The best science fiction books and comics for young adults

Why am I passionate about this?

For my whole life I've been fascinated by science fiction. I love watching Star Trek and reading books by Octavia Butler, and probably my favorite moment in school was when we were asked to read The Veldt by Ray Bradbury. As an artist I designed aliens for Star Wars products and am listed in the “Wookiepedia” online. My latest children’s book Alien Farm; Scary Stories for kids just won “Best Paranormal Book for kids” in the Firebird Awards. I also teach art to kids here in Mexico and I see their eyes light up when the assignment is to create robot designs or to draw spaceships and aliens.


I wrote...

After The Robots Died: Rey Rabbits Issue #1

By Carolyn Watson Dubisch,

Book cover of After The Robots Died: Rey Rabbits Issue #1

What is my book about?

Arriving as embryos and raised by robots, a colony of children on a distant planet struggle to survive when the robots who raised them begin to shut down. Leda and Tobin are suddenly guardians to their younger siblings and set out on a journey to the library with a transport full of children. When the mutant green rabbits overwhelm them and create havoc on a simple trip of only a few kilometers. 

 A dynamic story that can best be described as a cross between Invasion of the Body Snatchers and Ender's Game. Great for middle grade and YA readers.

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of Sojourners Book 1

Carolyn Watson Dubisch Why did I love this book?

This is the first issue of an excellent YA comic book series. I really do enjoy scifi that features apes or any kind of simian life (yes, I love the Planet of the Apes series), so this book got my attention with the cover. The main characters are all space monkeys or simian astronauts that have landed their spacecraft on an alien world. One unfortunate monkey is the chosen explorer while the others watch his progress from the relative safety of the spaceship. The story is tense and surprising. The art is very skilled and I truly look forward to the next issue of the series which is expected to be released soon.

By Kraig Rasmussen,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Sojourners Book 1 as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.


Book cover of The Munchkins

Carolyn Watson Dubisch Why did I love this book?

The first book of a middle grade series, this book will leave you reeling. The Munchkins are 13 children with special powers like healing and making objects appear and for some reason they don’t age after they turn ten. Narrated by Capricorn Munch, one of the 13, they don’t seem to remember much of their own history but they now live with their adoptive father, when a very sinister neighbor moves in and upends their lives in more ways than they could imagine.

A tightly woven story that will take the reader on an intense journey. This multi-award-winning book is perfect for fans of The Umbrella Academy or Harry Potter.

By Candice Zee,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The Munchkins as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 9, 10, 11, and 12.

What is this book about?

4 TIME AWARD-WINNING NOVEL!
*Gold Award Winner of Teen Category in the 2021-2022 Reader Views Literary Awards
* 2021 Story Monsters Approved Award in Tween Novels
* 16th Annual National Indie Excellence Awards Finalist in Juvenile Fiction
* Honorable Mention in Preteen Category of 2022 Readers' Favorite Book Awards

The Munchkins "has all the "ingredients" for a fantastical, magical, YA story that also caters to adults who absolutely love the Potter-esque world that happens maybe twice in a lifetime." - Reader Views

Thirteen extraordinary children with mysterious powers.

Their loving and protective father.

And a sociopathic neighbor who knows them…


Book cover of Cosmoknights

Carolyn Watson Dubisch Why did I love this book?

This graphic novel is stunningly illustrated with deeply relatable characters. Pan is a young woman on a remote world working in her father’s body shop and sneaks out at night to visit her friend, Tara, and sometimes they go dancing. Tara’s life was not her own. As a princess she was shut off from society and was going to be forced to marry the man who won the Cosmo knights Battle. Pan helps to smuggle Tara off-world and ruins her life on her backwater planet. When two strangers show up at her home needing help, her life is turned on its head. She leaves her planet behind and begins her real life in the stars. An incredible, original story about space, knights, princesses, and lost friends.

By Hannah Templer,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Cosmoknights as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Pan’s life used to be very small. Work in her dad’s body shop, sneak out with her friend Tara to go dancing, and watch the skies for freighter ships. It didn’t even matter that Tara was a princess… until one day it very much did matter, and Pan had to say goodbye forever. Years later, when a charismatic pair of off-world gladiators show up on her doorstep, she finds that life might not be as small as she thought. On the run and off the galactic grid, Pan discovers the astonishing secrets of her neo-medieval world… and the intoxicating possibility…


Book cover of Binti

Carolyn Watson Dubisch Why did I love this book?

An incredible young adult novel about a young woman who breaks her rigid family traditions to leave her planet in pursuit of an education. When octopus-like aliens invade the ship and kill everyone aboard, saving her school, and the entire planet falls to her. A riveting and fast-paced tale about an outsider who finds herself in the middle of a crisis. Probably one of the most original stories I have read in a long time. This novella won the Hugo Award and the Nebula award.

By Nnedi Okorafor,

Why should I read it?

3 authors picked Binti as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Winner of the Hugo Award and the Nebula Award for Best Novella! Her name is Binti, and she is the first of the Himba people ever to be offered a place at Oomza University, the finest institution of higher learning in the galaxy. But to accept the offer will mean giving up her place in her family to travel between the stars among strangers who do not share her ways or respect her customs. Knowledge comes at a cost, one that Binti is willing to pay, but her journey will not be easy. The world she seeks to enter has…


Book cover of Always Human

Carolyn Watson Dubisch Why did I love this book?

This graphic novel which was first serialized on the platform Webtoons, takes place in the near future. People are able to alter their physical appearance using new technology. Most people do use it, except for some who have “Egan’s Syndrome” which means they are too sensitive to modify their bodies in this way.

Sunati finds herself attracted to Austen, a young woman who lives her life “unmodded”. It’s actually a very sensitive love story told with some really stunning artwork.

By Ari North,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Always Human as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 13, 14, 15, and 16.

What is this book about?

"This beautifully illustrated slice-of-life tale that shows two young women of color getting to know each other and creating a relationship is so warm and charming that readers will hardly notice how much they are learning about how to better interact with folx who are different from themselves and the importance of not making assumptions." -- Kirkus Reviews

"...soft, expressive art adds a visceral charge to the couple's very human experiences, which range from excitement and affection to pain and doubt." -- Publisher's Weekly

"This wholesome plot focuses on building understanding, offering mutual support, and budding self-acceptance, as well as…


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Book cover of Shortcake

Christopher Gorham Calvin

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What is my book about?

Enter a captivating world where science fiction and thrilling suspense converge. After plummeting from the roof of Helix Unbound, Amanda awakens to a life devoid of memories. Desperately longing to fit in, yet sensing she harbors an extraordinary secret beneath her seemingly ordinary facade, she explores the unfamiliar world in an effort to find herself. But when a companion from her forgotten past becomes entangled in a serial killer’s deadly game, Amanda is thrust into a race against time to prevent a catastrophe of massive proportions.

Dive into this gripping techno-thriller series that explores the emotional turmoil of life, resilience in the face of tragedy, the ever-present specter of death, and the eternal struggle to find the inherent goodness within us all.

Shortcake

By Christopher Gorham Calvin,

What is this book about?

A genetically engineered child with no memory of her past. A killer with dreams of destruction. And the fate of a city hanging in the balance…

Enter a captivating world where science fiction and thrilling suspense converge. After plummeting from the roof of Helix Unbound, Amanda awakens to a life devoid of memories. Desperately longing to fit in, yet sensing she harbors an extraordinary secret beneath her seemingly ordinary facade, Amanda explores the unfamiliar world in an effort to find herself. And when a companion from her forgotten past becomes entangled in a serial killer’s deadly game, Amanda is thrust…


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