Great SciFi books for an 11 yr old girl obsessed with Star Wars trivia?
August 18, 2016 11:19 AM Subscribe
She doesn't need any more Star Wars trivia books.
She's gifted, reads at an adult level, is super-knowledgeable about science- especially natural sciences-, but hey, she's just turning 11 and is a bit immature. She doesn't need any graphic sex scenes or horrendous gore.
I'd love to find her some books that are really well-written and that will challenge her to think.
Has she read A Wrinkle in Time and the sequels?
posted by hobgadling at 11:35 AM on August 18, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by hobgadling at 11:35 AM on August 18, 2016 [1 favorite]
If she's imaginative in terms of social sciences, Ursula le Guin is a great choice; The Dispossessed and The Left Hand of Darkness, among others. These might be a bit too heady if she's not discovered politics and social thought yet. Rocannon's World is an enjoyable Le Guin that's a bit lighter, and the beginning is adapted from a short story, "Semley's Necklace", that I suspect contains the key to all SF inside it. It's so good.
For somewhat 'harder' SF I WANT to suggest Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars Trilogy as it's fantastically crunchy SF that will fire your imagination about Mars colonization, but I haven't read them in a long time and I'm concerned that they might have some overly-adult sections. Perhaps someone else could chime in.
posted by selfnoise at 11:36 AM on August 18, 2016 [3 favorites]
For somewhat 'harder' SF I WANT to suggest Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars Trilogy as it's fantastically crunchy SF that will fire your imagination about Mars colonization, but I haven't read them in a long time and I'm concerned that they might have some overly-adult sections. Perhaps someone else could chime in.
posted by selfnoise at 11:36 AM on August 18, 2016 [3 favorites]
Lauren Ipsum is a cross between computer science and Alice in Wonderland.
posted by MonkeyToes at 11:38 AM on August 18, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by MonkeyToes at 11:38 AM on August 18, 2016 [1 favorite]
This might be a tad bit obvious, but if you don't know then maybe not, but there are actually star wars novels. I grew up reading them and they are all pretty awesome! They are now called "star wars legends" because they rebooted the lore of the series when disney took it over, but a lot of the books are great. I would start with The Han Solo Trilogy if your library has them!
Another series I really liked at that age (though not sci-fi, but fantasy) was the Xanth series of novels by Piers Anthony. They DO have some sex in them, I remember it being scandalous, but as an adult they're actually pretty mild. They have a lot of real groaners of puns in them, but I thought they were really funny from when I was like 11-15.
I recently read Artemis Awakening and found that it would have been really good if I was younger.
posted by euphoria066 at 11:38 AM on August 18, 2016
Another series I really liked at that age (though not sci-fi, but fantasy) was the Xanth series of novels by Piers Anthony. They DO have some sex in them, I remember it being scandalous, but as an adult they're actually pretty mild. They have a lot of real groaners of puns in them, but I thought they were really funny from when I was like 11-15.
I recently read Artemis Awakening and found that it would have been really good if I was younger.
posted by euphoria066 at 11:38 AM on August 18, 2016
Best answer: Skullduggery Pleasant - the series starts out very well written and though it may get a bit long and repetitive, that takes 8 books to happen so she will enjoy the ride.
Legend, Prodigy and Champion by Marie Lu - This series doesn't decline in quality at all. There is some violence, but it is Star Wars level stuff with government bad guys and rebels fighting against them.
posted by soelo at 11:41 AM on August 18, 2016
Legend, Prodigy and Champion by Marie Lu - This series doesn't decline in quality at all. There is some violence, but it is Star Wars level stuff with government bad guys and rebels fighting against them.
posted by soelo at 11:41 AM on August 18, 2016
Best answer: The Divergent series is another one that she may like.
posted by soelo at 11:42 AM on August 18, 2016
posted by soelo at 11:42 AM on August 18, 2016
Best answer: Oooooooh I'm excited to answer this question, as a former gifted 11yo with a penchant for science fiction. Almost 20 years later I'm still completely in love with it. You're right though, lots of the most excellent classics feature sex (not graphic, but it's there) and/or gore. And many are downright terrifying, covering nuclear war, totalitarian governments, etc. But I think there are some good options for an 11yo, and in a couple more years the doors will be wide open for her.
