http://mppl.org/services/teen-services/good-reads/?category=teens&list=Spotlight+On%3A+Science+Fiction
List: Spotlight On: Science Fiction
Strange Bedfellows
"In the not-too-distant future, most of humanity resides on its last-ditch effort at utopia: Meridian, a remote alien planet where you're more likely to be born superhuman than left-handed. None of that is important to Oberon Afolayan. Since his mildly public breakdown, his whole life seems to be spiraling out of control--from dropping out of university to breaking up with his boyfriend, it seems like only a karmic inevitability when he wakes up one day with the ability to conjure his dreams in the real world. Oberon's newfound powers come with a facsimile of his high school crush, Kon, who mysteriously dropped off the face of the planet almost three years ago and who is a little more infuriating (if not also infuriatingly hot) than Oberon remembers. Kon makes it his mission to turn Oberon's life around, and while they struggle to get a handle on his powers and his disastrous personal life (not to mention the appearance of strange nightmare creatures), it turns out this dream version of Kon has secrets of his own--dangerous ones. Oberon might have more on his plate than he originally thought, but is giving up his dreams--even the one he might have accidentally fallen in love with--the only way to find happiness in reality?"--Provided by publisher.
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Seventh Grade vs. The Galaxy
In 2299, seventh-grader Jack and his classmates find themselves in hostile alien territory after Jack accidentally launches their rickety public schoolship light years away from home.
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The Upper World
"Today: During arguably the worst week of Esso's life, an accident knocks him into an incredible world--a place beyond space or time, where he can see glimpses of the past and future. But if what he sees there is true, he might not have much longer to live, unless he can use his new gift to change the course of history. Tomorrow: Rhia's past is filled with questions, none of which she expects a new physics tutor to answer. But Dr. Esso's not here to help Rhia. He's here because he needs her help--to unravel a tragedy that happened fifteen years ago. One that holds the key not only to Rhia's past, but to a future worth fighting for"-- Provided by publisher.
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Otherworld
"After the newest set of virtual reality gear hits the market, Simon can't wait to test it out. But, when his friend Katherine suddenly disappears after being seen with men from the same gaming company, Simon must decide how far in the game he's willing to go to save her"-- Provided by publisher.
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Hullmetal Girls
Aisha Un-Haad, seventeen, and Key Tanaka, eighteen, have risked everything for new lives as mechanically enhanced soldiers, and when an insurrection forces dark secrets to surface, the fate of humanity is in their hands.
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Kaiju No. 8
"Kafka wants to clean up kaiju, but not literally! Will a sudden metamorphosis stand in the way of his dream?"-- Provided by publisher.
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Nyxia
Emmett accepts an interstellar space contract but learns en route that to win the promised fortune he and nine other recruits face a brutal competition, putting their very humanity at risk.
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The Wild Robot
When robot Roz opens her eyes for the first time, she discovers that she is alone on a remote, wild island. Why is she there? Where did she come from? Most important, how will she survive in her harsh surroundings? Roz's only hope is to learn from the island's hostile animal inhabitants. When she tries to care for an orphaned gosling, the other animals finally decide to help, and the island starts to feel like home. Until one day, the robot's mysterious past comes back to haunt her.
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Aurora Rising
Told in separate voices, eighteen-year-old Tyler Jones, top graduate of Aurora Academy, and a group of misfits and troublemakers embark on their first mission with Auri, a stowaway from the distant past.
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Iron Widow
"The boys of Huaxia dream of pairing up with girls to pilot Chrysalises, giant transforming robots that can battle the aliens that lurk beyond the Great Wall of China. It doesn't matter that the girls die from the mental strain. When 18-year-old Zetian offers herself up as a concubine-pilot, it's to assassinate the ace male pilot responsible for her sister's death. But when she gets her vengeance, it becomes clear that she is an Iron Widow, a rare kind of female pilot who can sacrifice males to power up Chrysalises instead. To tame her frightening yet valuable mental strength, she is paired up with Li Shimin, the strongest male pilot in Huaxia, yet feared and ostracized for killing his father and brothers. But now that Zetian has had a taste of power, she will not cower so easily. She will take over instead, then leverage their combined strength to force her society to stop failing its women and girls. Or die trying"-- Provided by publisher.
