Airborn (Matt Cruse #1) – Kenneth Oppel

Matt Cruse is the 15-year-old cabin boy aboard the Aurora, the 900-foot luxury airship he has called home for the past two years. While crossing the Pacificus, Matt fearlessly rescues the unconscious pilot of a crippled hot air balloon. Before he dies, the balloonist tells him about the fantastic, impossible creatures he has seen flying through the clouds. Matt dismisses the story as the ravings of a dying man, but when Kate de Vries arrives on the Aurora a year later, determined to prove the story is true, Matt finds himself caught up in her quest. Then one night, over the middle of the ocean, deadly air pirates board the Aurora. Far from any hope of rescue, Kate and Matt are flung into adventures beyond all imagining. . .

Kenneth Oppel’s website

A Thousand Pieces of You – Claudia Gray

A thousand lives. A thousand possibilities. One fate.

Marguerite Caine’s parents are known for their radical scientific achievements. Their most astonishing invention is the Firebird, which allows users to jump into parallel universes, some vastly altered from our own. But when Marguerite’s father is murdered, the killer—her parent’s handsome and enigmatic assistant Paul—escapes into another dimension before the law can touch him. Marguerite can’t let the man who destroyed her family go free, and she races after Paul through different universes, where their lives entangle in increasingly familiar ways. With each encounter she begins to question Paul’s guilt—and her own heart. Soon she discovers the truth behind her father’s death is more sinister than she ever could have imagined.

A Thousand Pieces of You and the sequel, Ten Thousand Skies Above You, are also available as eBooks.

Claudia Gray’s website

An interview with Claudia Gray

I, Robot – Isaac Asimov

In this collection, one of the great classics of science fiction, Asimov chronicles the development of the robot through a series of interlinked stories: from its primitive origins to its ultimate perfection in the not-so-distant future–a future in which humanity itself may be rendered obsolete. Here are stories of robots gone mad, of mind-read robots, and robots with a sense of humour. Of robot politicians, and robots who secretly run the world–all told with the dramatic blend of science fact and science fiction that have become Asmiov’s trademark.

Erebos – Ursula Poznanski

(From Allen & Unwin)

‘Enter. Or turn back. This is Erebos.’

Nick is given a sinister but brilliant computer game called Erebos. The game is highly addictive but asks its players to carry out actions in the real world in order to keep playing online, actions which become more and more terrifyingly manipulative. As Nick loses friends and all sense of right and wrong in the real world, he gains power and advances further towards his online goal – to become one of the Inner Circle of Erebos. But what is virtual and what is reality? How far will Nick go to achieve his goal? And what does Erebos really want?

Partials – Dan Wells

(From Goodreads)

Humanity is all but extinguished after a war with Partials—engineered organic beings identical to humans—has decimated the population. Reduced to only tens of thousands by a weaponized virus to which only a fraction of humanity is immune, the survivors in North America have huddled together on Long Island. But sixteen-year-old Kira is determined to find a solution. As she tries desperately to save what is left of her race, she discovers that that the survival of both humans and Partials rests in her attempts to answer questions about the war’s origin that she never knew to ask.

Dan Wells’ website.

Partials book trailer:

The Host – Stephenie Meyer

(From Goodreads)

Melanie Stryder refuses to fade away. The earth has been invaded by a species that take over the minds of human hosts while leaving their bodies intact. Wanderer, the invading “soul” who has been given Melanie’s body, didn’t expect to find its former tenant refusing to relinquish possession of her mind.

As Melanie fills Wanderer’s thoughts with visions of Jared, a human who still lives in hiding, Wanderer begins to yearn for a man she’s never met. Reluctant allies, Wanderer and Melanie set off to search for the man they both love.

Featuring one of the most unusual love triangles in literature, The Host is a riveting and unforgettable novel about the persistence of love and the essence of what it means to be human.

The Host website.

The Host playlist.

Stephanie Meyer’s website.

The Host fan-made Pinterest board.

