Sci-fi is such a broad genre that it can seem quite challenging to get into, especially if you’re a young adult and find the concept of starting the Dune series understandably daunting. But there are loads of great sci-fi books for young adults out there.
When I was growing up, there wasn’t much YA sci-fi on offer, so when I wanted to branch out from fantasy books into sci-fi, I had to read some pretty advanced novels that were aimed at adults, like Jurassic Park or even The Invincible. These days, though, the genre is so much more accessible to its growing audience, which is why I’ve showcased a few of the best books for YA readers here.
The best young adult (YA) sci-fi books
Below, I’ve listed some of the best YA sci-fi books available right now that anyone can pick up and read. I’ve ranked them from the least accessible to YA readers at the top to the most accessible at the bottom, but there’s really not much in it. Any of these books are perfect for a YA reader who wants to get into or is obsessed with sci-fi but isn’t quite ready for the genre’s most intense novels.
15. Inherit the Stars: Tessa Elwood
Inherit the Stars is a fantastic YA sci-fi book set in the far future. Three interplanetary systems are on the brink of collapse, leaving them no other choice but to war until one is left or work together. You follow Asa, the youngest daughter of House Fane, a family dealing with catastrophic energy and climate crises.
She believes she can solve her family’s issues through marriage to another. The thing is, she’s going to do this by posing as her sister. There are brilliant twists and turns in this story to keep you guessing, and it all moves at a fast pace but with easy-to-understand language that makes it a very accessible read.
14. Inside Out: Maria V. Snyder
Inside Out paints a bleak image of our future. We follow Tessa, a Scrub. This caste is tasked with cleaning the interior pipes and living spaces of a massive system of habitats for The Uppers. Tessa enjoys sneaking into the pipes and seeing what life is like for The Uppers. She never thought she’d accidentally spark a revolution, though.
This book delves into concepts around equality and hierarchy in the social class systems that honestly don’t feel too out of place in 2024. An easy read but also an engrossing one. I love the idea of sneaking around and spying on those living it up without them knowing and the way this can shine a spotlight on modern societies.
13. Traveler: L.E. DeLano
Traveler is a brilliant story for those of you who, like me, can’t help but build worlds and stories in their heads using their imagination all day, every day. Jessa is a daydreamer who loves cooking up worlds, but, one day, one of her characters, Finn, just appears and sits her down for a chat.
It turns out that Jess and Finn are what is known as Travelers. They can move between realities using Reflections. Finn is here because Jessa keeps on dying in these other realities, but he wants to end that cycle by intervening now.
12. Strange Attractors: William Sleator
Strange Attractors is a great callback to simple sci-fi books that put a little twist in that rocks the entire world. It follows Max, just a normal science student who is excited about visiting the lab of top scientist Dr. Sylvan. However, his mother tells him he already did that yesterday, and now Dr. Sylvan’s daughter, Eve, has shown up asking him to return what he stole.
Don’t get too shocked yet because there’s more. Now, there are two Eves and two Dr. Sylvans, and Max can’t remember which ones are real. The story sees him slowly working this out and diving into the mind-bending events that have caused all this to happen.
11. Broken Symmetry: Dan Rix
Broken Symmetry dives into a concept I’ve always loved the idea of but have never found in a story until now. Blaire has an ability that allows her to pass through mirrors and into alternate dimensions. She can do what she wants there: kiss some guy, break the law, and then return through the mirror and smash it to escape it altogether.
Blaire’s exit mirror is destroyed after a narrow escape in one visit, and she now has to deal with her worst nightmare. This book dives a little into the idea of overusing drugs here with the rush Blaire feels from her travels but counters it with warnings about how her body and mind are being altered every time she gives in to her craving. Quite serious stuff but written in a way that’s easy to process.
10. Poster Girl: Veronica Roth
Poster Girl is a stunning novel by the already fabulous Veronica Roth, author of the Divergent series. It follows Sonya, once a poster girl for a movement called Delegation, who wanted to watch every move every citizen made before it was overthrown and all its members were chucked into prison.
Now, Sonya has a second chance. She must hunt down a missing girl in a post-Delegation world that she’s unfamiliar with, and she’ll earn her freedom. It’s a great story similar to the ideas in The Last Of Us and City of Thieves. A book you want to keep moving through as the journey unfolds.
9. Uglies: Scott Westerfield
Uglies is fascinating and absolutely worth a read because it addresses issues of body dysmorphia, which, if we’re honest, we all feel at one point or another. In it, protagonist Tally is known as an Ugly and undergoes an operation to become a Pretty. This means she lives in a high-tech facility and only has fun.
