January 2 is National Science Fiction Day, which honors the significant contributions to the genre by prolific author and editor Isaac Asimov born on January 2, 1920. Asimov is also credited with coining the term “robotics” in a 1941 short story he wrote, and robots do indeed populate a number of the titles in our collection. Read on for kid, teen, and adult science fiction recommendations to help you commemorate the occasion!
PICTURE BOOKS AND BEGINNING READERS
- Elio Goes to Space! by Cynthea Liu – A case of mistaken identity helps Elio figure out where he ultimately belongs.
- I Come From Another Galaxy by James Kwan (also available on Hoopla) – Astronaut James finds out how different life can be on a faraway planet where humans are the curiosity.
- The Search for Our Cosmic Neighbors by Chloe Savage – A disenchanted spaceship crew discovers otherworldly life at long last… with the help of their observant dog, Khan.
- Tate Tuber: Space Spud by Michael Slack – Bring on the humor with this graphic early reader about a potato determined to go on a meaningful mission to the stars.
- To Activate Space Portal, Lift Here by Antoinette Portis – Peer through a window into another world where eager extraterrestrials take an interest in their strange visitor—the reader!
KIDS
- The Children’s Book of the Future by Lavie Tidhar – Use the real science in this fascinating nonfiction book to envision possibilities for our world years from now.
- The Experiment by Rebecca Stead – If you’re an alien trying to pass for a human—and you suddenly grow a tail that threatens to blow your cover—what then?
- Lunar Boy by Jessica Wibowo – In this award-winning graphic novel, Indu seeks an escape when his differences seem too enormous, but he doesn’t expect the moon to offer him an out!
- Roswell Johnson Saves the World by Chris Colfer – Roswell always believed in aliens, but he never dreamed he’d be teaming up with some to try and rescue Earth.
- The Space Cat by Nnedi Okorafor – A move to Nigeria throws Periwinkle’s double life as a housecat by day and an astronaut by night into turmoil.
TEEN
- The Infinity Particle by Wendy Xu (also available on Hoopla) – Is love between a robot and a human aspirational or doomed?
- Mister Miracle: The Great Escape by Varian Johnson (also available on Hoopla) – Superhero-loving graphic novel readers will happily go along for the ride with the latest incarnation of Scott Free.
- Reclaim the Stars: 17 Tales Across Realms and Space by Zoraida Córdova – Latin American characters shine in this superb story collection, spotlighting culture and tradition in a fresh way.
- The Science of Science Fiction by Matthew B. Wood (also available on Hoopla) – Investigate the connection between actual science and fertile imagination in shaping our future.
- Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins (also available on Hoopla) – The fifth book in the Hunger Games series, another prequel, delves into the gripping backstory of Haymitch Abernathy.
ADULT
- Astounding: John W. Campbell, Isaac Asimov, Robert A. Heinlein, L. Ron Hubbard, and the Golden Age of Science Fiction by Alec Nevala-Lee (also available on Hoopla) – This nonfiction account doesn’t shy away from some of the more controversial aspects of these giants of the genre.
- Moonbound by Robin Sloan – A prior All Henrico Reads featured author, Sloan has penned yet another wildly unconventional tale, one in which dragons and robots exist simultaneously.
- Ocean’s Echo by Everina Maxwell – This stand-alone space opera set in the same universe as Winter’s Orbit weaves considerations about consent and control into a mind-bending narrative.
- The Spare Man by Mary Robinette Kowal –Tesla, already coping with chronic pain from a lab accident, now has to contend with clearing her newlywed husband’s name as a murder suspect.
- When the Moon Hits Your Eye by John Scalzi – In yet another wacky premise from the genre’s resident comic genius, Scalzi riffs on what might happen if the moon turned into actual cheese.