World War Z – Max Brooks

(From Goodreads)

The Zombie War came unthinkably close to eradicating humanity. Max Brooks, driven by the urgency of preserving the acid-etched first-hand experiences of the survivors from those apocalyptic years, traveled across the United States of America and throughout the world, from decimated cities that once teemed with upwards of thirty million souls to the most remote and inhospitable areas of the planet. He recorded the testimony of men, women, and sometimes children who came face-to-face with the living, or at least the undead, hell of that dreadful time. “World War Z” is the result. Never before have we had access to a document that so powerfully conveys the depth of fear and horror, and also the ineradicable spirit of resistance, that gripped human society through the plague years.

Ranging from the now infamous village of New Dachang in the United Federation of China, where the epidemiological trail began with the twelve-year-old Patient Zero, to the unnamed northern forests where untold numbers sought a terrible and temporary refuge in the cold, to the United States of Southern Africa, where the Redeker Plan provided hope for humanity at an unspeakable price, to the west-of-the-Rockies redoubt where the North American tide finally started to turn, this invaluable chronicle reflects the full scope and duration of the Zombie War.

Most of all, the book captures with haunting immediacy the human dimension of this epochal event. Facing the often raw and vivid nature of these personal accounts requires a degree of courage on the part of the reader, but the effort is invaluable because, as Mr. Brooks says in his introduction, “By excluding the human factor, aren’t we risking the kind of personal detachment from history that may, heaven forbid, lead us one day to repeat it? And in the end, isn’t the human factor the only true difference between us and the enemy we now refer to as ‘the living dead’?”

Max Brooks’ website.

World War Z zombie apocalypse survival guide Pinterest.

World War Z film trailer:

Unwind – Neal Shusterman

In America after the Second Civil War, the Pro-Choice and Pro-Life armies came to an agreement: The Bill of Life states that human life may not be touched from the moment of conception until a child reaches the age of thirteen. Between the ages of thirteen and eighteen, however, a parent may choose to retroactively get rid of a child through a process called “unwinding.” Unwinding ensures that the child’s life doesn’t “technically” end by transplanting all the organs in the child’s body to various recipients. Now a common and accepted practice in society, troublesome or unwanted teens are able to easily be unwound.

With breathtaking suspense, this book follows three teens who all become runaway Unwinds: Connor, a rebel whose parents have ordered his unwinding; Risa, a ward of the state who is to be unwound due to cost-cutting; and Lev, his parents’ tenth child whose unwinding has been planned since birth as a religious tithing. As their paths intersect and lives hang in the balance, Shusterman examines serious moral issues in a way that will keep readers turning the pages to see if Connor, Risa, and Lev avoid meeting their untimely ends.

Neal Shusterman’s website.

Neal Shusterman’s official Tumblr.

The Giver – Lois Lowry

(From Goodreads)

“I have great honor,” The Giver said. “So will you. But you will find that is not the same as power.”

Life in the community where Jonas lives is idyllic. Designated birthmothers produce newchildren, who are assigned to appropriate family units: one male, one female, to each. Citizens are assigned their partners and their jobs. No one thinks to ask questions. Everyone obeys. The community is a world without conflict, inequality, divorce, unemployment injustice…or choice.

Everyone is the same.

Except Jonas.

At the Ceremony of Twelve, the community’s twelve-year-olds eagerly accept their predetermined Life Assignments. But Jonas is chosen for something special. He begins instruction in his life’s work with a mysterious old man known only as The Giver. Gradually Jonas learns that power lies in feelings. But when his own power is put to the test—when he must try to save someone he loves—he may not be ready. Is it too soon? Or too late?

Lois Lowry’s website.

The Giver official trailer:

These Broken Stars – Amie Kaufman & Meagan Spooner

(From Goodreads)

It’s a night like any other on board the Icarus. Then, catastrophe strikes: the massive luxury spaceliner is yanked out of hyperspace and plummets into the nearest planet. Lilac LaRoux and Tarver Merendsen survive. And they seem to be alone.

Lilac is the daughter of the richest man in the universe. Tarver comes from nothing, a young war hero who learned long ago that girls like Lilac are more trouble than they’re worth. But with only each other to rely on, Lilac and Tarver must work together, making a tortuous journey across the eerie, deserted terrain to seek help.

Then, against all odds, Lilac and Tarver find a strange blessing in the tragedy that has thrown them into each other’s arms. Without the hope of a future together in their own world, they begin to wonder—would they be better off staying here forever?