The thing is, not everything is as it seems. Tally’s friend Shay runs away, unconvinced by this Pretty world. As Tally looks for Shay, she uncovers hidden truths behind the Pretty facade, making it look much less glamorous and revealing the faces beneath the masks.
8. Divergent: Veronica Roth
Divergent needs no introduction, but I’ll explain what it is anyway. After a long war, a city has been divided into factions. Each one works within itself to perform specific duties for the city as a whole. This includes farming and food production, setting policies, the army, and serving the poor.
Tris is part of a generation that must all now discover which faction they’re best suited for and then pick one to join. She’s divergent, though. A thing the city is taught is dangerous and must be stamped out. She joins the faction polar opposite to hers and must train hard and hide what she is while integrating herself into her new family.
This is the first book in a stunning series that has some incredible sci-fi concepts I think about daily. You must read this and work through the series because they add so much richness to the sci-fi genre as a whole.
7. The 5th Wave: Rick Yancey
The first book in another series, The 5th Wave explores a dystopian future in which humanity has been all but wiped out. After four waves of attack, the Earth is now roamed by survivors and Them. These others look human but kill anyone they meet.
The book follows Cassie through impossible circumstances in this soul-crushing world. She constantly chooses between life and death and the worst things she could do for her safety and survival. It’s tense, action-packed, and amazing to lose yourself in.
6. Across the Universe: Beth Revis
Across the Universe is the worst nightmare scenario for a colony ship come true. Amy is frozen cargo on a ship headed for a brighter future for humanity. When she wakes up, all is not well, though. She’s actually 50 years too early, as are quite a few other people on this now pretty alive interstellar voyage.
The ship has developed its own community as people have awoken early from their frozen slumbers, and, as you might expect, there are secrets to uncover as to why. This book goes into every inch of how this society works and can be pretty grim. I love the idea, though, and I think you will, too.
5. Ender’s Game: Orson Scott Card
Some Ender’s Game essential sci-fi reading by some. While I don’t believe that, I do think this story speaks a lot of truth and has some not-so-hidden meanings that are well worth reading to watch unfold. Ender is the result of an experiment at a time when humanity has been warring with aliens for a hundred years.
He’s put through tests, something he believes is all a computer simulation. The reality is far worse than you can imagine. When I hit the twist, I choked up. It’s brutal but also not unexpected, even in today’s society.
4. The Maze Runner: James Dashner
The Maze Runner is the first and best entry in its series. Protagonist Thomas awakens in a lift with no memories and emerges into a Glade surrounded by colossal walls. He must fit into this strange society that gets a new young man each month and find a way to help out if he wants to survive.
He quickly realizes that beyond the wall is a massive and ever-changing maze. He wants to explore it, and when he does, he starts to remember things and make discoveries that he feels like he was meant for. This story is full of mystery and action, and I just adore it.
3. The Golden Compass: Philip Pullman
The Golden Compass is a beautiful read. It follows Lyra, a character in a world where your soul is a companion animal by your side. She was left with scholars as a child by her father and hasn’t had much to do with him since. However, she wants all that to change when he proposes an expedition to the North Pole.
There’s so much going on in this book, including my favorite character ever, a talking polar bear. Lyra will investigate the murders of her friends, uncover the horrific experiments being inflicted upon children in the name of sanctity, and even travel through a portal to another dimension.
2. The Hunger Games: Suzanne Collins
The Hunger Games is another book that needs very little introduction. The world has been ravaged by war and people split into 12, though it was 13, districts. At the center is the Capital, where people live the extremes of human luxury, and those in the other districts mostly suffer while providing for those in the Capital.
Each year, districts must tribute two people for The Hunger Games. A savage battle royale and the victor gets to live in luxury for the rest of their lives. When her sister is chosen, Katniss volunteers and is thrust into the brutal competition where she must somehow survive using her instincts and cunning to beat those with superior strength and other advantages.
This book speaks to how broken our society is as a whole. I love all the books in the series, but this one just sparks things off so well. It’s one that will live in your heart from the first word past the last.
1. Mortal Engines: Phillip Reeve
Mortal Engines is epic. There’s no other word for it. You follow Tom, an orphan in the roaming city of London in a future where all major cities and towns were built into tank-like monstrosities and now hunt each other down as they explore the world in search of settlements to consume.
After inadvertently making a discovery that he shouldn’t have, Tom is kicked out of London and must find a way to survive alongside an unwilling companion. The book has a laser-focused story that’s impossible to put down, and the lore of the wider world is explored enough to give you context but keeps you intrigued and wanting more with every page.
