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

  1. The Annotated Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions by Edwin Abbott
  2. The Ultimate Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
  3. The Plague Dogs: A Novel by Richard Adams
  4. Foundation by Isaac Asimov
  5. I, Robot by Isaac Asimov
  6. Caves of Steel by Isaac Asimov
  7. Eon by Greg Bear
  8. The Demolished Man byAlfred Bester
  9. A Case of Conscience by Jame Blish
  10. Planet of the Apes by Pierre Boulle
  11. The Exiles Trilogy by Ben Bova
  12. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
  13. The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury
  14. Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card
  15. 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke
  16. Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke
  17. The Forever Machine by Mark Clifton
  18. Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton
  19. The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton
  20. Dorsai by Gordon Dickson
  21. The Annotated Lost World by Arthur Conan Doyle
  22. Time and Again by Jack Finney
  23. Alas, Babylon byPat Frank
  24. The Stainless Steel Rat by Harry Harrison
  25. Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein
  26. Red Planet by Robert Heinlein
  27. Dune by Frank Herbert
  28. Battlefield Earth by L. Ron Hubbard
  29. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes
  30. Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis
  31. A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter Miller, Jr.
  32. The Mote in God’s Eye by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle
  33. Footfall by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle
  34. Z for Zachariah by Robert C. O’Brien
  35. 1984 by George Orwell
  36. The Anubis Gates by Tim Powers
  37. Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson
  38. Berserkers: The Beginning by Fred Saberhagen
  39. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
  40. On the Beach by Neville Shute
  41. City by Clifford Simak
  42. Guns of the South by Harry Turtledove
  43. In the Balance: An Alternate History of the Second World War by Harry Turtledove
  44. Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne
  45. Journey to the Centre of the Earth by Jules Verne
  46. The Time Machine by H.G. Wells
  47. The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells
  48. The Island of Dr. Moreau by H.G. Wells
  49. Doomsday Book by Connie Willis
  50. The Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe

50 Great Fantasy Titles

  1. Watership Down by Richard Adams
  2. Three Hearts and Three Lions by Poul Anderson
  3. The Broken Sword by Poul Anderson
  4. The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle
  5. The Face in the Frost by John Bellairs
  6. All the Bells on Earth by James Blaylock
  7. Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury
  8. Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury
  9. The Sword of Shannara Trilogy by Terry Brooks
  10. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll
  11. Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell: A Novel by Susanna Clarke
  12. The Dark Is Rising Sequence by Susan Cooper
  13. The First Chronicles Of Thomas Covenant The Unbeliever by Stephen Donaldson
  14. The King of Elfland’s Daughter by Lord Dunsany
  15. The Belgariad by David Eddings
  16. The Worm Ouroboros by E.R. Eddison
  17. Magician: Apprentice by Raymond Feist
  18. Sophie’s World: A Novel about the History of Philosophy by Jostein Gaarder
  19. Lord Darcy by Randall Garrett
  20. The Princess Bride by William Goldman
  21. She, King Solomon’s Mines, and Allan Quatermain by H. Rider Haggard
  22. Bridge of Birds: A Novel of an Ancient China That Never Was by Barry Hughart
  23. Redwall by Brian Jacques
  24. The Wheel of Time Series by Robert Jordan
  25. The Summer Tree (The Fionavar Tapestry, Book 1) by Guy Gavriel Kay
  26. Deryni Rising by Katherine Kurtz
  27. A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula LeGuin
  28. Lankhmar: Tales of Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser by Fritz Leiber
  29. The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis
  30. Lilith by George MacDonald
  31. Dragonsong by Anne McCaffrey
  32. The Iron Tower Trilogy by Dennis McKiernan
  33. The Forgotten Beasts of Eld by Patricia McKillip
  34. Riddle-Master Trilogy by Patricia McKillip
  35. Elric of Melnibone by Michael Moorcock
  36. Silverlock by John Myers Myers
  37. His Majesty’s Dragon (Temeraire, Book 1) by Naomi Novik
  38. The Gormenghast Novels by Mervyn Peake
  39. The Color of Magic by Terry Pratchett
  40. Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling
  41. Empire of the East by Fred Saberhagen
  42. The First Swords by Fred Saberhagen
  43. The Crystal Cave by Mary Stewart
  44. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
  45. Lyonesse by Jack Vance
  46. Tales of the Dying Earth by JackVance
  47. The Book of the Dun Cow by Walter Wangerin, Jr.
  48. The Once and Future King by T.H. White
  49. War in Heaven by Charles Williams
  50. The Dragonbone Chair by Tad Williams

5 Responses

  1. Ande says:

    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. 🙂

  2. Nick says:

    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.

  3. Tamara Laurel says:

    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. “

  1. September 4, 2007

    […] lists 100 Recommended Science Fiction and Fantasy Books for Junior High Students, which includes many of my old favorites as well as some I have never […]

  2. February 24, 2008

    […] Ive expanded the list to an even one hundred. I could have called this 300 Recommended source: 100 Recommended Science Fiction and Fantasy Books for Junior High Students, Teen Literacy […]

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