Everything changes when they uncover the truth behind the chilling whispers that haunt their every step. Lilac and Tarver may find a way off this planet. But they won’t be the same people who landed on it.

A timeless love story, These Broken Stars sets into motion a sweeping science fiction series of companion novels. The Starbound Trilogy: Three worlds. Three love stories. One enemy.

These Broken  Stars website.

Amie Kaufman’s website, Tumblr, and Pinterest.

Meagan Spooner’s website, Tumblr, and Pinterest.

Every Day – David Levithan

Every day a different body. Every day a different life. Every day in love with the same girl.

There’s never any warning about where it will be or who it will be. A has made peace with that, even established guidelines by which to live: Never get too attached. Avoid being noticed. Do not interfere.

It’s all fine until the morning that A wakes up in the body of Justin and meets Justin’s girlfriend, Rhiannon. From that moment, the rules by which A has been living no longer apply. Because finally A has found someone he wants to be with—day in, day out, day after day.

David Levithan’s website.

David Levithan discusses Every Day:

The Selection (The Selection #1) – Kiera Cass

For thirty-five girls, the Selection is the chance of a lifetime. The opportunity to escape the life laid out for them since birth. To be swept up in a world of glittering gowns and priceless jewels. To live in a palace and compete for the heart of gorgeous Prince Maxon.

But for America Singer, being Selected is a nightmare. It means turning her back on her secret love with Aspen, who is a caste below her. Leaving her home to enter a fierce competition for a crown she doesn’t want. Living in a palace that is constantly threatened by violent rebel attacks.

Then America meets Prince Maxon. Gradually, she starts to question all the plans she’s made for herself–and realizes that the life she’s always dreamed of may not compare to a future she never imagined.

Kiera Cass’ website.

The Selection playlist.

Kiera Cass’ The Selection Pinterest page.

Book trailer:

More Than This – Patrick Ness

A boy named Seth drowns, desperate and alone in his final moments, losing his life as the pounding sea claims him. But then he wakes. He is naked, thirsty, starving. But alive. How is that possible? He remembers dying, his bones breaking, his skull dashed upon the rocks. So how is he here? And where is this place? It looks like the suburban English town where he lived as a child, before an unthinkable tragedy happened and his family moved to America. But the neighborhood around his old house is overgrown, covered in dust, and completely abandoned. What’s going on? And why is it that whenever he closes his eyes, he falls prey to vivid, agonizing memories that seem more real than the world around him? Seth begins a search for answers, hoping that he might not be alone, that this might not be the hell he fears it to be, that there might be more than just this. . . .

More Than This website.

Patrick Ness’ website.

More Than This book trailer:

Jordan Stryker: Bionic Agent – Malcolm Rose

Jordan Stryker owes his life to Unit Red, after they saved him from near death and rebuilt him with cutting-edge science. Now a Unit Red Agent with unbelievable powers, Jordan is on a mission: to track down a cyber-terrorist who’s destroying systems and causing death and devastation all over the globe. But now the super-hacker has a new target – Jordan himself – and soon Jordan is in a battle to stay alive. And it seems like the very technology that saved him might now be used to destroy him…

Usborne Children’s Books

The 5th Wave (The 5th Wave #1) – Rick Yancey

Cassie is on the run: from Them. The 5th wave is dawning and, after what has gone before, she cannot afford to trust anyone. Cassie thinks she will only be safe if she hides from other survivors and, of course, Them. However, when she comes across Evan Walker it’s not so easy to stay alone anymore. Especially not if she wants to have any hope of rescuing her brother. Taut and action-packed prose will keep you on the edge of your seat in this, the first instalment of the 5th Wave series.

Insignia (Insignia, #1) – S.J. Kincaid

Things don’t look good on Earth. Most of the natural resources have been depleted and a war is being fought to control the remaining natural assets of the solar system. World War Three is being played out – in space.

Tom Raines isn’t what you’d call a hero, but he is really – unbelievably – good at playing video games. His family life isn’t so great and so when he attracts the attention of the military advisors from the Spire, a Pentagon military installation, he accepts their offer. He is implanted with a neural implant which makes him super smart and the very way he deals with the world changes. And although life starts to look pretty good for Tom, there are challenges ahead that he doesn’t expect.