1. The Forgotten Door by Alexander Key, and The Giver by Lois Lowry. You've probably heard of the latter; the former is less known. They're both written for young adults, but neither is childish and they are full of good questions and big ideas.
2. Some of Stanislaw Lem's compilations, especially The Cyberiad, are awesome at her age. I love Lem's work with a passion, but it's misogynistic and dense and probably better to wait a couple years for the novels.
3. A Wrinkle in Time and all of its sequels, for sure.
4. Ender's Game, perfect for her age I think.
5. Might try out The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester. It's edgy, almost like the first cyberpunk novel, decades early. Less depressing and more accessible than Neuromancer, I feel. Might also try Bester's The Demolished Man, which starts off a little stuffy for an 11 yo but picks up pace really fast.
6. Ursula Le Guin is my favorite writer, and I think The Lathe of Heaven would be great for an 11 year old. It's a beautiful little thought experiment. The Word for World is Forest is also a beautiful, short, idea-packed novel, but it's a little scarier. Maybe in another year, The Dispossessed, my favorite novel of all time. (There's a fair bit of discussion about sex though.)
7. I think she's at a great age for I, Robot. The Foundation series is pretty dry and I didn't love it until my late teens, but I, Robot gets you straight to the ideas without much politics in the way :)
Not strictly science fiction, more like a science fiction - fantasy fusion, but So You Want To Be A Wizard by Diane Duane (and its sequels) is great. The Golden Compass is in a similar genre and I *ADORED* it at 11, with a passion.
posted by Cygnet at 11:44 AM on August 18, 2016 [2 favorites]
1. The Forgotten Door by Alexander Key, and The Giver by Lois Lowry. You've probably heard of the latter; the former is less known. They're both written for young adults, but neither is childish and they are full of good questions and big ideas.
2. Some of Stanislaw Lem's compilations, especially The Cyberiad, are awesome at her age. I love Lem's work with a passion, but it's misogynistic and dense and probably better to wait a couple years for the novels.
3. A Wrinkle in Time and all of its sequels, for sure.
4. Ender's Game, perfect for her age I think.
5. Might try out The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester. It's edgy, almost like the first cyberpunk novel, decades early. Less depressing and more accessible than Neuromancer, I feel. Might also try Bester's The Demolished Man, which starts off a little stuffy for an 11 yo but picks up pace really fast.
6. Ursula Le Guin is my favorite writer, and I think The Lathe of Heaven would be great for an 11 year old. It's a beautiful little thought experiment. The Word for World is Forest is also a beautiful, short, idea-packed novel, but it's a little scarier. Maybe in another year, The Dispossessed, my favorite novel of all time. (There's a fair bit of discussion about sex though.)
7. I think she's at a great age for I, Robot. The Foundation series is pretty dry and I didn't love it until my late teens, but I, Robot gets you straight to the ideas without much politics in the way :)
Not strictly science fiction, more like a science fiction - fantasy fusion, but So You Want To Be A Wizard by Diane Duane (and its sequels) is great. The Golden Compass is in a similar genre and I *ADORED* it at 11, with a passion.
posted by Cygnet at 11:44 AM on August 18, 2016 [2 favorites]
5. Might try out The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester.
Just wanted to drop in a little warning; I wanted to recommend this book, but it contains a (non-graphic) scene of sexual assault so I'd put it in the nope column. I can't remember The Demolished Man well enough, OTOH. Both are fantastic novels for adults, so long as you remember the era in which they were written.
posted by selfnoise at 11:47 AM on August 18, 2016 [3 favorites]
Just wanted to drop in a little warning; I wanted to recommend this book, but it contains a (non-graphic) scene of sexual assault so I'd put it in the nope column. I can't remember The Demolished Man well enough, OTOH. Both are fantastic novels for adults, so long as you remember the era in which they were written.
posted by selfnoise at 11:47 AM on August 18, 2016 [3 favorites]
Gonna have to disagree with the Xanth recommendation very strongly. The female characters are literally all blow up doll props for sex jokes, and I hope the books fade rapidly out of public acceptance for young people of all gender identities.
