HIT> Middle/Jr. Sceince Fiction

[Larry Parsons <booker@CASCADE.NWNET.NET>]

Friends,

Well, vacation is all but over & I promised a hit before school resumes
for our neat new class that is part literature & part science. The kids
reads science fictions books one day, if you remember, and then look at
"All those weird scientific concepts" the next.

THANKS to all who responded,
Larry Parsons

***

   William Sleator always uses a scientific concept as the basis of his
science fiction stories.  My favorite is Singularity which is a synonym
for black holes and also deals with twins' desire for individuality.


Lynn McCree, Librarian
Martin Junior High
Austin, Texas
Lmcc@tenet.edu

***

I love Invitation to the Game, by Hughes.
The Phantom Tollbooth is a time travel fantasy by Norton Juster.
I have yet to have a student return the book  who didn't rave about Ender's
Game by Orson Scott Card. It is my personal favorite science fiction.

Audrey Glick
Monroe Traditional Middle School

aglick@freenet.columbus.oh.us

***

I would definitely include a Wrinkle in Time by  Madeleine L'Engle.  Others
in the series are also good, but repeat the science theme.  There is another
book by the same author  which is not so much science fiction, but it deals
with communication with dolphins  and the study of the regeneration of the
arm of the starfish.   I think it is The Arm of the Starfish, but there may
be another  that first introduces the topics.
C.S. Lewis's trilogy Out of the Silent Planet, Perelandra, and That Hideous
Strength are some of my favorites, but may be too advanced for that age.
They
deal with the battle between good and evil, and have a strong Christian
theme.
Two of them include travel to Mars and Venus.  Science  has advanced
since he
wrote them, but they are thought provoking.  They might interest Narnia fans.
Carol Wheat     dems258@uabdpo.dpo.uab.edu

***

Larry,

My 8th grade son devours sci fi constantly.  His favorite writer is Orson
Scott Card, favorite title: Ender's Game.

He read that old Heinlien (sp?) favorite Stranger in a Strange Land last
week and found it facinating.  He also found Clarke"s 2001 A Space Oddesey
"awesome."

Heinlein, Ursula Le Guin, and Arthur C. Clark are old names in the genre
but Ben has loved them.

A newer sci fi title which Ben and I both loved was Peter Dickenson's
Eva.

I am at home so the spellitles may not be exactly correct.  Wow, Ben
would love to be in that class!!

Karen

   Karen A. Coy, Library Media Specialist    "I'm a great believer in luck,
       Greensview Elementary School            and I find the harder I work
   Upper Arlington, Ohio   614-487-5051        the more I have of it."
       kcoy@magnus.acs.ohio-state.edu             -Thomas Jefferson

***

I am not a reader of science fiction but was convinced to read some books
written by Orson Scott Card...he is excellent!  Middle school kids
particularly like his stuff because in ENDER'S GAME the hero/main
chararcter is their age!!  Very believable and quite entertaining.  A
bonus for those of us from North Carolina is that he is a North Carolina
writer; he lives and writes in Greensboro, NC---the locale of the
"haven" where some of his characters rest and recoup during and after
their various space adventures and battles.

Kay Talbott
ktalbott@nccu.edu
South Brunswick Middle School
Southport, NC  28461

***

Larry --

I'd suggest you take a look at 2 new titles by Paul Zindel: LOCH and
THE DOOM STONE.  LOCH is about Loch Ness monsterlike creatures and has
ecological overtones, since the main characters are basically trying to
prevent
their extinction (and exploitation).  THE DOOM STONE is set at Stonehenge
and,
according to the 12/15/95 issue of ALA Booklist, "even reluctant readers
won't
be able to put this one down."

I hope the class likes them.

Catherine Balkin
HarperCollins Children's Books
Telephone: 212-207-7450
E-mail: catherine.balkin@harpercollins.com

***

Larry:  This isn't what you wanted but the teacher might be
interested in two items that one of MY favorite science teachers uses
in her classes.  One is the movie "Them", about the big ants.  Is it
biologically possible for those ants to exist?  The kids look at size
and scale in nature, and decide if this creature could possibly
exist.  If you consider proverbs literature, this might work.  The
students find a proverb (usually related to weather) and contemplate
its accuracy.  There's usually no hard research done for this, and
it's never a major portion of her weather unit but it's a fun one.

I'm going to pass your hit on to this teacher when you've finished
it.  Thanks!  melissa

Melissa A.  Malcolm
Mt.  Abraham Union High School
7 Airport Drive
Bristol, Vermont  05443
802-453-2333

***

        Singularity by Sleator is an interesting SF story about teen twins
whose parent inherit a strange farm.  The boys go investigate while the
parents are out of the country and discover singularity--a physics
concept; the younger twin decides he wants to enter the "singularity" so he
can become older than his brother.
        Weird --- I'd like to sit in on the science part to understand it
better.

        Eva is a book about a girl, injured in an accident.  Her scientist
parents save her soul/spirit by putting it into a monkey.   I don't remember
the author's name.

        The old books by Ray Bradbuy and Arthur Clarke (his nonfiction, too)
are good for discussion about the changes--predictions and realities of
space travel.

        And Isaac Asimov, too.
        Roger Zelazny, who died in June at age 57, was an sf author you may
want to study.

Marge Lucas


Margaret Lucas, Librarian/Media Specialist
Euclid High School
711 East 222 Street, Euclid, OH  44123
Phone: 216-261-2900 Ext. 352 FAX: 216-261-3655

***

        Well, here's at least one I can think ofy.  How about
Foundation by Isaac Asimov.   The entire series is quite good.  I also
like Anne  McCaffrey's series that begins with Dragonflight.  Society is
guild oriented and trying to reclaim lost knowledge.  Excellent series
but I'm not sure if it will fit your requirements.

                James Mong

Riverview Middle School-- Huntington, IN 46750
jmong@neptune.esc.k12.in.us

  "The man with a new idea is a Crank una succeeds." -- Mark Twain

***

My favorite science fiction book of all time is
_A Tunnel in the Sky_.  Can't think of the author
right off hand.

Emily J. Honaker, Media Specialist, Delaware JVS The Area Career Center
Delaware, Ohio 43015-9001       EMILY_H@treca.ohio.gov


                            __________
Larry Parsons                           "Money is not the
Ocean Beach School District            report card of life."
Long Beach, WA 98631
(360) 642-3731  FAX (360) 642-1224