Brainstorm 92: Scifi reads for everyone (Part 1)

Science Fiction for everyone (Part 1) 

Science fiction is usually a good fit with readers who like to use their imaginations and ask what if questions. A lot of sci-fi is based on little morsels of real science or on stuff scientists are currently speculating, and that has always personally fascinated me. But don’t get stuck thinking this genre is only for nerds like me! Anyone who likes a little imagination can enjoy the genre. Currently, I’ve seen more interest in the genre among our teens, and I think it’s partly dystopia fans running out of dystopia books and deciding to branch out to the next most similar thing. The popularity of Meyer’s Lunar Chronicles has gotten a lot of our teen girls exploring the genre, as has the popularity of author Kasie West who primarily writes contemporary fiction but has one sci-fi duology. There’s only so much room here, so this week we’ll look at sci-fi picture books and lower grade fiction. Next week will feature science fiction books for middle grades, young adult and adults.

Picture Book Resources

Weasels by Elys Dolan
Unbeknownst to humans, the weasels are planning world domination. Their plan is in it's final countdown to launch - when suddenly something goes wrong with their doomsday machine. The tech weasels are trying to figure out what went wrong and the mad scientist weasels get involved when they can't solve the problem, but the real answer to the foiling of weasel madness is quite simple. [The machine got unplugged. (hide spoiler)]

Activity Tie-ins/Target Readers:

• Science Fiction Fans: For those who like the mad scientist branch of sci-fi.
• Picture Books that Keep Older Readers in Mind: This is one of those picture books that is really for the adults, but has enough cute animals and silliness to entertain kids too. The head weasel has a monocle and small white pet (obviously characterized after a certain evil mastermind of the movies) that adults will get and kids won't. 
• Animal Lovers: Lots of cute weasels doing silly things. Yep, I think that pretty much can sell this to animal lovers.
• Humor Fans: When all the smartest weasels can’t figure out a very simple problem, someone is bound to smile. Also, there’s the whole ridiculous idea that weasels are secretly plotting to destroy the planet. 
• Caffeine Lovers: There's a humorous side plot in here about the caffeinated drinks being passed around. 
• Take Your Time/Silent Read: Now, there's a lot going on on each page with dialogue from numerous weasels, so this would be a hard one to read aloud. It's still fun to read on your own.

Baloney (Henry P.) by Jon Scieszka, ill. by Lane Smith
Henry P. Baloney is late once again and must come up with a very good reason for his tardiness or he will be expelled…for life. Henry says he has a very good reason. Whether he does or not, he for sure spins one whopper of a tale and just might be able to pass the day's tall tale writing assignment.

Activity Tie-ins/Target Readers:

• Science Fiction Fans: Pick this one out for those who like some lovable aliens in their sci-fi.
• Using Semantics: Henry’s vocabulary includes several words that English speakers aren’t likely to recognize. But using the context and the illustrations, readers should be able to figure out what each one means. It’s the perfect book to use when showing kids how to use semantics for puzzling out strange words.
• Linguistics: Henry’s strange vocabulary uses very real words, just from a whole slew of different languages. But for the truly curious, there is a guide in the back. Each word is defined and the language it comes from is identified. Expand your global vocabulary with Henry’s words.
• Fun Read: The illustration style is a little zany, but definitely fun and the tale is one incredibly imaginative ride.
• Tall Tales: As the teacher eventually mentions, Henry’s story makes for one whopper of a tall tale.

Mr. Wuffles! by David Weisner
Mr Wuffles is a cat. Therefore, anything small and moving of its own free will is considered fair game to play with. The tiny aliens piloting the space ship Mr Wuffles has battered around aren't so fond of the play time. Their ship is damaged and they are in danger from a huge furry monster. With the help of some friendly insects (who also have had rough encounters with Mr Wuffles), the aliens are able to get their ship repaired and escape the clutches of Mr Wuffles. Much to the dismay of Mr Wuffles, who rather liked his new toy.