S.J. Kincaid

Cinder (Lunar Chronicles #1) – Marissa Meyer

This is not the Cinderella of the old fairy tale! This Cinder lives in a crowded, imagined Beijing of the future – filled with humans and cyborgs, they face plagues and attacks from an agressive lunar people. Lihn Cinder is a gifted mechanic, but she’s also a cyborg and a second class citizen, hated by her step-mother and step-sisters. But when the heir to the throne, Prince Kai, steps into her workshop one afternoon her whole life changes track and she is caught up in an inter-galactic struggle, which requires her to find out the truth about her own mysterious past.

RonReads

Storm (Elemental #1) – Brigid Kemmerer

The gorgeous and powerful Merrick brothers have a very strong connection to the elements: Michael controls earth, twins Gabriel and Nick control fire and air, and the youngest, Chris, controls water. They are young and their powers are untrained, but the other Elementals fear them. So when Becca Chandler saves Chris from being beaten up in the car park at school, little does she realise she is putting her own life in danger. And it’s not long before she starts to wonder if she has made a mistake trusting the new kid, Hunter, who keeps turning up at the wrong place at the right time.

Will Buster and the Gelmet Helmet – Odo Hirsch

Set in the future, Will Buster’s life is very different to ours: he learns history through computer teachers, whizzes around in a Hover-Pod and is served food by a Robo-Chef. One day at school, when he is sitting through another boring lesson about the wizard wars which dominated the 21st century, he discovers he is the recipient of a so-called opportunity-of-a-lifetime. He goes off to Professor Alphonse Gelmet’s Academy of Leadership Excellence which seems a little too good to be true – with special helmets to effortlessly feed knowledge into the student’s minds. But he soon realises that the truth is, literally, mind-altering.

QBD

The Lab (Agent Six of Hearts #1) – Jack Heath

Genetically modified super soldier, Six of Hearts works for the Deck as one of their most effective field agents. At only 16 years of age, he is responsible for dealing out justice in this near-future world which is run by an evil corporation. Incredibly action-packed, this novel is the first in a new series.

Pan Macmillan

Ready Player One – Ernest Cline

It’s the year 2044, and the real world is an ugly place.

Like most of humanity, Wade Watts escapes his grim surroundings by spending his waking hours plugged into the OASIS, a sprawling virtual utopia that lets you be anything you want to be, a place where you can live and play and fall in love on any of ten thousand planets. And like most of humanity, Wade dreams of being the one to discover the ultimate lottery ticket that lies concealed within this virtual world. For somewhere inside this giant networked playground, OASIS creator James Halliday has hidden a series of fiendish puzzles that will yield massive fortune–and remarkable power–to whoever can unlock them.

Watch the book trailer

Graeme’s Fantasy Book Review

BZRK (BZRK #1) – Michael Grant

This dystopian action adventure will take you into the world of the near future, where there is a war to control the human mind. Charles and Benjamin Armstrong are co-joined twins who own Armstrong’s Fancy Gifts Corporation and they have a vision: to turn the world into their vision of utopia. Although this means no conflict or hunger, it also means no free will. Opposing this ideal are BZRK a radical guerrila group of teens who just want to remain human. With a combination of brute force and nantechnology they fight hard, as the stakes of this battle are high: victory or madness? How far will they go to win?

Goodreads

Virals – Kathy Reichs

Tory Brennan, niece of forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan (of the Bones novels and hit TV show), lives on a secluded island off the coast of South Carolina. When Tory and her three friends – all boys, who are also science geeks, rescue a dog caged for medical testing on a nearby island, they are exposed to an experimental strain of canine parvovirus that changes their lives forever. As the friends discover their heightened senses and animal-quick reflexes, they must combine their scientific curiosity with their newfound physical gifts to solve a cold-case murder that has suddenly become very hot if they can stay alive long enough to catch the killer’s scent.

Fortunately, they are now more than friends they’re a pack. They are Virals

Goodreads

The hitch-hiker’s guide to the galaxy – Douglas Adams

This is the first in Adams’ trilogy (… which is in five parts) and unfortunately for protagonist Arthur Dent when he wakes up hung over one Thursday morning it is the beginning of his rather unexpected intergalactic space odyssey. Ridiculous and hilarious in equal measures, Arthur soon realises that his rather miserable Earth-bound existence was nothing compared to the challenges of navigating the distant reaches of space and time in his dressing gown, desperate for a cup of tea… Swept up into a space ship with his friend Ford Prefect – who turns out to be a hitch-hiking alien researching for the ultimate travel guide to the universe – Arthur heads off on an adventure that no one seems to know anything about.

