# Turning my nephew on to science-fiction! **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 9, 2003, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turning-my-nephew-on-to-science-fiction/180554 "2003-06-09T00:43:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2003, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turning-my-nephew-on-to-science-fiction/180554/1 "2003-06-09T00:43:26Z")
I’ve just returned from a birthday party for one of my sisters, and for my brother-in-law(husband of the third sister) A gift I gave my sister was a book calledAdventure in Forgotten Valley, by Glyn Frewer. We both read it when we were in grade school, over thirty-five years ago. MY nephew, (son of the birthday BIL), who is between third and fourth grade this summer, thumbed through it and noticed the pictures of dinosaurs. (It’s sort of a Lost World type of tale) So he’s going to borrow it from my sister and read it, as part of a school summer reading program. He’s a bright kid but has been told to read more. So okay, I figure now it’s time to start lending him the Heinlein juveniles I bought for him when he was born, as part of my evil plan to turn him on to science fiction and, maybe, fantasy. First two up? The Star Beast and Red Planet. Then more if he likes them. Proceed to Tolkien’s The Hobbit. I first got to the latter in sixth grade, but feel I could have handled it earlier. Think I picked good ones? ---
**Author:** ![ITR\_champion](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/c67d28/32.png) [@ITR\_champion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ITR_champion)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2003, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turning-my-nephew-on-to-science-fiction/180554/2 "2003-06-09T01:09:08Z")
I first read _The Hobbit_ at age eight, and I think my brother started it at an even younger age. It’s certainly a good choice for turning young people on to high fantasy. What about the Chronicles of Narnia? Has he read those yet? If not, they would be another good choice. ---
**Author:** ![Atreyu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5e9695/32.png) [@Atreyu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atreyu)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2003, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turning-my-nephew-on-to-science-fiction/180554/3 "2003-06-09T01:14:01Z")
Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card. There are editions of it out there with cover art aimed at the young adult market. Since you mentioned The Hobbit, I’ll assume that fantasy recommendations aren’t off-limits. With that in mind, I’ll recommend The Neverending Story by Michael Ende (note: the book is _quite_ different from the movie, which only covers the first half of the book, and left a lot of stuff out). And on preview, I see that **ITR Champion** has beaten me to my recommendation of The Chronicles of Narnia. Too bad that current editions have the books numbered in chronological order, rather than the order they were actually written. Madeline L’Engle’s A Wrinkle in Time is stellar reading. ---
**Author:** ![Baker](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bb73d2/32.png) [@Baker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Baker)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2003, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turning-my-nephew-on-to-science-fiction/180554/4 "2003-06-09T01:39:20Z")
Darn, how could I forget Narnia? I bet I could get the older editions and let him read them that way. ---
**Author:** ![Skywatcher](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skywatcher/32/254_2.png) [@Skywatcher](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skywatcher)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2003, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turning-my-nephew-on-to-science-fiction/180554/5 "2003-06-09T02:09:56Z")
How about Alan Dean Foster’s books? ---
**Author:** ![Ender\_Will](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/eb9ed0/32.png) [@Ender\_Will](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ender_Will)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2003, 2:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turning-my-nephew-on-to-science-fiction/180554/6 "2003-06-09T02:16:14Z")
When I was in fourth grade, I was a big fan of Jurassic Park. Nedry’s death was the only part that creeped me out, and if he’s into dinosaurs, he might dig it. Also around that time, I was reading a lot of the _Star Wars_ novels, particularly Timothy Zahn’s three and the Han Solo adventures. Another vote for Ender’s Game as well. ---
**Author:** ![Kallessa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7993a0/32.png) [@Kallessa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kallessa)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2003, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turning-my-nephew-on-to-science-fiction/180554/7 "2003-06-09T06:02:45Z")
In the fantasy mode, there’s no better juvenile writer than Alexander Lloyd. His **Prydain** series is the perfect introduction into coming-or-age fantasy, and all his books are worth reading (even as an adult). David Eddings’ **Begarian** series is also very good. Susan Cooper’s _The Dark Is Rising_ series is excellent, but a bit dark, so you may want to wait until he is older. In science fiction, Heinlein is a great place to start, but Ray Bradbury was my other favorite when I was young. He may not understand all the stories, but then, who does? Bradbury would be great to read with him–most of the stories are short, and then you could talk about them. I also read Arthur C. Clarke when I was a kid, but I think I was a bit older (maybe 5th or 6th grade) and I can’t remember specific stories. Asimov’s short stories may be another avenue to explore–and didn’t he write a couple of juveniles? Funny how I can’t seem to think of a _living_ science fiction wroter to recommend. Are any of the _Star Wars_ or _Star Trek_ books aimed at the youth market? ---
**Author:** ![Hazel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e56c9b/32.png) [@Hazel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hazel)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2003, 7:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turning-my-nephew-on-to-science-fiction/180554/8 "2003-06-09T07:24:48Z")
Diana Wynn Jones’ books for kids might be a good choice. They include SF and fantasy. I’m particularly fond of “Archer’s Goon”. Re Heinlein, I think a good one to start with is “The Rolling Stones”. Another good choice: “The Star Beast”. ---
**Author:** ![AchimbaProphet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2bfe46/32.png) [@AchimbaProphet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AchimbaProphet)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2003, 7:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turning-my-nephew-on-to-science-fiction/180554/9 "2003-06-09T07:27:22Z")
Fantasy: Riddlemaster trilogy by Patricia A. McPhillip A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin ---
**Author:** ![Khadaji](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Khadaji](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Khadaji)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2003, 12:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turning-my-nephew-on-to-science-fiction/180554/10 "2003-06-09T12:48:01Z")
I assume you are avoiding Harry Potter? (only because it seems like an obvious choice.) Artemis Fowl isn’t too bad and might be worth a look for a kid that age. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2003, 1:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turning-my-nephew-on-to-science-fiction/180554/11 "2003-06-09T13:40:33Z")
Ray Bradbury was my favorite writer when I was nephew’s age. ---
**Author:** ![Exapno\_Mapcase](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/exapno_mapcase/32/1051_2.png) [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2003, 4:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/turning-my-nephew-on-to-science-fiction/180554/12 "2003-06-09T16:43:35Z")
Let’s give credit to the many, many great writers who are writing children’s and young adult science fiction and fantasy. Here is a [fantastically completist list](http://www.scifan.com/themes/themes.asp?TH_themeid=77) of these books. [Here](http://www.menashalibrary.org/youth/YAbk_scifi.html) is a briefer, more managable list. How about winners of the [Golden Duck Award for Excellence in Children’s Science Fiction Literature](http://www.goldenduck.org/winners.php)? I have nothing against children reading adult works - I read 1984 when I was 11. But I also read the Heinlein young adult books after that age. And while Heinlein is classic, a lot of these newer books will likely have greater appeal to today’s 4th graders than 50-year-old Heinlein.