James S.A. Corey's Expanse series reallllly scratches that space opera itch, and I have no recollection of explicit sexy times in them.
She might enjoy Ann Leckie's Ancillary series as well, though genocide as a concept does feature pretty prominently.
Sharon Shinn wrote a series of books set on a planet called Samaria which are seemingly about angels, but are actually about space colonization, and though they do have tons of romance, there is no actual sex at all.
posted by zinful at 11:49 AM on August 18, 2016 [10 favorites]
James S.A. Corey's Expanse series reallllly scratches that space opera itch, and I have no recollection of explicit sexy times in them.
She might enjoy Ann Leckie's Ancillary series as well, though genocide as a concept does feature pretty prominently.
Sharon Shinn wrote a series of books set on a planet called Samaria which are seemingly about angels, but are actually about space colonization, and though they do have tons of romance, there is no actual sex at all.
posted by zinful at 11:49 AM on August 18, 2016 [10 favorites]
Thanks for pointing that out, selfnoise, I'd forgotten that scene and I agree with you. I read The Demolished Man much more recently, and while it is FULL of almost cartoonish violence (and it's a murder mystery!) it's a bit less intense. Still, perhaps caution advised...
posted by Cygnet at 11:51 AM on August 18, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by Cygnet at 11:51 AM on August 18, 2016 [1 favorite]
Why not some good sci fi anthologies? IMHO that is where sci fi really shines anyway. Most any collection of Hugo or Nebula winners would do, or a best of collection from one or another famous author.
Le Guin has some books written more for kids that I enjoyed when I was younger, the Earthsea Cycle. (and I think there are others as well)
I always loved Arthur C. Clarke (Rama, 2001, etc...) as a kid as well despite it being "serious" sci fi.
posted by ropeladder at 11:52 AM on August 18, 2016 [3 favorites]
Le Guin has some books written more for kids that I enjoyed when I was younger, the Earthsea Cycle. (and I think there are others as well)
I always loved Arthur C. Clarke (Rama, 2001, etc...) as a kid as well despite it being "serious" sci fi.
posted by ropeladder at 11:52 AM on August 18, 2016 [3 favorites]
I'll second the suggestion of the Diane Duane books; and as much as Orson Scott Card's politics pain me, Ender's Game and its sequels will probably be thoroughly enjoyed by your average 11-year-old.
I'll also suggest Rendezvous With Rama by Arthur C. Clarke. The sequels (basically written by Gentry Lee) are not nearly as good, and also have more adult content.
posted by Johnny Assay at 11:52 AM on August 18, 2016 [3 favorites]
I'll also suggest Rendezvous With Rama by Arthur C. Clarke. The sequels (basically written by Gentry Lee) are not nearly as good, and also have more adult content.
posted by Johnny Assay at 11:52 AM on August 18, 2016 [3 favorites]
Oh! As a general fantasy recommendation for adult level younger readers, Tad Williams writes extremely tame, plot driven fantasy that prominently displays excellent world building. I think I found Tailchaser's Song at around 11 and I seriously devoured everything else Williams wrote.
posted by zinful at 11:54 AM on August 18, 2016
posted by zinful at 11:54 AM on August 18, 2016
Oh also, I never touched the stuff but I gather that there are a ton of actual star wars books out there if you're having a hard time convincing her to try new things. (unless that's what you already meant by 'trivia books')
posted by ropeladder at 11:58 AM on August 18, 2016
posted by ropeladder at 11:58 AM on August 18, 2016
Best answer: Please don't give her Xanth books! Revisiting the sad, misogynistic fantasy of Xanth
There is so much good middle-grade fantasy and science fiction being published these days; I'd recommend taking her to your local library and asking the librarian to recommend some books. If you don't have access to a librarian, find a few books that she likes and play around in Goodreads to see what people who liked that book also liked.