Wikipedia

I am Number Four – Pittacus Lore

Nine teenagers came to Earth from the planet Lorien to escape the evil Mogadorian. Hiding on Earth, while waiting for their extraordinary powers to develop, they look like ordinary teenagers living ordinary lives. They are protected by a charm that means they can only be killed in numeric order. The first three are dead. John Smith is Number Four. And his mortal enemies are hunting him down. He must fight to save himself, the other five, his human friends, and the planet.
The first book in the Lorien Legacies series this is an exciting sci-fi thriller.

Visit the official I Am Number Four book website

I am number four fan site

I am number four video

Lettering

Dune – Frank Herbert

This epic novel tells an exciting and elaborate tale about a desert planet called Arrakis, the only planet with supplies of ‘Melange’ – the spice which enables interstellar travel and grants psychic powers and long life. However, the intricate power struggle between House Atreides and their mortal enemies House Harkonnens pits the planet’s tough, fanatical desert men in a clash with the corrupt imperialist leaders. This classic, multi-award winning, science fiction novel is suspenseful and sparkles with imagination – if you like sci-fi, this is a must read.

My Kinda Sci-Fi

George’s secret key to the universe – Lucy and Stephen Hawking

Take a rollercoaster ride through the vastness of space with George, his new friends next door – the scientist Eric and his daughter, Annie – and a super-intelligent computer called Cosmos. Cosmos can take them to the edge of a black hole and back again… Or can it? And, who else would like to get their hands on Cosmos?
This funny adventure story written by Stephen Hawking – considered one of the most brilliant theoretical physicists since Einstein – and his daughter, Lucy, reveals the mysteries of space, time and the Universe!

George’s Secret Key to the Universe website

Fantastic Fiction

Little brother – Cory Doctorow

Seventeen-year-old Marcus is tech-savvy, a gamer and a hacker. But his whole world changes when he and his friends are caught in the wrong place at the wrong time after a major terrorist attack on San Francisco. Taken to a secret prison they are interrogated for days by the Department of Homeland Security. On release Marcus is a marked man and he discovers that the citizens of his city are now under constant surveillance and everyone is treated like a potential terrorist. He knows that no one will believe his story, which leaves him only one option: to take down the DHS himself. Set in the near future this is an exciting thriller of a techno-revolution.

Cosmos

Ender’s Game – Orson Scott Card

In 2135 humans have been at war with an alien insect-like race for over a hundred years. The ‘Buggers’ have twice invaded Earth and a third invasion is feared. Earth has tried to breed its next commander. Andrew ‘Ender’ Wiggin, an extraordinary child the result of genetic experimentation, is only six years old when he is sent to the space station Battle School for rigorous military training. Growing up in an artificial community of child soldiers he must survive isolation and persecution.

But Ender has a brother and sister who were also bred for command but ultimately failed the military’s test. Back on Earth, they begin working together to shape the destiny of Earth – an Earth that has no future at all if their brother Ender fails.

Is Ender the military genius Earth desperately needs?

Amazon

The Softwire (Virus on Orbis: 1) – PJ Haarsma

Twelve-year-old Johnny Turnbull (JT) is one of 200 parentless children on the spaceship Renaissance headed to the Rings of Orbis. On arrival the children are shocked to learn that they must work as slaves for aliens to repay their passage. When it is discovered that JT is a softwire, a human able to communicate telepathically with computers, he is both feared and wanted by different factions. But then the computer that runs the operations on Orbis 1 starts to malfunction and JT becomes the prime suspect. While fighting to stay alive JT must prove his innocence and solve the mystery of what threatens Orbis, before time runs out. This riveting, fast-paced, sci-fi adventure is the first in a quartet.

