Juvenile Sci-Fi Literature


From: Laura Bashlor <lauralou@gatecoms.gatecom.com>
Subject: Juvenile Sci-Fi Literature
Date: Sun, 18 Aug 1996 17:40:14 -0400


Folks,

>From a request made by one of my partners, I have been looking for
juvenile books on Mars.  Unfortunately, I did not keep a list of the
various ones suggested here.  However, I did search the database at PALS
at Georgia State U. library.  This is what I found during a Sunday of
surfing.  **Please note the two sites for creative writing and
contacting some authors via e-mail.

**Juvenile Literature -- MARS

A Book of Mars for You -- Branley, Franklin M. -- 1975
Exploring Mars -- Baker, David -- 1988
If You Lived on Mars -- Berger, Melvin -- 1989
Let's Find Out About Mars -- Knight, David C. -- 1966
Mars -- Asimov, Isaac -- 1967 (I believe this is a 36 volume set)
Mars, Planet Number Four -- Branley, Franklin M. -- 1962
Mars, The Red Planet -- Asimov, Isaac -- 1977
Mars -- Simon, Seymour -- 1987
Mars : Our Mysterious Neighbor -- Asimov, Isaac-- 1988
Mars -- Fradin, Dennis B. -- 1989
Mars -- Cattermole, Peter Jo -- 1989
Mars -- Corrick, James A. -- 1991
Viking and the Mars Landing -- Vogt, Gregory -- 1991
Mars -- Brewer, Duncan -- 1992
Mars -- Vogt, Gregory -- 1994
Mars -- Simon, Seymour -- 1987
The Mission to Mars and Beyond -- DeSomma, Vincent V. -- 1992
The Red Planet : Mars -- Asimov, Isaac -- 1994
The Voyage of the Ruslan : The First Manned ... -- Stoff, Joshua -- 1986
The Third Experiment, Is There Life on Mars? -- Fisher, David E.--1985
Viking and the Mars Lander -- Vogt, Gregory -- 1991

**FROM ANOTHER LIST --
http://www.internet-ireland.ie/maryanne/kidsf.html
Juvenile Science Fiction -- I chose the ones that seemed to fit Live
>From Mars

Author Unknown (SF)
        The Tom Corbet Books (plucky young lad and his companions
blazing a path                  through interplanetary space as members
of some solar patrol squad)
Cameron, Eleanor (SF) (3rd grade)
        The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet
        ...other Mushroom Planet books
Christopher, John (SF) -- (This series always disturbed me.  Rather
bleak, boy against             the aliens if I remember correctly)
        When the Tripods Came (prequel telling of original invasion)
        The White Mountains (a young hero escapes a mechanical tyranny
                of the future)
        The City of Gold and Lead
        The Pool of Fire
Davies, L.P. (SF)
        Dimension A (very engaging alternate dimension story)
Engdahl, Silvia Louise (SF)(Girl from advanced civilization is part of
contact team              observing natives undercover on less advanced
worlds.  Deals with growing up,           responsibility vs love, the
pain of watching tragedy that you can't do                 anything to
fix -- the second book is extremely moving)
        Enchantress from the Stars
        The Far Side of Evil (sequel to Enchantress)
        Trilogy: (same universe, different characters, same sorts of
stresses on                   protagonists)
                This Star Shall Abide (winner of the Christopher Award)
                Beyond the Tomorrow Mountains
                The Doors of the Universe
Heinlein, Robert A. (SF) (5th and up?)(Somewhat militaristic, but a
classic delight.             Highly individualistic smart kids carving a
path through the universe)
        Have Space Suit -- Will Travel
        Podkayne of Mars (female protagonist!)
        Rocket Ship Galileo
        The Rolling Stones
        Space Cadet
        Starship Troopers
        Tunnel in the Sky
        ...and many more
Hoover, H.M. (SF) (6th grade and up)
        The Lost Star
        Return to Earth
        The Children of Morrow
        This Time of Darkness
        The Bell Tree
        Orvis
Rubinstein, Gillian (SF)
        Space Demons
        Skymaze
        Galax-Arena
Service, Pamela F. (SF/F)
        Stinker From Space (An alien crashlands on Earth and its body 
                is dying.  The only creature around with enough brain 
                capacity is a skunk.  He must return to his planet 
                with secret information...)
        Stinker's Return (Upon returning to his planet Stinker finds 
                he is in trouble.  He had landed in another planet's 
                area of authority, and war is looming...)
Sleator, William (SF/F)
        Interstellar Pig (boy discovers people next door are aliens)
        The Boy Who Reversed Himself (multi-dimension)
        The Duplicator (boy can duplicate himself)
Snyder, Zilpha Keatley (F)
        Green-Sky trilogy (about the descendants of children taken 
                      from Earth to another planet to start a society
free of violence)
                Below the Root (in a society that has survived
                        near-total destruction, a teenage boy explores
an 
                        underground civilization)
                And All Between
                Until the Celebration

**AND YET ANOTHER LIST -- 

Juvenile SF by Robert A. Heinlein, including The Rolling Stones, Have
Space
     Suit--Will Travel, and many others. Ages: Upper Elementary School
to Adult. Why
     Recommended: Engaging characters and good scientific grounding. 
     The Time Machine and other works by H.G.Wells. Recommended By: Dane
Johnson
     (dane@frame.com). Ages: "Jr. High+." Why Recommended: Fascinating
stories and
     interesting historical projections. Sacrifices science fact for
characterization,      which frequently makes him a better read than his
contemporary, Verne." 

Works by Edgar Rice Burroughs, including John Carter of Mars, Carson of
     Venus, Pellucidar, and many other series. Ages: Upper Elementary
School to Adult.      Why Recommended: Engrossing adventures in
fantastic settings; later books           sometimes have rich satiric
elements. Problems: Dated language, female characters      are hostages
more often than not and thus not useful as role models. 

I, Robot by Isaac Asimov. Recommended By: Dane Johnson (dane@frame.com).
Ages:
     "Jr. High and up." Why Recommended: "Generally good science and
interesting           characters." Orbital Resonance by John Barnes.
Ages: Junior High School to Adult.      Why Recommended: Interesting
near-future SF with adolescent protagonists;           explores, among
other things, the role of adolescents in an experimental society.

Science Fiction 
          Robinson, Kim Stanley "Blue Mars" -- Elisabeth Sherwin's
interview
                            with Kim Stanley Robinson can be found in 
                            "Robinson completes Mars trilogy, turns to
Antarctica"
                            the January 21, 1996, PRINTED MATTER column.
and on                      http://virtual-markets.net/~gizmo/col21.html

**Write directly to many published writers with e-mail addresses.  Find
those addresses at... 
           http://www.bocklabs.wisc.edu/ims/wri-full.html.

**ALSO: For those teaching creative writing...
           http://www.interlog.com/~ohi/www/sf.html#writing
              Here is part of that site:

On Writing SF

     Books on Writing Speculative Fiction
          courtesy Speculative Fiction ClearingHouse
     Speculative Fiction Writing Resources
     World-Building: 
          By Karl Schroeder. "This page summarizes some of the ideas
about           world-building that came out of the two years I spent
teaching SF writing at           George Brown College in Toronto." Other
writing resources/info to be added in           the future.  


From,
Laura Bashlor (MI)