YA SF touchstones

[aamcnamara]

A request:

What are the books you think of when you think of YA SF?


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An explanation:

First of all, while everyone's talking about how big YA SFF has gotten lately, it seems to me like that's far more F than SF.

Secondly, I've mostly been a reader of fantasy, but if there is a hidden shelf of awesome YA SF somewhere, I want to read it.

Thirdly, I've had a YA SF story idea lurking in the back of my mind for coming on a year now, and I still don't quite how to write it, but maybe reading other YA SF novels and stories would help me figure it out.

Comments

[sartorias.livejournal.com]

Andre Norton

[aamcnamara.livejournal.com]

Oh, of course--I've been meaning to read her for ages and haven't. What would be a good book to start with?

[sartorias.livejournal.com]

Hmmm that's a good question. I guess it depends on tastes . . . they are somewhat outdated now, but they were stunningly innovative when they appeared.

[aamcnamara.livejournal.com]

I'll see what I can find at my library, then, and keep that caveat in mind. Thanks!

[kannibal-kat.livejournal.com]

The first thing that pops into my mind is Madeleine L'Engle's books.

At Odyssey '07, Nina Kiriki Hoffman was our writer-in-residence. She said there is actually a dearth of YA SF.

[aamcnamara.livejournal.com]

Makes sense. I loved those books as a kid, but have been forgetting about them. Thanks!

Hoffman is great. I'd agree with her, too. I was going through the YA section of my library today, looking for SF books, and found maybe one or two that weren't straight dystopias (which doesn't seem like quite the same genre to me, though it has similarities).

[aliseadae]

Enchantress from the Stars by Sylvia Engdahl.

...uh. I feel like there should be more that come to mind. I do second the Madeleine L'Engle books but that doesn't help with coming up with more titles.

[aamcnamara.livejournal.com]

I've been having a hard time, too. Though I'd forgotten about Enchantress. Thank you!

[aliseadae]

Is Cory Doctorow's Little Brother more dystopic than it is SF? I have not read it but it came to mind as a possibility.

[aamcnamara.livejournal.com]

I am not entirely certain where I'd stick that. I don't think SF, though, because it's so near-future it's practically two seconds from now. Dystopia's probably closer. The plot has a lot in common with dystopia stories.

The line between the genres is muddy at best, though.

[aliseadae]

And I only ever read So You Want to be a Wizard but... Diane Duane? (I should re-read that and read the rest.)

[aamcnamara.livejournal.com]

I consider Diane Duane fantasy with SFnal accoutrements, like Kelly McCullough's WebMage or Charles Stross's Atrocity Archives.

[aliseadae]

Uh. I keep coming up with more. Nancy Farmer's books. John Christopher's books about Tripods (The White Mountains, uh. there are two more? I forget their titles exactly.)

[mrissa.livejournal.com]

Scott Westerfeld. William Sleator.

[aamcnamara.livejournal.com]

I keep forgetting Scott Westerfeld writes SF, maybe because the first book of his that I read wasn't SF except in the vaguest sense of the word--So Yesterday.

I have never heard of Sleator, but will now go and investigate.

Thanks!

[aamcnamara.livejournal.com]

As a side note, having gone and looked up Sleator, I have actually read a couple of his, and just didn't remember the author name.

[elenuial.livejournal.com]

I keep hearing the Westerfield name pop up in these discussions. That's all I got.

[aamcnamara.livejournal.com]

He does seem to be everywhere sometimes. Thanks.