I have a daughter near this age and some of the books she has enjoyed recently include:
Mars Evacuees by Sophia McDougall is about a group of kids who are evacuated to Mars to protect them from war on Earth.
Shadows of Sherwood by Kekla Magoon is a dystopia with a girl Robin Hood character.
Other authors/series to investigate include: Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer, the Bartimaeus series by Jonathan Stroud, the Lockwood & Co. series (also by Jonathan Stroud), the Masterminds books by Gordon Korman, Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan, and graphic novels like Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson.
Give her lots of different choices; just because she likes Star Wars trivia, don't think that she's only interested in science fiction.
She's 11 and a strong reader, but get her books appropriate for kids; she doesn't necessarily need or want adult fiction.
posted by mogget at 11:58 AM on August 18, 2016 [4 favorites]
There is so much good middle-grade fantasy and science fiction being published these days; I'd recommend taking her to your local library and asking the librarian to recommend some books. If you don't have access to a librarian, find a few books that she likes and play around in Goodreads to see what people who liked that book also liked.
I have a daughter near this age and some of the books she has enjoyed recently include:
Mars Evacuees by Sophia McDougall is about a group of kids who are evacuated to Mars to protect them from war on Earth.
Shadows of Sherwood by Kekla Magoon is a dystopia with a girl Robin Hood character.
Other authors/series to investigate include: Artemis Fowl by Eoin Colfer, the Bartimaeus series by Jonathan Stroud, the Lockwood & Co. series (also by Jonathan Stroud), the Masterminds books by Gordon Korman, Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan, and graphic novels like Roller Girl by Victoria Jamieson.
Give her lots of different choices; just because she likes Star Wars trivia, don't think that she's only interested in science fiction.
She's 11 and a strong reader, but get her books appropriate for kids; she doesn't necessarily need or want adult fiction.
posted by mogget at 11:58 AM on August 18, 2016 [4 favorites]
Apropos the recent FPP, Ted Chiang's shorts. Especially Exhalation, and the one about the precog machine. Sensawunda in spades. Asimov's The Last Question. Fritz Leiber's A Pail of Air. Terry Pratchett's Equal Rites or Pyramids. The Djinn's Wife, Ian McDonald.
Most of these are shorts, because they're built around single strong ideas that made me go "woah" at some point in my life.
Kage Baker's Company series.
Is there any sex in the uplift saga? I feel it might fit, but I haven't read all of it.
She probably hasn't seen Farscape, or SG-1. SG-1, especially, has a fantastic overall background arc where the humans are learning from the technology they're scavenging from the rest of the universe. Their first ship is an alien fighter with a human cockpit strapped on, their last ship has the alien tech much, much more integrated.
posted by Leon at 11:59 AM on August 18, 2016
Most of these are shorts, because they're built around single strong ideas that made me go "woah" at some point in my life.
Kage Baker's Company series.
Is there any sex in the uplift saga? I feel it might fit, but I haven't read all of it.
She probably hasn't seen Farscape, or SG-1. SG-1, especially, has a fantastic overall background arc where the humans are learning from the technology they're scavenging from the rest of the universe. Their first ship is an alien fighter with a human cockpit strapped on, their last ship has the alien tech much, much more integrated.
posted by Leon at 11:59 AM on August 18, 2016
I would second the recommendation for Diane Duane, both her Young Wizards books and her Star Trek books. Also the Mageworlds books, by Debra Doyle and James McDonald, are very Star Wars-ey: space fantasy/space operas with lots of scope.
As I recall, Vonda McIntyre's Starfarers books are very fun space opera -- they started out as a joke about a non-existent tv show, then she wrote them.
Andre Norton has a lot of exciting space adventures with young people that have limited violence and no sex. You'd want to check for the ones with female leads, though, since most of the earlier ones take place in a universe apparently populated only by men. :D
posted by suelac at 12:05 PM on August 18, 2016 [1 favorite]
As I recall, Vonda McIntyre's Starfarers books are very fun space opera -- they started out as a joke about a non-existent tv show, then she wrote them.
