Books for Teens: Science Fiction Series for Boys for-boys

Books for Teens: Science Fiction Series for Boys for-boys
June 4, 2010
Mark Giffe
Suite 101

inding intelligent books that will appeal to teen boys can be a challenge. If a book is too literary, it won't hold their interest. On the other hand, a plot-driven adventure may offer plenty of action, but not give kids much to care about. The advantage of a good science fiction series is that it offers the best of both worlds: strong, action-packed stories that keep teens coming back for more, and enough thematic complexity to challenge the imagination.

Action-Packed Science Fiction Series
Anthony Horowitz's Gatekeeper series first appeared in 2005 with Raven's Gate. 14-year-old Matt runs afoul of the law and is remanded into the care of a formidable old crone in the English countryside. Matt's growing alienation and dread prove to be more than just adolescent paranoia when he finds himself the target of a sinister cult. In the sequel, Evil Star, the conspiracy takes on world-threatening dimensions, and Will and four other young "gatekeepers" are all that stand in its way. The series continues at break-neck pace with Night Rise and concludes with Necropolis.

Kenneth Oppel's award-winning Airborn trilogy is set in a parallel world where giant airships trek across the sky as if the airplane were never invented. Matt Cruse is a 15-year-old cabin boy aboard the luxury airship Aurora, and Kate is a young passenger on a mission to prove her grandfather's sightings of winged, cat-like creatures in the sky. The Aurora is attacked by pirates, lost in a storm, and shipwrecked on an island, where Matt and Kate discover evidence of the mysterious creatures. They are close to solving the puzzle when they stumble upon the pirates' hideout and are kidnapped. Now the race is on to escape from the outlaws and stop them from stealing the airship. The action continues in Skybreaker (2005) and Starclimber (2009).

James Dashner's Maze Runner Trilogy debuted in 2009. A boy wakes up with no memory of who he is or where he came from, only to discover that he is one of about 60 teenage boys living in a huge open space called the Glade, surrounded by high walls. The Gladers have no memory of how they got there, but they manage to survive without adults by creating their own miniature society, complete with a governing body and division of labor. The most dangerous job belongs to the maze runners, who routinely run the alleyways of the Glade, looking for a way out, while trying to evade the gruesome flesh-eating monsters called Grievers. The second book in the series, The Scorch Trails, is due out in October, 2010.

Common Themes of Young Adult Science Fiction
On one level, all three of these series follow a traditional quest story format, in which a boy must overcome near insurmountable obstacles on the road to manhood. Believable characters allow teens to identify with the protagonist, whose struggles mirror the reader's own heroic journey toward adulthood. On another level, the series share common motifs of adult betrayal and of worlds turned upside down. These are themes that adolescent readers will easily relate to, consciously or subconsciously, as they enjoy the thrill ride of a good story.