# Is there a science fiction equivalent of GOOSEBUMPS? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** books-writing-myths\ **Created:** [November 5, 2025, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-science-fiction-equivalent-of-goosebumps/1024584 "2025-11-05T01:59:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2025, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-science-fiction-equivalent-of-goosebumps/1024584/1 "2025-11-05T01:59:47Z")
Title sums it up. I have grandnieces too old for Seuss and not old enough for Asimov, with kind of a warped sense of humor. Any YA SF literary recommendations? ---
**Author:** ![Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/q.q.switcheroo/32/5713_2.png) [@Q.Q.Switcheroo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.Q.Switcheroo)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2025, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-science-fiction-equivalent-of-goosebumps/1024584/2 "2025-11-05T02:07:12Z")
How about Jon Scieszka’s _Time Warp Trio_ series? > **[The Time Warp Trio](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Time_Warp_Trio)** > > The Time Warp Trio is a children's fantasy fiction book series written by Jon Scieszka, published between 1991 and 2006. Illustrated by Lane Smith and Adam McCauley, the books follow the adventures of three boys – Joe, Sam, and Fred – who travel through time and space with the aid of a mysterious object known as "The Book". The first book, Knights of the Kitchen Table, was published in 1991. > An animated television adaptation was produced by WGBH Boston and Soup2Nuts and aired on Discovery Kids... ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2025, 2:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-science-fiction-equivalent-of-goosebumps/1024584/3 "2025-11-05T02:21:59Z")
Nice! ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2025, 3:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-science-fiction-equivalent-of-goosebumps/1024584/4 "2025-11-05T03:54:08Z")
I’m dating myself by suggesting Tom Corbet Space Cadet from the 1950s. I read a few of these books many many decades ago. Maybe I missed something, but even back then I hurt myself rolling my eyes. But it was my first exposure to written SF, and I wish you luck in getting them hooked too. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2025, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-science-fiction-equivalent-of-goosebumps/1024584/5 "2025-11-05T04:44:06Z")
I’ll give it a look! ---
**Author:** ![Alessan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alessan/32/465_2.png) [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2025, 8:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-science-fiction-equivalent-of-goosebumps/1024584/6 "2025-11-05T08:28:22Z")
> [@Horatio\_Hellpop](#): > > I have grandnieces too old for Seuss and not old enough for Asimov, Are they too young for Asimov’s juveniles, like the _Lucky Starr_ books? ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2025, 9:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-science-fiction-equivalent-of-goosebumps/1024584/7 "2025-11-05T09:01:13Z")
> [Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alessan) [Guest](https://boards.straightdope.com/g/Registered) > > Are they too young for Asimov’s juveniles, like the _Lucky Starr_ books? More to the point, they are just the right age and temperament for _Goosebumps_ and I wonder if there is an SF analog to that. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2025, 10:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-science-fiction-equivalent-of-goosebumps/1024584/8 "2025-11-05T10:43:00Z")
Is [Animorphs](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Animorphs) science fiction? That’s very Goosebumps-ish, I think, in that it’s a long-running series of multiple stories. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2025, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-science-fiction-equivalent-of-goosebumps/1024584/9 "2025-11-05T12:00:07Z")
Looks like it might be! ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2025, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-science-fiction-equivalent-of-goosebumps/1024584/10 "2025-11-05T12:01:49Z")
One way of looking at this question is to see if there’s anything in the Stratemeyer Syndicate books that’s science fiction related: > **[Stratemeyer Syndicate](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stratemeyer_Syndicate)** > > The Stratemeyer Syndicate was an American book packaging company that produced a number of book series for children, including Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, the various Tom Swift series, the Bobbsey Twins, the Rover Boys, and others. It contracted the many pseudonymous authors who wrote the series from 1899 to 1987, and arranged the publishing by firms such as Grosset & Dunlap. In 1987 it was sold to Simon & Schuster. > Created by Edward Stratemeyer, the Stratemeyer Syndicate was the first book pack... The Stratemeyer Syndicate is a huge collection of children’s book series created by a man named Edward Stratemeyer. It contains such series as Nancy Drew, The Hardy Boys, The Bobbsey Twins, and Tom Swift. The Tom Swift series was the more or less science fiction series in this collection. When I search online for a modern series like the Tom Swift ones, one series that’s recommended is the Artemis Fowl series. I read all the Artemis Fowl books while choosing books for presents for my nieces/nephews/grandnieces/grandnieces. Also, how about the Heinlein juveniles, some of which I’ve read?: > **[Heinlein juveniles](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heinlein_juveniles)** > > The Heinlein juveniles are the science-fiction novels written by Robert A. Heinlein for Scribner's young-adult line. Each features "a young male protagonist entering the adult world of conflict, decisions, and responsibilities". Together, they tell a loosely connected story of space exploration. Scribner's published the first 12 between 1947 and 1958, but rejected the 13th, Starship Troopers. That one was instead published by Putnam. A 14th novel, Podkayne of Mars, is sometimes listed as a " ---