Andre Norton has a lot of exciting space adventures with young people that have limited violence and no sex. You'd want to check for the ones with female leads, though, since most of the earlier ones take place in a universe apparently populated only by men. :D
posted by suelac at 12:05 PM on August 18, 2016 [1 favorite]
The older Star Trek tie-in novels generally, I think. They're pretty relentlessly PG. It's a long series so obviously quality will vary, but many of them are quite enjoyable. Janet Kagan's Uhura's Song in particular foregrounds cultural interchange as a means of problem-solving.
posted by praemunire at 12:11 PM on August 18, 2016
posted by praemunire at 12:11 PM on August 18, 2016
House of Stairs by William Sleator.
The Sword in the Spirits Trilogy (first book is called The Prince in Waiting) by John Christopher.
posted by grouse at 12:12 PM on August 18, 2016 [1 favorite]
The Sword in the Spirits Trilogy (first book is called The Prince in Waiting) by John Christopher.
posted by grouse at 12:12 PM on August 18, 2016 [1 favorite]
The Diane Duane Young Wizards books are so nice and thick and have great ideas in them; as a voracious reader, I would have loved them at that age.
The Martian Chronicles would be a fun pick; they're vintage and sci-fi and the book looks quite small, but Bradbury's writing style made me slow down and think about each sentence.
posted by redsparkler at 12:12 PM on August 18, 2016
The Martian Chronicles would be a fun pick; they're vintage and sci-fi and the book looks quite small, but Bradbury's writing style made me slow down and think about each sentence.
posted by redsparkler at 12:12 PM on August 18, 2016
Oh, and the great thing about Young Wizards is that they really are sciencey more than they are fantasy. When I first read them a couple years ago, I felt like they were a fresh interpretation of the idea of magic powers, and those are hard to find.
posted by redsparkler at 12:13 PM on August 18, 2016
posted by redsparkler at 12:13 PM on August 18, 2016
The Tripods series by John Christopher.
posted by metasarah at 12:20 PM on August 18, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by metasarah at 12:20 PM on August 18, 2016 [1 favorite]
John Christopher's The Lotus Caves made a lasting impression on me around that age, and to a lesser extent his Tripod books (although I never read When the Tripods Came.) They're written for young adults. Caveat: All of the protagonists are boys, and given that they were written in the 1960s it wouldn't surprise me if there were casual sexism/misogyny sprinkled throughout. I haven't read them in a long, long time and I don't remember anything blatant, but as a boy growing up in the 1980s I probably wouldn't have thought anything of it.
Nthing that Xanth (previous discussion of the above AV Club article on Metafilter) is skeevy and gross. I remember Rendezvous with Rama being good except for a couple of unfortunate asides like the one described here. There's some of that in Asimov's work too. (Ever since this comment by emjaybee I've adopted the term "pipe-and-slippers sci-fi" when thinking about that era.)
posted by usonian at 12:21 PM on August 18, 2016
Nthing that Xanth (previous discussion of the above AV Club article on Metafilter) is skeevy and gross. I remember Rendezvous with Rama being good except for a couple of unfortunate asides like the one described here. There's some of that in Asimov's work too. (Ever since this comment by emjaybee I've adopted the term "pipe-and-slippers sci-fi" when thinking about that era.)
posted by usonian at 12:21 PM on August 18, 2016
Best answer: A friend's kid is into Jules Verne, Journey into the Center of the Earth and is at a similar reading level and maturity level.