Activity Tie-ins/Target Readers:

• Science Fiction Fans: This is one for alien invasion sci-fi fans.
• Cat Lovers: Cat lovers should adore Mr. Wuffles and be solidly cheering for him.
• Wordless Books: There are zero words in this book, though there’s plenty to look at. In fact, there are so many small details it will take several readings to appreciate all of the subtleties of the story.
• Creative Writing: Of course, since it is wordless this can be turned into a writing activity. Have kids write text for the book. You might end up with quite a variety of versions since some of the story is left to interpretation and some will depend on how well kids have paid attention to the illustration details.

Interstellar Cinderella by Deborah Underwood, ill. by Meg Hunt
Cinderella is a mechanic who wants to go to the Prince's Royal Space Parade. Her stepmother and stepsisters decide to foil her plans of going in a ship she's fixed up by taking her toolbox away. Her fairy godrobot comes to the rescue and in turn, Cinderella is able to come to the aid of the Prince when his ship breaks down. The Prince sets out to find his mystery mechanic with a clever test.

Activity Tie-ins/Target Readers:

• Science Fiction Fans: Hand this one to sci-fi fans who like tales about life in outer space.
• Strong Female Character: I really liked the twist at the end of this Cinderella tale. Cinderella wins the attention of the Prince not by her looks but with her skills. Also, Cinderella decides she's too young to get married, but agrees to be the Prince's head mechanic instead. I like that she is a techy girl valued for her talents, and that she has a good head on her shoulders.
• Cinderella Compare/Contrast: I’ve yet to do my Brainstorm of Cinderella adaptations. This will definitely reappear when I do that one someday. This has plenty of unique elements to compare with other Cinderella tales out there.
• Illustrations: The illustrations are unique, full of sci-fi charm, and captivating. 
• Rhyming: The story is told amazingly succinctly in a very well done rhyme.

Are We There Yet? by Dan Santat
It’s time for a family road trip. A boy, his father and mother are headed to Grandma’s for her birthday. But the ride seems to be taking forever. No, seriously. I’m pretty sure they just saw a dinosaur outside the window…no wait, it’s a flying car. Pirates? The road to Grandma’s has never been quite this interesting before.

Activity Tie-ins/Target Readers:

• Science Fiction Fans: Hand this one to sci-fi fans who like time travel.
• Road Trips: If you’re headed on a road trip, this would be a timely entertaining read. It’s super creative concept about one wild and crazy imaginative ride to Grandma’s. 
• Unconventional Books: Santat has fun with the format of the book as you read. You’ve got to turn it upside down and turn pages backwards for a while. And at one point there’s a QR code included as part of the illustration. I’ve yet to see what it leads to. 
• Debate the Ending: Perhaps the best part of this book is a photo at Grandma’s party that will have readers debating if the trip was real or imaginary.
• Fun Read: As mentioned, this wild ride is pretty entertaining.

Jimmy Zangwow’s Out-of-this-world Moon Pie Adventure by Tony DiTerlizzi
Jimmy Zangwow is hungry for some Moon Pies. If only his new invention would work. It does! Oh boy, Jimmy is off to the moon to get himself some Moon Pies. Of course, he can't have Moon Pies without milk, so he stops by the Milky Way to net some milk jugs but accidentally disturbs the dreaded Grimble Grinder whose grumbles knock Jimmy and his jalopy, Moon Pies, and milk down to Mars. Jimmy befriends the Martians by sharing his beloved Moon Pies. But the Grimble Grinder is still on his tail. Can Jimmy save himself and the Martians from the horrible monster?

Activity Tie-ins/Target Readers:

• Science Fiction Fans: This one is for sci-fi fans who like imaginative new answers for things they thought they knew. (Like where Moon Pies come from and what the milky way is made out of.) Also good for sci-fi fans who like space travel adventures.
• Moon Pie Fans: If you like a good moon pie, how can you resist a story all about them? (Oh, but make sure you have some on hand to eat while you read this.)
• Joys of Sharing: You know that Jimmy really likes moon pies, but when confronted with new friends and when lives are on the line, Jimmy doesn’t hesitate to share…even if it means he might not get one. A great look at the perks of joyful sharing. 
• Imagination Fans: Those who like a good imaginative story should eat this up. DiTerlizzi’s imagination flows in not only the text, but also the illustrations. Who draws Martians the way he does?
• Fun Read Aloud: If you emote enough, you can have kids excited, trepidatious, and laughing out loud for this read aloud. A lot of the giggling is thanks to the names of certain characters and some of the sounds DiTerlizzi included, it can be a bit of a tongue twister, especially the cheers of the Martians.

