Want to Read YA Science Fiction? Here's Where to Start
- Allison Alexander
- Jun 19
- 9 min read
Interested in reading young adult sci-fi novels but not sure where to begin (or you’re an avid reader and want suggestions for more, more, MORE)? Here are some recommendations listed in order of publication date.
EARLY TITLES
Date Published: 1968
Summary: Earth is destroyed and humans live on colony ships and other worlds. Mia Havero lives on a ship where the birthrate is not controlled, so they send their teenagers to survive or die on a hostile planet for a month. Yikes, right? This story is about Mia's coming of age and trial.
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Date Published: 1970
Series: Elana #1
Number of Books in Series: 2
Summary: From a peaceful, technologically advanced society, Elana stows away on a mission to a lesser-advanced planet that's being invaded for its resources. Because she's not supposed to interfere with their natural development, she pretends to be an enchantress in order to help the people stand up to their invaders.
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Date Published: 1978
Summary: In a dystopian future, a healer travels between small, isolated communities to distribute medicine using snakes. This reads like a slow-paced, classic western in many ways and features a talented, caring protagonist.
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Date Published: 1980
Series: Isis #1
Number of Books in Series: 3
Summary: After her parents die in a storm, Olwen grows up on an alien planet with only a robot as a companion. Things are about to change as a settlement from Earth is coming, except, for some reason, her android guardian doesn't want her going anywhere near the colonists.
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Date Published: 1985
Series: Ender's Saga #1
Number of Books in Series: 6
Summary: While I'm not sure if this should be categorized as YA or adult, I'm throwing it on this list. Ender is a military genius, only six years old when he begins training with simulated war games in preparation to join the war against alien invaders. This is a beloved classic about war, growing up with huge expectations on your shoulders, and what makes a good leader.
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Date Published: 1986
Summary: Five teenagers steal a spaceship and fly it beyond the border humans have put up that separates them from other worlds. They end up on an alien planet, and adventure ensues!
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Date Published: 2006
Series: Last Survivors #1
Number of Books in Series: 4
Summary: This novel is told in journal entries, about a girl who's trying to survive with her family in an arctic winter after a meteor knocks the moon closer to the earth. It's bleak and captivating.
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Date Published: 2007
Series: Unwind Dystology #1
Number of Books in Series: 4
Summary: After a war fought over reproductive rights, parents can have their children "unwound" between the ages of thirteen and eighteen. This is the chilling story about three children, destined to be unwound, trying to escape their deaths.
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Date Published: 2008
Series: Chaos Walking #1
Number of Books in Series: 3
Summary: Because all the women have died of an illness, Todd is the only boy in a town of men who can all hear each other's thoughts, but somehow they're still hiding something from him. He runs away with his dog, meets a girl who is, in fact, not dead, and terrifying secrets about his hometown.
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Date Published: 2008
Series: Chaos Walking #1
Number of Books in Series: 3
Summary: We can all agree that the premise of this novel—where three teenagers win a lottery to go to the moon—is bonkers. But it is a fun horror story about being stuck on the moon with something trying to kill them.
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YA BOOM BOOKS
Date Published: 2008
Series: The Hunger Games #1
Number of Books in Series: 3
Summary: I'm not sure this needs an introduction, but it's about a girl who takes the place of her sister to fight to the death in an arena against eleven other teenagers. The dystopian worldbuilding and characters are really, really good. This one holds up.
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Date Published: 2009
Series: The Maze Runner #1
Number of Books in Series: 3
Summary: Thomas wakes up with no memories inside a maze that no one's made it through alive. A fun, dystopian adventure.
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Date Published: 2011
Series: Across the Universe #1
Number of Books in Series: 3
Summary: Amy wakes up early from cryosleep because someone's trying to kill her. She has to live with the people awake on the ship and try to find a murderer, which is especially difficult when she is falling in love with one of her suspects.
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Date Published: 2011
Series: Divergent #1
Number of Books in Series: 3
Summary: In a dystopian Chicago, Beatrice Prior chooses to join a different faction than her parents, and has to undergo a highly competitive and intense initiation while keeping a dangerous secret about her identity. Veronica Roth was only 21 when she wrote this, which is impressive.
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15. Legend by Marie Lu
Date Published: 2011
Series: Legend #1
Number of Books in Series: 4
Summary: In a dystopian future, a wealthy teenager meets the country's most wanted criminal, and the two uncover some sinister government secrets together.
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Date Published: 2011
Series: Ready Player One #1
Number of Books in Series: 2
Summary: In the virtual reality of the OASIS, Wade Watts discovers a clue that triggers a race through challenges and puzzles in order to solve the mystery the OASIS's creator left behind. Full of pop culture references, this is a delightful adventure for geeks.
