what are some good fiction/science fiction novels for an overaveraged 12 year old?

Question

I'm currently reading the Uglies trilogy, Bridge to Terabithia, and A Mango Shaped Space.

Answer 1

I really loved "A Wrinkle in Time". The characters are quirky, and you really grow to care for them. Also, the plot is quick moving and terribly engaging. It is actually the first book in a series of 3, I believe.

Have you read Phillip Pullman's his dark materials series? It begins with "The Golden Compass" then "The Subtle Knife" and "The Amber Spyglass". The beginning of The Golden Compass is a bit slow, but stick it through, because it is a wonderful series. And if you like that, read his Sally Lockhart series set in Victorian England. The first one is "A Ruby in the Smoke" (deals with murders, opium scandals, etc)

Also, "Fahrenheit 451" is excellent. It is about book burning and government etc. Very enjoyable.

"Howl's moving Castle" is a fun book. It was one of my favorites when I was younger. A girl who works in a hatshop gets turned into an old woman by a witch, and she "goes out to seek her fortune". Much more delightful than it sounds.

Answer 2

I enjoyed The Uglies, myself and I also just got Bridge to Terabithia.

Lois Lowry has a couple of others after The Giver. They are Gathering Blue and messenger.

Gary Paulsen has some good ones. He wrote Hatchet, the story of a boy that survives a small airplane crash - he must make his way in the wilderness alone. Soldier's Heart is historical fiction about a young boy leaving his home in Minnesota to fight in the Civil War.

There are a couple of other series I really enjoyed when I was about your age. They are sort of science fiction, I would say. One is by Piers Anthony and its his Adept series. The main character "lives" in two parallel worlds, and his role in each are very different.

Anne McCaffrey's Crystal Singer series is good, too. A musician who can't make the grade starts to "sing" crystal for a living. Money is great, but it affects an individual physically. This is a series I wish was more than three books.

Answer 3

There are tons of books out there for you to love, you overaveraged 12-yr old (lol I thought at first you wrote overaged... but I think I still get your point.) You mean you want books that are well-written and complex, but still enjoyable for your age - right?

The 1st book I think you will fall in love with (based on the other stuff you like) is "Enchantress from the Stars" by Sylvia Engdahl. About a 16 yr old girl who sneaks onto a spaceship and winds up having to be the first contact person with a culture on a new planet - who mistake her powers (both technological and she's telepathic) for magic. (there's also a little romance.) great book and back in print... yay.

If you haven't already gotten into madeleine L'Engle (a wrinkle in time, a wind in the door and a swiftly tilting planet) you should. Nice mix of realism and sci-fi. If you like them, you should dig further and check out some of her other books. (In general, her earlier stuff is better.) I got really into "Arm of the Starfish" and "Dragons in the Waters" - there's also the Vicky Austin books (meet the Austins, The moon by night and a ring of endless light). Vicky Austin stuff is more fiction and realistic than "Wrinkle" but some of her books tie characters from both series together, and Dragons in the Water is great if you like thrillers.

The Phillip Pullman "dark materials" trilogy is great (more fantasy than sci-fi) as is Garth Nix. His trilogy (Sabriel, Lirael and Abhorsen) is great fantasy but you might really like "Shade's Children" which is more sci-fi -ish. Also check out Mildred Ames (Anna to the Infinite Power), William Sleator (house of Stairs) and M.T. Anderson (Feed). All three authors write sci-fi for teens and all the books I mentioned are my favorites among many.

Answer 4

The Land of Elyon books by Patrick Carman
It's a trilogy about a girl who gets a special stone and finds out she can talk to animals. I thought they were good.
Tamora Pierce books were excellent!!
It's a fantasy about a girl who wants to become a knight and she also has magic powers...
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine
Goose Girl by Shannon Hale
This book was GREAT!! Another fantasy,lol, again. A princess who has a type of magic. She goes on a journey to her betrothes kingdom and....(sorry don't want to spoil it)
Kingdom Keepers by Ridley Pearson
A group of teenagers meet in their dreams to try and save Disney from being taken over by all the villains.
Peter and the Star Catchers by Dave Barry and Ridley Pearson
lol, if you can't tell it's about Peter from Peter Pan. The adventures he face are slightly different from the movie (if you've seen it)
All of those books are EXCELLENT!! I can't wait to find more like them!

Answer 5

Try:
The Pendragon Series by MacHale!
Very engaging. They're about a boy time traveler and his quest to save different worlds.

Gideon: The Cutpurse
A historical time travel book where two kids go back in time to the 17th century.

Alex Rider series by Anthony Horowitz
Tons of action and plot twists.

Answer 6

Philip Pullman - the dark materials trilogy
Garth Nix - Sabriel, Lyreal and Abhorsen

Answer 7

Try these:

The Giver by Lois Lowry

Invitation to the Game by Monica Hughes

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

You won't be disappointed with any of these even if you are "overaveraged!"

Answer 8

Science fiction: Philip K. Dick.
Fiction: At his age, I was wowed by "The Egyptian," by Mika Walthari. You may pick it up cheap on Amazon.com or Alibris.com.

Answer 9

I think it was a series called" The Nannies". It's a book about diversity. There was also "The Bartimaues Trilogy" . Tell me if you enjoy them.

Answer 10

Lord of the Rings
Chronicles of Narnie
OH!!! geez, I can't think of it... It's part of a series the only book I can think of is "A Swiftly Tilting planet"
"Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" <-- highly reccomend that one.