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On a Sunbeam
A ragtag crew travels to the deepest reaches of space, rebuilding beautiful, broken structures to piece the past together. Two girls meet in boarding school and fall deeply in love, only to learn the pain of loss.
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The 5th Wave
After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one. Now, it's the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth's last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker. Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie's only hope for rescuing her brother--or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up.
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Renegades
The Renegades are human, but with extraordinary abilities. They emerged from the ruins of a crumbled society and established peace and order where chaos reigned. As champions of justice, they remain a symbol of hope and courage to everyone... except the villains they once overthrew. Nova has a reason to hate the Renegades, and is on a mission for vengeance. Adrian is a Renegade boy who believes in justice-- and in Nova. But Nova's allegiance is to a villain who has the power to end them both.--Adapted from dust jacket.
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Want
Jason Zhou is trying to survive in Taipei, a city plagued by pollution and viruses, but when he discovers the elite are using their wealth to evade the deadly effects, he knows he must do whatever is necessary to fight the corruption and save his city.
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Hunger's Bite
"After growing up together on the luxurious SS Lark, Neeta Pandey and Emery Botwright are ready to start their lives. Emery wants to follow in his father's footsteps and sail the Lark forever, while Neeta yearns to travel the world. But neither will have any future at all if the Lark's new owner, Mr. Honeycutt, has his way. Mr. Honeycutt… The first-class passengers adore him, while he makes the ship a nightmare for the crew. Twisted by unnatural appetites, the rich are actually transforming into something less than human, and their insatiable demands soon push the staff toward a—quite literal—burnout. Something otherworldly is undeniably aboard the SS Lark, something horribly hungry. But it's not Wick Farley: vampire, secret agent, and paranormal investigator. Alone and at sea, with only Neeta and Emery to help him, he must uncover the truth about Mr. Honeycutt. And fast—before a ravenous craving for power consumes them all"-- Dust jacket flap.
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Stronger, Faster, and More Beautiful
"Six interconnected stories that ask how far we will go to remake ourselves into the perfect human specimens, and how hard that will push the definition of human"-- Provided by publisher.
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Victories Greater Than Death
Tired of hiding in obscurity on Earth, Tina, the human clone of a brilliant alien tactician, pursues her destiny in space, but success is elusive until Tina and her best friend Rachael assemble a ragtag crew of humans and set out to save all the worlds.
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Cosmoknights: Book One
A young mechanic who longs to explore the galaxy joins forces with a pair of knights who undermine their patriarchal society by setting princesses free.
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The Owls Have Come to Take Us Away
After something strange happens during a camping trip, twelve-year-old alien-obsessed Simon suspects he has been abducted, but was it real or just his overactive imagination?
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Dragon Pearl
Min, a thirteen-year-old girl with fox-magic, stows away on a battle cruiser and impersonates a cadet in order to solve the mystery of what happened to her older brother in the Thousand World Space Forces.
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The Unexplainable Disappearance of Mars Patel
Mars Patel's friend Aurora has disappeared! His teachers are clueless. His mom is stressed out about her jobs. But Mars refuses to give up--after all, his own dad disappeared when Mars was a toddler, before he and Ma moved to Puget Sound from India. Luckily, Mars has a group of loyal friends eager to help--smart Toothpick, strong and stylish JP, and maybe-telepathic Caddie. The clues seem to point toward eccentric tech genius (and Mars's hero) Oliver Pruitt, whose popular podcast now seems to be commenting on their quest! But when the friends investigate Pruitt's mysterious, elite school, nothing is as it seems--and anyone could be deceiving them. Slick science, corporate conspiracies, and an endearingly nerdy protagonist make this first book in the series a fresh, exciting sci-fi adventure.