Lloyd Alexander, Jane Yolen, Robin McKinley, Isaac Asimov and Ursula LeGuin all have youth titles that were engaging at that age.
posted by typecloud at 12:21 PM on August 18, 2016
Lloyd Alexander, Jane Yolen, Robin McKinley, Isaac Asimov and Ursula LeGuin all have youth titles that were engaging at that age.
posted by typecloud at 12:21 PM on August 18, 2016
Best answer: Oh, of course! LeGuin has a relatively new YA trilogy called the Annals of the Western Shore: highly recommended.
posted by suelac at 12:33 PM on August 18, 2016
posted by suelac at 12:33 PM on August 18, 2016
The culture novels are very good and very space operatic. (Ian M. Banks)
If you want something on a similar grand scale but darker, Revelation Space books are good. (Alastair Reynolds)
posted by poe at 12:43 PM on August 18, 2016
If you want something on a similar grand scale but darker, Revelation Space books are good. (Alastair Reynolds)
posted by poe at 12:43 PM on August 18, 2016
Please don't give her Xanth books!
huh! I mean, I guess it's possible!? It's been a long time since I've read them! Okay, skip those then, since the recommendation came out of my own youthful enjoyment of them, maybe I'd find them gross as an adult!
Maybe discworld then as a fantasy series? I liked Equal Rites a lot in particular, and pratchett's witches are great.
posted by euphoria066 at 12:45 PM on August 18, 2016
huh! I mean, I guess it's possible!? It's been a long time since I've read them! Okay, skip those then, since the recommendation came out of my own youthful enjoyment of them, maybe I'd find them gross as an adult!
Maybe discworld then as a fantasy series? I liked Equal Rites a lot in particular, and pratchett's witches are great.
posted by euphoria066 at 12:45 PM on August 18, 2016
When I was a kid I was nuts for Heinlein's kid books like Red Planet. The chief drawback there is that it may eventually lead her into reading his adult books.
posted by Ursula Hitler at 1:40 PM on August 18, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by Ursula Hitler at 1:40 PM on August 18, 2016 [1 favorite]
Best answer: Kids are weirdly fussy and don't always like our carefully selected recommendations, so I recommend getting 2 or 3 books for her to check out in case one bombs. Having said that, I have a nerdy girl, big reader, emotionally kind of immature, very intellectually precocious, and here are some books she's grooved on:
Discworld - my kid started reading them herself at maybe 8 or 9 and has read and adored every. single. one. I made her wait to read a couple of the more intense ones. Most are PG.
Star Trek and Star Wars novels
Star Wars: Scoundrels is a heist novel.
PG rated detective novels like the Bernie Rhodenbarr series.
The Brown Paper School Books (a bit young but my kid kept re-reading them until recently)
How Not to be Wrong (a bit dense but in a year or two she might groove on this as much as my daughter did)
What If? (My kid was practically peeing her pants laughing for half this book)
Xanth. I don't know - I read them as a kid. I'm still a fairly radical feminist I let her read them. She is still a feminist kid.They are sexist but shit, she has critical reading skills.
Callahan's Crosstime Saloon
Check out the many new feminist and smart comics on offer. Lumberjanes comes to mind, but i suggest asking at your local comic shop for feminist comics appropriate for her age.
Sadly, my kid has never grooved on LeGuin. She didn't like Narnia either. There's no accounting for taste.
posted by latkes at 2:31 PM on August 18, 2016
Discworld - my kid started reading them herself at maybe 8 or 9 and has read and adored every. single. one. I made her wait to read a couple of the more intense ones. Most are PG.
Star Trek and Star Wars novels
Star Wars: Scoundrels is a heist novel.
PG rated detective novels like the Bernie Rhodenbarr series.
The Brown Paper School Books (a bit young but my kid kept re-reading them until recently)
How Not to be Wrong (a bit dense but in a year or two she might groove on this as much as my daughter did)
What If? (My kid was practically peeing her pants laughing for half this book)
Xanth. I don't know - I read them as a kid. I'm still a fairly radical feminist I let her read them. She is still a feminist kid.They are sexist but shit, she has critical reading skills.
Callahan's Crosstime Saloon
Check out the many new feminist and smart comics on offer. Lumberjanes comes to mind, but i suggest asking at your local comic shop for feminist comics appropriate for her age.