Fantasy book critic

Time riders – Alex Scarrow

Liam O’Connor should have died at sea in 1912. Maddy Carter should have died on a plane in 2010. Sal Vikram should have died in a fire in 2026. But all three have been given a second chance – to work for an agency that no-one knows exists. Its purpose – to prevent time travel destroying history . . . The team’s first mission is to stop a brilliant physicist from the future altering the past and leading Nazi Germany to victory over the allies

Time Riders

The Cure – Michael Coleman

 In this science fiction story set on a future earth, the government has outlawed all forms of religious belief – except for a belief in science, based on evolution and Darwinism. The population is indoctrinated from a young age, and children who show signs of independent thought are “treated” by healers. Raul and his half sister Arym fall into this category and are sent to an isolated island to have their doubts educated out of them (or if that fails, stronger measures can be applied). This compelling and thought-provoking story about the price of freedom to believe what you want and the pressure to conform, is also an emotionally moving story.

Fantastic Fiction

Gone – Michael Grant

In the blink of an eye, everyone older than thirteen disappears. Suddenly there are no adults, teachers, police, doctors or parents. There are also no phones, internet or television. No way to figure out what’s happened. And no way to get help.
Hunger threatens. Bullies rule. A sinister creature lurks. Animals are mutating. And the teens themselves are changing, developing new talents—unimaginable, dangerous, deadly powers—that grow stronger by the day. It’s a terrifying new world. Sides are being chosen, a fight is shaping up. And time is running out: On your birthday, you disappear just like everyone else…

Boomerang Books

Mortal Engines – Philip Reeve

Imagine a futuristic world where whole cities are mobile and roam the devastated landscape looking for smaller cities to devour and recycle for scrap metal and fuel. This is the world of Tom Natsworthy, who with a cast of memorable characters becomes involved in an exciting and unpredictable adventure, leading to an explosive climax. This very original science fiction/fantasy has it all – murder, intrigue, war, betrayal, fear, courage, friendship and love.
Recommended age: 14+

Fantastic fiction

Uglies – Scott Westerfeld

Tally is about to turn sixteen and about to turn pretty. In Tally’s world at 16 everyone has an operation that changes them from an ‘ugly’ to supermodel gorgeous and life becomes one big party. But Tally’s new friend Shay isn’t sure she wants to be pretty and is willing to risk life on the outside. When Shay runs away Tally discovers that all is not pretty in Pretty Town. The authorities give her a choice, betray her friend or never turn pretty. Tally must decide.
‘Uglies’ is the first in a fascinating trilogy and is followed by ‘Pretties’ and ‘Specials’.
Recommended age: 13+

Shiny Shiny

The speed of the dark – Alex Shearer

When Chris Mallan, an obsessive scientist with a mysterious past, suddenly disappears, he leaves behind a manuscript telling the extraordinary story of his life: a story about a brilliant artist who can reduce matter to a miniature size. A story of an imprisonment that can never end and a boy’s search to find the people he loves. This is a fascinating and disturbing story of a terrible crime.
Recommended age: 13+

Fantastic fiction

Midnighters 1: the secret hour – Scott Westerfeld

Strange things happen at midnight in Bixby, Oklahoma. For one secret hour each night, the town belongs to the dark creatures that haunt the shadows. Only a small group of people can experience the secret hour – the Midnighters, people born at the stroke of midnight, who each possess a special power. When fifteen-year-old Jessica Day moves to Bixby the dark creatures suddenly become more violent and aggressive as they sense a hidden power in Jessica . . . and they’re determined to stop her before she can use it. Part science fiction, part horror story, this novel is the first in the mesmerizing Midnighters trilogy
Recommended age: 13+

Bart’s Bookshelf

The Sterkarm handshake – Susan Price

FUP have built a time tube back to the 16th century. It is Andrea’s job to live with and report on the Sterkarms. The Sterkarms are a proud people who are fiercely loyal to their own clan, but savage and ruthless in dealing with their enemies. FUP offer the Sterkarms asprin and other trinkets for the right to exploit their natural resources. But when the Sterkarms feel betrayed a handshake means nothing and war erupts between the two centuries. Andrea, who is in love with Per, son of the Sterkarm chieftain, is caught between two loyalties and two worlds. This is a rich and absorbing tale of true love, treachery, greed and tragedy.
Recommended age: 15+

