The LITA Committee Recognizing Excellence in Children’s and Young Adult Science Fiction presents the 2019 Excellence in Children’s and Young Adult Science Fiction Notable Lists. The lists are composed of notable children’s and young adult science fiction published in 2018, organized in three age-appropriate categories. The annotated lists are posted on the Science Fiction Notables website.
The Golden Duck Notable Picture Books List is selected from books intended for pre-school children and very early readers, ages up to 6 years old. Recognition is given to the author and the illustrator.
Bitty Bot’s Big Beach Getaway by Tim McCanna. Illustrated by Tad Carpenter. Paula Wise-man/Simon & Schuster.
Breaking News: Alien Alert by David Biedrzycki. Charlesbridge.
Doll-E 1.0 by Shanda McCloskey. Little, Brown YR.
If You Had a Jetpack by Lisl H. Detlefsen. Illustrated by Linzie Hunter. Knopf.
Little Robot Alone by Patricia MacLachlan and Emily MacLachlan Charest. Illustrated by Matt Phelan. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
A Place for Pluto by Stef Wade. Illustrated by Melanie Demmer. Capstone Editions.
The Eleanor Cameron Notable Middle Grade Books List titles are chapter books or short nov-els that may be illustrated. They are written for ages 7 – 11. Containing more science fiction than fantasy, the main characters are problem solvers and science users rather than someone who must be rescued. This list is named for Eleanor Cameron, author of the Mushroom Planet series.
CatStronauts: Robot Rescue by Drew Brockington. Little, Brown YR. (Graphic novel).
Jamie Drake Equation by Christopher Edge. Delacorte.
Margot and Mateo Save the World by Darcy Miller. HarperCollins.
Mega Robo Bros by Neill Cameron. Scholastic. (Graphic novel).
A Problematic Paradox by Eliot Sappingfield. G. P. Putnam’s Sons.
Quantum Mechanics by Jeff Weigel. Lion Forge. (Graphic novel).
Sanity & Tallulah by Molly Brooks. Disney/Hyperion. (Graphic novel).
Star Scouts: The League of Lasers by Mike Lawrence. First Second. (Graphic novel).
The Story Pirates Present: Stuck in the Stone Age by Geoff Rodkey. Rodale Kids.
Too Much Space! (Beep and Bob) by Jonathan Roth. Simon and Schuster BYR.
Voyage of the Dogs by Greg Van Eekhout. HarperCollins.
Waste of Space by Stuart Gibbs. Simon & Schuster BYR.
The Wild Robot Escapes by Peter Brown. Little, Brown YR.
The Hal Clement Notable Young Adult Books List contains science fiction books written for ages 12 – 18 with a young adult protagonist, a teenager who must make adult decisions. This list is named for Hal Clement, the pen name of Harry Stubbs, a well-know science fiction writer and high school science teacher who promoted children’s science fiction.
A Conspiracy of Stars by Olivia A. Cole. Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins.
Cross Fire by Fonda Lee. Scholastic.
The Future Will Be B.S.-Free by Will Mcintosh. Delacorte.
Honor Among Thieves by Rachel Caine and Ann Aguirre. Katherine Tegen/HarperCollins.
Ignite the Stars by Maura Milan. Albert Whitman.
Impostors by Scott Westerfeld. Scholastic.
Pitch Dark by Courtney Alameda. Feiwel and Friends.
Skyward by Brandon Sanderson. Delacorte.
The Spaceship Next Door by Gene Doucette. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.
A Spark of White Fire by Sangu Mandanna. Sky Pony.
Stronger, Faster, and More Beautiful by Arwen Elys Dayton, Delacorte.
This Splintered Silence by Kayla Olson. HarperTeen.
Unearthed by Amie Kaufman and Meagan Spooner. Hyperion.
Your One & Only by Adrianne Finlay. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.