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Date Published: 2012
Series: The Lunar Chronicles #1
Number of Books in Series: 4
Summary: Cinderella in space! This is about a cyborg named Cinder, who's a second-class citizen because of her robotic parts. Her stepmother "volunteers" her to be experimented on in the government's efforts to cure a plague, which is a death sentence, but it's discovered she's immune to the disease. Romance and a galactic conspiracy, culminating in a grand ball, ensue.
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Date Published: 2013
Series: The 5th Wave #1
Number of Books in Series: 3
Summary: Cassie tries to survive an alien invasion while searching for her little brother. She's learned to trust no one, since aliens can disguise themselves as human, until she meets a mysterious guy who might be able to help her.
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Date Published: 2014
Series: Red Rising Saga #1
Number of Books in Series: 7
Summary: Darrow, a member of the lowest caste of society, works on Mars to make the surface livable for future generations. When he discovers that humanity already reached the surface generations ago and his people are being abused, he infiltrates a school for members of the Gold caste and competes for his life in a brutal competition that will help him rise the ranks and defeat his enemies from within.
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Date Published: 2015
Series: The Illuminae Files #1
Number of Books in Series: 3
Summary: Told through a series of emails, reports, and interviews, this is the story of two teenagers forced to evacuate due to corporations at war over a planet. They are on separate ships and communicate through email, discovering conspiracies, and falling in love.
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MODERN GEMS
Date Published: 2016
Series: Arc of a Scythe #1
Number of Books in Series: 3
Summary: Since humanity has conquered death, scythes keep the population size under control. Two teens become unwilling apprentice to a scythe, forced to kill the other to survive.
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Date Published: 2017
Series: The Nyxia Triad #1
Number of Books in Series: 3
Summary: Emmet and nine other teens compete to determine who gets to go to a new planet and send much-needed wealth home to their families. Of course, the corporation in charge is hiding something. This is a sci-fi thriller with a complex cast of characters.
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Date Published: 2017
Series: The Marrow Thieves #1
Number of Books in Series: 2
Summary: In a future, dystopian society, people have lost the ability to dream, which leads to madness. The good news—there's a cure. The bad news—the cure is the marrow of North America's Indigenous people, who are mercilessly culled for it. In this story, a fifteen-year-old and his friends run from those trying to kill them for their bones.
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Date Published: 2017
Series: This Mortal Coil #1
Number of Books in Series: 3
Summary: Catarina's father, the world's leading geneticist, left her clues to find a vaccine he created for a virus threatening humanity. But the organization in charge of the world's genetic tech don't want her to find it. This is an action-packed sci-fi thriller in a post-apocalyptic setting.
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Date Published: 2018
Series: Skyward #1
Number of Books in Series: 4
Summary: Spensa lives on a planet where humans have almost gone extinct and live underground due to constant attacks from alien starfighters. She wants to become a pilot, but is not allowed due to family history. But when she finds an ancient, alien spaceship, her dream might be possible after all. This story has flight school, spaceship battles, a loveable A.I., a pet slug, secrets, and mysteries. It's one of my all-time favourites.
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Date Published: 2019
Series: War Girls #1
Number of Books in Series: 2
Summary: Inspired by the Nigerian Civil War, this is a soft sci-fi with cinematic battles that take place on a climate-ravaged, future Earth. Two sisters—a soldier and a tech genius—get separated and meet again years later as enemies. There are cybernetic enhancements, battle mechs, action, and heartbreaking moments.
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Date Published: 2021
Series: Gearbreakers #1
Number of Books in Series: 2
Summary: Eris Shindanai specializes in taking down giant mechs from the inside, but when a mission goes wrong, she ends up in prison. There, she meets Sona Steelcrest, a mech pilot, and they team up to destroy the tyrannical organization responsible for their people's oppression from within.
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Date Published: 2021
Series: Iron Widow #1
Number of Books in Series: 2
Summary: In this world inspired by ancient China, men and women are paired to pilot giant robots to fight mecha aliens. The women often die from the mental strain, which is seen as an unfortunate price of keeping the planet safe, but 18-year-old Zetian sees it is murder and wants revenge for her sister's death. A feminist revenge science fantasy for fans of mecha anime and Pacific Rim.
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Date Published: 2021
Series: The Darkness Outside Us #1
Number of Books in Series: 2
Summary: Ambrose wakes up without his memory on a mysterious space mission to save his sister, accompanied by his brooding, sworn enemy. It's a survival drama with unique characters, a mystery, and M/M romance.
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Date Published: 2022
Series: The Blood Gift Duology #1
Number of Books in Series: 2
Summary: Ikenna, who has a blood gift that must be kept secret at all costs, enters the brutal Praetorian Trials to discover who murdered her grandfather. This story blends magic with technology and is quite dark.
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