One of my recent ideas for school next year was to put together a science fiction unit for J, something that he would absolutely love (he wants to be an astrobiologist). Below are the books that I initially purchased, though I expect that some will be culled and others added as I get further into my pre-reading and planning. In particular, I like the idea of studying the books by sub-genre (time travel, dystopian, apocalyptic/post-apocalyptic, etc.), so there's clearly some organizational work to be done. More than likely our "spine" will be the amazing Prentice Hall Anthology of Science Fiction and Fantasy, a college text which I'll use selectively.
- Amazing Journeys: Journey to the Center of the Earth, From the Earth to the Moon, Circling the Moon, 20,000 Leagues Under the Seas, and Around the World in 80 Days (1864-1873) by Jules Verne
- The Time Machine (1895) by H.G. Wells
- Space Cadet (1948) by Robert Heinlein
- Red Planet (1949) by Robert Heinlein
- I, Robot (1950) by Isaac Asimov
- The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet (1954) by Eleanor Cameron (This is ideal for younger kids, but I didn't realize that until after I had purchased it!)
- The Stories of Ray Bradbury (Everyman's Library)
- Tunnel in the Sky (1955) by Robert Heinlein
- House of Stairs (1974) by William Sleator
- Interstellar Pig (1984) by William Sleator
- Ender’s Game (1985) by Orson Scott Card
- Spacer and Rat (2004) by Margaret Bechard
The Tom Corbett - Space Cadet series was inspired by Robert Heinlein's Space Cadet and published between 1952-1956. The series inspired comic books, a daily and Sunday newspaper strip, radio shows, and a television series.
Thanks to Boom Pop!, I discovered that 7 of the 8 titles are available as free eBooks at ManyBooks:
Thanks to Boom Pop!, I discovered that 7 of the 8 titles are available as free eBooks at ManyBooks:
While these books might not have much literary value, I thought they might be fun to include anyway (or maybe not!).
Dystopian Fiction*
*I picked these books from the excellent lists found here and here.
- The Giver by Lois Lowry
- Gathering Blue by Lois Lowry
- Messenger by Lois Lowry
- The Silenced by Jame DeVita
- Gone by Michael Grant
- Into the Forest by Jean Hegland
- Feed by M.T. Anderson
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By the way, it's a little while since I've visited your blog. I love your layout. :)
I think it will be fun, though I've not read much science fiction, I look forward to learning from this as well.
I'm especially excited about the dystopian novels, I think they'll lead to some amazing discussions.
Also White Mountains and the rest of Tripods series by John Christopher is very good. I remember reading them when I was young and my boys have enjoyed them.