Sadly, my kid has never grooved on LeGuin. She didn't like Narnia either. There's no accounting for taste.
posted by latkes at 2:31 PM on August 18, 2016
I remember really liking "Time and Again" at that time or shortly after. Also "The Door Into Summer", "Have Space Suit Will Travel" (both Heinlein). Those three I'm pretty sure and fairly tame in content. "Orbital Resonance" (John Barnes), "Moving Mars" (Greg Bear), and A bunch of Kim Stanley Robinson were also good. For more younger fare, I liked "Interstellar Pig" too.
You might want to skim Orbital Resonance and Moving Mars. There might be a little sex in them; I don't remember, and my parents let me read almost anything.
posted by Llamadogdad at 3:36 PM on August 18, 2016
You might want to skim Orbital Resonance and Moving Mars. There might be a little sex in them; I don't remember, and my parents let me read almost anything.
posted by Llamadogdad at 3:36 PM on August 18, 2016
nthing Heinlein's "Juveniles" books; As a kid I liked especially Between Planets.
posted by bertran at 5:09 PM on August 18, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by bertran at 5:09 PM on August 18, 2016 [1 favorite]
I'd vote for the His Dark Materials trilogy by Philip Pullman. (The first book is The Golden Compass, I think?) I think they would be age-appropriate while at the same time reasonably thoughtful. They are sometimes listed as "controversial" books but IMO only by fundies and their ilk.
The Young Wizards books by Diane Duane are something I read when I was probably about her age (at least, the ones that had been published at the time -- I suspect there are a lot more, now) and I don't remember any particularly explicit themes -- though they do deal with death, both of specific characters and of the literal concept of death, which might or might not be disturbing. They are on a list of books that I won't reread as an adult, though, because I don't want to know if the Suck Fairy has visited them.
Some Greg Bear stuff might be good, too, in the sense that they deal with interesting concepts. Eon was my introduction to the Big Dumb Object sub-genre of SF. I don't recall it having much in the way of sexytimes, although it's been years since I read it. It was written back when the USSR was still A Thing, which might require / lead to some discussions of Cold War politics that might or might not be of interest to her.
Speaking of SF-that's-now-alternate-history, the Arthur C. Clarke novelization of 2001 is decent, as I recall, and -- due, unfortunately, to the near-complete lack of female characters -- doesn't have much sex or romance. Not sure if that's a good tradeoff or not. Some of Clarke's other stuff is not totally unproblematic, but in general I don't think it's nearly as troubling as classic Heinlein, etc.
posted by Kadin2048 at 5:14 PM on August 18, 2016 [2 favorites]
The Young Wizards books by Diane Duane are something I read when I was probably about her age (at least, the ones that had been published at the time -- I suspect there are a lot more, now) and I don't remember any particularly explicit themes -- though they do deal with death, both of specific characters and of the literal concept of death, which might or might not be disturbing. They are on a list of books that I won't reread as an adult, though, because I don't want to know if the Suck Fairy has visited them.
Some Greg Bear stuff might be good, too, in the sense that they deal with interesting concepts. Eon was my introduction to the Big Dumb Object sub-genre of SF. I don't recall it having much in the way of sexytimes, although it's been years since I read it. It was written back when the USSR was still A Thing, which might require / lead to some discussions of Cold War politics that might or might not be of interest to her.
Speaking of SF-that's-now-alternate-history, the Arthur C. Clarke novelization of 2001 is decent, as I recall, and -- due, unfortunately, to the near-complete lack of female characters -- doesn't have much sex or romance. Not sure if that's a good tradeoff or not. Some of Clarke's other stuff is not totally unproblematic, but in general I don't think it's nearly as troubling as classic Heinlein, etc.
posted by Kadin2048 at 5:14 PM on August 18, 2016 [2 favorites]
Oh, and Hitch-Hiker's Guide! Every budding geek should read those books.
posted by Ursula Hitler at 6:49 PM on August 18, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by Ursula Hitler at 6:49 PM on August 18, 2016 [2 favorites]
I too came in to add a word of caution about the Xanth series.
