Despite their scarcity, science fiction books are highly sought after by elementary school students.

I got interested in SF because the librarian in my elementary was a SF lover. There were racks of paperbacks that I gobbled up and it’s stuck with me for decades since. It makes me sad to think that kids don’t have the same chance I did to get interested at an early age in the most imaginative genre of fiction. We all need to do our part to pass it on.

What are your suggestions for getting young people interested in science fiction?

A few I remember from that time:

Edgar Rice Burroughs Barsoom series

Heinlein’s juveniles like Podkayne of Mars and Have Spacesuit, Will Travel

McCaffery’s Dragonriders of Pern

Niven’s Known Space books

  • Flying Squid
    5•1 year ago

    I am pretty sure I read that in school, maybe in middle school. I’ve read it since, and the movie they adapted it into, Charly, is pretty good, but I have a vague but solid memory of reading it for a class.

    • @ikiddOPEnglish
      3•1 year ago

      We read it for English in grade 10. Not sure if that was just because it was an advance placement class where our teacher had more discretion on the materials, or if everyone read it at that grade.

    • @Treczoks
      3•1 year ago

      I envy you for having such a smart teacher.