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The Darkness Outside Us
"Two boys, alone in space. After the first settler on Titan trips her distress signal, neither remaining country on Earth can afford to scramble a rescue of its own, and so two sworn enemies are installed in the same spaceship. Ambrose wakes up on the Coordinated Endeavor with no memory of a launch. There's more that doesn't add up: Evidence indicates strangers have been on board, the ship's operating system is voiced by his mother, and his handsome, brooding shipmate has barricaded himself away. Nothing will stop Ambrose from making his mission succeed, though--not when the settler he's rescuing is his own sister. In order to survive the ship's secrets, Ambrose and Kodiak will need to work together and learn to trust one another"--Dust jacket flap.
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Warcross
"When teenage coder Emika Chen hacks her way into the opening tournament of the Warcross Championships, she glitches herself into the game as well as a sinister plot with major consequences for the entire Warcross empire"-- Provided by publisher.
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The End and Other Beginnings
A collection of six short stories imagines future lands with new technologies and beings, where in spite of advanced capabilities, people still must confront deeply human problems.
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Teleportation and Other Luxuries
"In a bustling futurist metropolis, the Blamazon Teen Scientist Competition promises not just scientific glory, but fame and substantial financial rewards as well. Among the contestants, four teenagers from different backgrounds form an unlikely team: Tyler Risley, a teen heartthrob known for his genius-level intellect, Gabby, a grumpy nonbinary anarchist with a knack and distrust for science, Allegra, a shy and brilliant loner hiding her vast intelligence, and L.J., a small town jack-of-all-trades with an unparalleled talent for engineering. Amidst their bickering and missteps, they uncover the secret of teleportation. Despite this invention being a clear albeit dangerous way to win, it becomes apparent that perhaps victory isn't their only collective goal"-- Page 4 of cover.
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Goddess in the Machine
Bound for humanity's new colony planet, seventeen-year-old Andra wakes up from a cryogenic sleep 1,000 years later than scheduled, forcing her to navigate an unfamiliar planet where technology is considered magic and its practitioners revered as deities.
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Into the Dark
"Long before the First Order, before the Empire, before even The Phantom Menace...Jedi lit the way for the galaxy in The High Republic. Padawan Reath Silas is being sent from the cosmopolitan galactic capital of Coruscant to the undeveloped frontier and he couldn't be less happy about it. He'd rather stay at the Jedi Temple, studying the archives. But when the ship he's traveling on is knocked out of hyperspace in a galactic-wide disaster, Reath finds himself at the center of the action. The Jedi and their traveling companions find refuge on what appears to be an abandoned space station. But then strange things start happening, leading the Jedi to investigate the truth behind the mysterious station, a truth that could end in tragedy..."--From http://www.Amazon.com.
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Teen Titans: Raven
"When a tragic accident takes the life of the only family she's ever known, 16-year-old Raven is sent to New Orleans to start over. She soon discovers that she can hear the thoughts of others around her ... and another, more disturbing, voice in her head"-- Provided by publisher.
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Ender's Game: The Graphic Novel
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Throne Breakers
"Alyssa Farshot never wanted to rule the empire. But to honor her uncle's dying wish, she participated in the crownchase, a race across the empire's 1,001 planets to find the royal seal and win the throne. Alyssa tried to help her friend, Coy, win the crownchase, but just as victory was within their grasp, Edgar Voles killed Coy and claimed the seal for himself. Broken-hearted over her friend's death, Alyssa is hell-bent on revenge. But Edgar is well protected in the kingship. Alyssa will have to rally rivals, friends, and foes from across the empire to take him down and change the course of the galaxy."--From http://www.Amazon.com.
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Jennifer Chan is Not Alone
""--Provided by publisher
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Hana Hsu and the Ghost Crab Nation
In a near future where most adults are connected to the multiweb through neural implants, a twelve-year-old uncovers a corporate plot to genetically manipulate her classmates, and her scientist mother may be involved in the conspiracy.
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