Since that's been covered already I will add The Abhorsen Trilogy by Garth Nix.
posted by WalkerWestridge at 9:02 PM on August 18, 2016
Since that's been covered already I will add The Abhorsen Trilogy by Garth Nix.
posted by WalkerWestridge at 9:02 PM on August 18, 2016
Ted Chiang's "Story of Your Life" is perfect for this, but she might like any of his work--it's pretty consistently awesome.
posted by Joseph Gurl at 10:00 PM on August 18, 2016
posted by Joseph Gurl at 10:00 PM on August 18, 2016
Yes Garth Nix.
No Piers Anthony please.
Orbital Resonance I'm 99.9% sure only has a very brief mention of female masturbation- something along the lines of 'she touched herself to orgasm to help relax before bed, and it was nice"
Why not Calvin and Hobbes?
Absolutely do not start Discworld with the first two books. Equal Rites, Guards! Guards!, or Small Gods are pretty good entry points, as is Mort. Also, Nation, also by Pratchett
Neil Gaiman has some fantastic works- though Sandman had some very graphic content, and I would not recommend for young teens, and I want to say American Gods had a brief sex scene or two
Jack McDevitt is a science fiction author whose novels frequently deal with attempts to make contact with alien races, and with archaeology or xenoarchaeology (wikipedia) and I believe his books are pg13 at worst (probably)
posted by Jacen at 11:15 PM on August 18, 2016
No Piers Anthony please.
Orbital Resonance I'm 99.9% sure only has a very brief mention of female masturbation- something along the lines of 'she touched herself to orgasm to help relax before bed, and it was nice"
Why not Calvin and Hobbes?
Absolutely do not start Discworld with the first two books. Equal Rites, Guards! Guards!, or Small Gods are pretty good entry points, as is Mort. Also, Nation, also by Pratchett
Neil Gaiman has some fantastic works- though Sandman had some very graphic content, and I would not recommend for young teens, and I want to say American Gods had a brief sex scene or two
Jack McDevitt is a science fiction author whose novels frequently deal with attempts to make contact with alien races, and with archaeology or xenoarchaeology (wikipedia) and I believe his books are pg13 at worst (probably)
posted by Jacen at 11:15 PM on August 18, 2016
Best answer: Is she open to graphic novels? My kids and I loved Space Dumplings by Craig Thompson, which is an exciting and fun space opera about a brave young girl, with a lot of interesting and quirky supporting characters. I definitely think it would scratch the Star Wars itch.
posted by yankeefog at 3:18 AM on August 19, 2016 [2 favorites]
posted by yankeefog at 3:18 AM on August 19, 2016 [2 favorites]
My favourite book when I was 11 (and it still stands up, I read it again just a few months ago) was John Wyndham's The Chrysalids. In fact, there's so many John Wyndham books to recommend (Chocky, Day of the Triffids, The Trouble with Lichen, The Midwich Cuckoos, The Kraken Awakes) that I'd probably just go ahead and get them all for her.
posted by h00py at 5:57 AM on August 19, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by h00py at 5:57 AM on August 19, 2016 [1 favorite]
Oh, silly me. Ursula Vernon's work might do: Castle Hangnail is adorable, and just right for her age. She also has some great graphic novels, although Digger might be too old for her.
posted by suelac at 10:57 AM on August 19, 2016 [1 favorite]
posted by suelac at 10:57 AM on August 19, 2016 [1 favorite]
The Culture novels by Banks are also horribly violent and gory-- at least Consider Phelbas is. I wouldn't suggest them.
posted by The otter lady at 11:20 AM on August 19, 2016
posted by The otter lady at 11:20 AM on August 19, 2016
Response by poster: Thank you so much everyone for all the great recommendations. It took me a while to check out all the books you mentioned. I marked a few best answers because the books mentioned there would work best for this particular child, but I know that other books you listed would work for other children.
posted by mareli at 9:03 AM on September 9, 2016
posted by mareli at 9:03 AM on September 9, 2016
This thread is closed to new comments.
Old Man's War and its sequels, John Scalzi.
posted by cooker girl at 11:33 AM on August 18, 2016 [3 favorites]