Wikipedia

The fall of Reach (Halo series: 1) – Eric Nylund

In the 26th century, humankind has taken to the stars and is warring against powerful aliens. Humans fight using spaceships, nuclear weapons, and super-soldiers, code-named Spartans: people who have been transformed by science into stronger, faster, highly advanced warriors. Now, as the ferocious alien race, The Covenant advances, destroying planet after planet until it reaches the planet ‘Reach’, a handful of Spartans stand ready to wage ultimate war, led by the master chief as he strives to prevent the destruction of the human race.
This book is the prequel to the xbox game ‘halo’.
Recommended age: 13+

Hipichicken’s blog

Shade’s children – Garth Nix

A fascinating look at a future society where children are used as pawns in dangerous games.
Recommended age: 13+

Fantastic fiction

Protus Rising – Ken Catran

When Declan awakes from cryogenic deep sleep aboard a spaceship on its way to Jupiter, he awakes to a nightmare. The crew is being murdered one by one by someone or something. With the commander missing, Declan must take control but he no longer knows who he can trust and they still have to fulfill the spaceship’s mission. Protus, a biologically engineered giant fish-like creature, with the ability to survive and adapt to extreme conditions, must be released into the seas of Jupiter. This is a gripping sci-fi thriller of deception and intrigue.
Recommended age: 12+

Holistic Page

Jumpman – James Valentine

In the future in fifteen billion and seventy-three, TimeJumping is what teenagers love to do. Theodore Pine wins a competition to be the first to try the new JumpMan Pro. But when he lands in the third millennium in Gen’s bedroom and he’s visible to Gen and Jules, he realizes something has gone terribly wrong. While trying to keep Theo’s presence a secret and help him return to his own time, Jules and Gen land in some tricky situations and do some TimeJumping themselves to the sites of great moments in history. A very funny and thought-provoking SF story which explores the nature of time.
Recommended age: 11+

Gold Creek

Doomsday book – Connie Willis

In 2048 Kivrin, a history student, travels back in time to an English village in the 14th century. Kivrin is accidentally sent back not to 1320 but to 1348 – right into the path of the Black Death. Soon, the entire village lies dying from the horrible bubonic plague that ravaged Europe.

Meanwhile, back in the future, her rescuers in Oxford battle their own deadly epidemic while trying desperately to rescue her. Plague dominates both centuries as the tension builds in this gripping novel of suffering and hope in a stunning blend of science fiction and historical reconstruction.
Recommended age: 14+

Borders

Unique – Alison Allen-Gray

Dominic always thought he was the only child of his wealthy parents. That was until he found a photo of a brother who looked just like him. What is the secret surrounding his brother and why are people desperate to stop him finding out the truth? Set in the near future this is a gripping novel which explores the possibilities of genetic engineering and their effect on the individual.

Recommended age: 13+

Fantastic fiction

Eye to eye – Catherine Jinks

A clever story of what happens when a boy from a primitive society meets an almost-human computer on a crashed spaceship
Recommended age: 12+

Cleveland HS

Galax-Arena – Gillian Rubinstein

Three children are kidnapped and taken to the galax arena where they are kept prisoner and become entertainers and pets for aliens.
Recommended age: 11+

Penguin

The future trap – Catherine Jinks

Paula is kidnapped and transported to a space colony 5000 years into the future. Her presence there could save an entire species. But what of her future back on earth? Is she trapped on Gnosis-10 forever? A compelling adventure.
Recommended age: 11+

Catherine Jinks

Maphead – Lesley Howarth

Maphead is a boy whose father is an alien and his mother a human being. This unusual, funny and moving story is about when Maphead meets his mother for the first time.
Recommended age: 11+

Fantastic fiction

Portal bandits – Jim Schembri

Three teenagers. Two universes. One mission. Three school kids are asked to travel to a parallel universe and risk their lives in an interplanetary war.
Recommended age: 11+

The war of the worlds – H. G. Wells

One of the most significant and disturbing science-fiction novels of all time, The War of the Worlds opens with the narrator going to investigate a strange cylindrical object which has fallen from the sky. Imagine his horror as he comes to realise he is witness to an alien invasion of Earth, and he is forced to run for his life! Pitiless and menacing, the aliens kill with black smoke and heat rays, leaving a trail of death and destruction in their path. With the hero desperately trying to stay alive in seemingly impossible circumstances, this is a thrilling and suspenseful novel.

Fantastic fiction