Lower Grade Fiction

March of the Mini Beasts (DATA Set, #1) by Ada Hopper, ill. by Sam Ricks
The three brainiac friends who form a club called DATA set are selling chocolate bars for their science club when they meet a real, live mad scientist. Not only does he buy their chocolate, he demonstrates his growth ray on their toys. But the ray has some unexpected side-effects that give the friends and Dr. Bunsen quite an adventure.

Activity Tie-ins/Target Readers:

• Science Fiction Fans: This series is a great introduction to the sci-fi genre for lower grades with large font text and plenty of illustrations that promises to introduce readers to some of the common escapades of science fiction. 
• Animal Fans: Kids should lap up the whimsical adventure in this one, who wouldn't love their toy animals turning into real life miniature critters? The adult reader in me thought that the zoo they visit needs some more observant keepers, but it was a minor detail kids probably won't even think about.

Ricky Ricotta’s Mighty Robot (Might Robot, #1) by Dav Pilkey, ill. by Dan Santat
Ricky Ricotta has been having problems with bullies pestering him at school, but when he helps rescue Mighty Robot from the evil Dr. Stinky, he gains a friend and a solution to his bully problems. Of course, Dr. Stinky isn't too happy about losing his robot, so he creates a new monster that threatens the world. But though there's an epic battle, the huge lizard is no match for Might Robot.

There are two versions of this series now. The originals had black and white illustrations by Martin Ontiveros. The new editions have full color illustrations by Dan Santat.

Activity Tie-ins/Target Readers:

• Science Fiction Fans: Hand any of the books in this series to mad scientist and robot sci-fi story fans.
• Reluctant Readers: All the books in this series have zany titles and situations, attractive illustrations, and pages you can flip back and forth to watch the monsters and robot battle. Hard to find a kid who can resist these, no matter how they feel about reading.

Star Attack! (Space Penguins, #1) by L.A. Courtenay
The Space Penguins aboard the Tunafish receive a distress call from a pizza delivery craft and zoom to the rescue. When they arrive at the coordinates of the distress signal there's no sign of any pizza, but there is a gigantic starfish space station. They soon find themselves sucked into the Death Starspace station by tractor beam and in the evil clutches of their arch-nemesis Beaky Wader who's had some cybernetic improvements and now wants to be called Dark Wader. Dark Wader invites the penguins to join him, but the penguins wouldn't dream of going over to the dark side (even though the dark side does seem to have some super fun ice slides). Thanks to some quick thinking and teamwork, the crew of the Tunafish is able to evade Wader's evil plan and save the day.

Activity Tie-ins/Target Readers:

• Science Fiction Fans: Hand this one to those who like adventures in space.
• Animal Lovers: Penguins! The concept of a group of penguins as a space crew has obviously been done before (3-2-1 Penguins) but this manages to not feel like a rip-off of that series (the penguins do bear some resemblance to certain black and white feathered animated stars from Madagascar though...).
• Humor Fans: Loaded with fishy smells and obvious Star Wars puns, this is aimed at the lower-middle elementary crowd who enjoy silly humor. 

Rabbit & Robot: The Sleepover by Cece Bell
Rabbit and Robot are having a sleepover. Rabbit has things all planned out, but as inevitably happens, things don't always work out as planned. Thankfully, Robot is there to help out.

Activity Tie-ins/Target Readers:

• Science Fiction Fans: Hand this to lite sci-fi fans, and of course, robot story fans.
• Humor Fans: I'm sure kids will like the two main characters. Rabbit and Robot are both a little silly in their own ways. 
• Beginning Readers: This is aimed at those just beginning to read. The text and concepts are quite simplistic, but perfect for readers just testing out their skills.
• Friendship Advice/Little Perfectionists: This has some good points for kids on friendships and perfectionism.