knows too, because she is then blackmailed and threatened by a mysterious unknown troll. Needing the money to pay her mother’s medical bills, Ella Reyna must stand up to the gaming community and face the troll head-on.
sal and gabi fix the universe by carlos hernandez
sal vidón and gabi real return to the fray. In this second saga, the two are trying to figure out their lives in a broken universe. They have a rebellious Gabi from another universe, Sal’s new friend Yasmany is missing, and his father, a calamity physicist, is trying to fix his memory machine and shut down the other universes forever. all they have to do is keep their composure and hope nothing else goes wrong. but does the universe really want peace or chaos between them? only time will tell.
finn and the time traveling pajamas by michael buckley
The second book in the Finniverse series features Finn, a nine-year-old boy who has just seen an earlier version of himself from the future. the older finn even saved the younger me from him and his friend julep and lincoln from the time rangers. with their lives no longer in danger, the older Finn asks them for a favor. he travels back in time again and wins in a battle against the paradox monster. To do this, they get a pair of time machine pajamas that take them on a journey full of adventures, laughter, and serious life-or-death situations.
weird kid by greg van eekhout
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Jake Wind is a 12-year-old alien boy. specifically, he’s a shape-shifting ball of slime, or at least that’s how his parents found him. his father, a proctologist, and his mother took him in and raised him as a human in cedar creek view, arizona. now jake is growing up, and with him, his abilities. But if he wants to stay in middle school and out of homeschooling, he needs to stay out of trouble and out of sight. the only problem with him is that the city is acting strange: sinkholes appear randomly full of strange substances and people are acting more strange than normal. plus, there’s the constant buzzing in the city that only he can hear and his uncontrollable urge to shapeshift as he tries to make new friends. Don’t worry, Jake soon finds the clever and resourceful Agnes Oakes, who isn’t scared by the goo that comes out of the sinkholes, and who has agreed to help him figure out what’s going on in town, including using her powers to save them all.
ghost squad by claribel a. ortega
Lucely Luna lives with her family and has a best friend named Syd. When Lucely and her friend discovered a book of spells to raise the dead at school, the two accidentally cast a spell that unleashed evil spirits on her land.
tristan strong destroys the world by kwame mbalia
Returning from an otherworldly battle can tax almost anyone’s psyche. For 8th grader Tristan Strong, his trauma and PTSD come on at random times throughout the day now that he’s home. but he has only been on earth for a month, living with his grandmother while one of his enemies from alke, a world full of mystical black deities, follows him in search of revenge. They call him the Messy Man, a mysteriously strange monster who wreaks havoc among gods and heroes. Shamble kidnapped Tristan’s grandmother and sent her to Alke, giving Tristan no choice but to save her. With the help of his friend Gum Baby and his phone’s wise voice, Anansi, Tristan must find the strength and courage to save his family while he keeps his mind from going insane. .
problems in the stars of sarah prineas
Shapeshifting issues could say they were running from something strange and when the star league shows up, you run away. when trouble thinks a cute puppy is a way to go, even that causes his doubts and caged trouble. Stowaway on a cargo plane loaded with contraband, Trouble becomes a human child serving meals and cleaning up people’s trash. only the star league is behind the ship and trouble time is running out. the shapeshifter must decide whether to run or back up and fight.
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