**Author:** ![dorvann](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/df705f/32.png) [@dorvann](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dorvann)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2025, 12:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-science-fiction-equivalent-of-goosebumps/1024584/11 "2025-11-05T12:21:53Z")
William Sleator wrote a bunch YA SF novels: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William\_Sleator](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Sleator) And I don’t know if _Choose Your Own Adventure_ is still a thing: [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Choose\_Your\_Own\_Adventure](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Choose_Your_Own_Adventure) ---
**Author:** ![Hermione1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/d07c76/32.png) [@Hermione1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hermione1)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2025, 4:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-science-fiction-equivalent-of-goosebumps/1024584/12 "2025-11-05T16:44:17Z")
You might have to check out some used bookstores (or the Internet Archive, where you can read quite a few out-of-print books), but in the late nineties Star Wars did a tween series called _Galaxy of Fear_ that was basically “Goosebumps meets Star Wars.” ---
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2025, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-science-fiction-equivalent-of-goosebumps/1024584/13 "2025-11-05T18:50:47Z")
> [@dorvann](#): > > William Sleator wrote a bunch YA SF novels: [William Sleator - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Sleator) I liked his books as a kid. Hard to find in bookstores and libraries for some reason. I was looking for my kids. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2025, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-science-fiction-equivalent-of-goosebumps/1024584/14 "2025-11-05T21:04:29Z")
What about “A Wrinkle in Time” and the other books in the series? ---
**Author:** ![P-man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/p-man/32/3606_2.png) [@P-man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/P-man)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2025, 9:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-science-fiction-equivalent-of-goosebumps/1024584/15 "2025-11-05T21:07:20Z")
I second Time Warp Trio. Bruce Coville’s books are close to what you’re looking for as well. ---
**Author:** ![Folly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/folly/32/3219_2.png) [@Folly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Folly)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2025, 11:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-science-fiction-equivalent-of-goosebumps/1024584/16 "2025-11-05T23:03:40Z")
> [@dorvann](#): > > William Sleator wrote a bunch YA SF novels: This thread reminded me to get some interlibrary loans and obtain Sleator books for my kiddos. ---
**Author:** ![hogarth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hogarth/32/1773_2.png) [@hogarth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hogarth)\ **Post date:** [November 5, 2025, 11:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-science-fiction-equivalent-of-goosebumps/1024584/17 "2025-11-05T23:20:45Z")
> [@dorvann](#): > > William Sleator wrote a bunch YA SF novels: [William Sleator - Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Sleator) _Interstellar Pig_ was the first book that came to my mind, but I didn’t know who wrote it. Now I do! ---
**Author:** ![Dr\_Paprika](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr_paprika/32/3042_2.png) [@Dr\_Paprika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr_Paprika)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2025, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-science-fiction-equivalent-of-goosebumps/1024584/18 "2025-11-06T03:39:36Z")
I know very little about this. But I recently decided to read more Pratchett. The first book to arrive was the Bromeliad Trilogy - Trucks, Diggers, Wings. I liked it, and thought it clever. But apparently it was meant for younger readers. ---
**Author:** ![GuanoLad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guanolad/32/42_2.png) [@GuanoLad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/GuanoLad)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2025, 4:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-science-fiction-equivalent-of-goosebumps/1024584/19 "2025-11-06T04:03:48Z")
Not so much ‘meant for’ as ‘also appropriate for.’ This is true for most of his YA books, like Nation, Dodger, and the Tiffany Aching series. Though I’d say his Johnny Maxwell books are a bit more junior oriented. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [November 6, 2025, 4:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-science-fiction-equivalent-of-goosebumps/1024584/20 "2025-11-06T04:06:06Z")
I could be wrong, but I seem to recall @Left_Hand_of_Dorkness having some insight into books like this for kids of this age. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-a-science-fiction-equivalent-of-goosebumps/1024584.md?page=2)