Best Children's Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books

It's hard for some kids to read—it can seem boring, difficult, and a chore. Adults too, perhaps even more so. But in either case, the key to creating voracious readers is finding them the right books—and for kids of all ages, that often means helping them dive into fantastic worlds of magic and mystery, bravery and adventure, and really cool technology.

These children's sci-fi and fantasy books open whole new worlds for a young reader's imagination. They offer new planets and magical lands to explore, adventures to have, characters to love, and often, valuable lessons to learn.

The Redwall series is more of a universe than a series, really. Brian Jacques' creation begins with Redwall but includes 23 sequels, prequels, and side tales.

Redwall is the King Arthur of recent children's sci-fi and fantasy books. The series is full of danger, adventure, and excitement, as well as valuable lessons about friendship, loyalty, kindness, honor, and other important virtues.

The characters are all anthropomorphic creatures, mostly rodents, but also foxes, badgers, and other creatures. The books usually take place in or around Redwall Abbey, a haven of peace and happiness for mice, moles, squirrels, badgers, and many other kind creatures. However, there are also a number of books set in the time before the abbey was built, but mainly take place in Mossflower woods, where Redwall would eventually be.

Whether to protect the abbey and their peaceful way of life from invading vermin (rats, ferrets, and stoats to name a few), or to save good creatures from tyranny, the heroes of these books undertake great quests, adventures, and battles that will stir the imagination of kids anywhere from late elementary school to early teens.

Originally published in 1962, A Wrinkle in Time and its sequels have been favorites of kids and parents alike for over fifty years. With the recent release of a new movie adaption, it has only increased in popularity—and for good reason.

A Wrinkle in Time is a favorite among middle school kids, but is also a popular tale for parents to read to younger children. The main protagonists are 13-year-old Meg Murry, her 5-year-old brother Charles Wallace, and a popular classmate of Meg's, Calvin O'Keefe. The Murry's father, Alexander, disappeared years ago.

And then the kids are suddenly swept up into an adventure of grand proportions with the arrival of Mrs. Whatsit, Mrs. Which, and Mrs. Who. The Mrs. Ws tell them of the tesseract, which their father was working on when he disappeared. It allows them to travel through space and time, which the three strange women then do, kids in tow. In seeing foreign planets and traveling to distant corners of the universe, the children learn about a great evil threatening all planets—including Earth.

In the end, Meg, Calvin, and Charles Wallace must face an evil brain-like creature with mind-controlling powers in order to save their father—but put themselves in danger in the process. It is only through the power of love that they ultimately escape.

Message of love and friendship, bravery, nonconformity and individuality, and the simple battle of good and evil make A Wrinkle in Time not only one of the most exciting and engaging children's sci-fi and fantasy books, but one of the most valuable. This is just one of those novels set in the future that makes you love the genre.

Everyone knows about Harry Potter. It is the most successful series of children's sci-fi and fantasy books, and prompted the beloved movie series and recent spin-offs as well.

The interesting thing about the Harry Potter series is that its content grows up with the characters, and when they were originally being released, the readers. So, although the first books would likely be perfectly accessible to kids as young as 6, the later books are best read around middle school or later—particularly books five through 7, which handle some very difficult topics of death and grief, as well as perilous scenes that could frighten younger kids.

But that isn't to say that the later books are any less magical and uplifting. All of the Harry Potter books share the same positive themes of love, friendship, loyalty, bravery, freedom, justice, and even difficult lessons borne out of loss, anger, and fear.

Of course, the overwhelming popularity of this series is not just about virtues and lessons. Mostly, it's about magic and adventure and fighting evil. The incredible world of Harry Potter, mainly the much-loved Hogwarts, creates a setting that sucks the reader in, stimulating the imaginations of young readers everywhere, and making reading a pure joy. Even the most reluctant readers can't resist the magic.

Many of the books listed here among the best children's sci-fi and fantasy books are written for slightly older kids, in later elementary school, middle school, and even young adults (heck, even old adults love a lot of these). But there are still many tales of fantasy and adventure for smaller kids, too. Because there is nothing quite like the imagination of a little kid.

The fifty-year success of the well-loved Where the Wild Things Are speaks for itself. The story is about a young boy, Max, who has an incredible adventure through the power of his imagination, filled with excitement and danger, and has a wonderful time. But ultimately, he misses home and returns home to the comfort and safety of his parents.

With beautiful illustrations, this short story is a favorite for parents to read to young kids, and a favorite of kids aged anywhere from three to eight.

Of course, as with many of these wonderful books, the target audience means little—Where the Wild Things Are doesn't lose its magic just because you grow up.

The Hunger Games is still one of the most popular young adult series, even a decade after its release. Dystopian novels are one of the most popular sub-genres of young adult sci-fi and fantasy, and Hunger Games is certainly one of the best.

The series takes place in the futuristic dystopia of Panem, where society is split into twelve Districts controlled by the appallingly lavish and rich in the Capitol. As a method of keeping the districts in line, as well as entertaining the habitants of the Capitol, each year there is a televised event known as The Hunger Games. For the Games, two kids aged twelve to eighteen are randomly selected from each district to compete. The competition is a fight to the death in an enclosed arena, with the winner receiving extra resources for their district as well as massive personal fame and glory.

In the poorest district of them all, most people live near starvation, even going so far as to illegally hunt squirrels for food. As a result, rarely has anyone from this district won the Games. But Katniss Everdeen, our main protagonist and one of the tributes from 12, is determined to survive.

These books are filled with action and adventure, as well as justice and rebellion in the face of absolute corruption and tyranny. It's also one of the best science fiction books for teens to read.

Beginning with The Lightning Thief, Rick Riordan's mythologically-inspired series has drawn in fans of all ages. The books are about a young boy, Percy Jackson, who learns that he is half-God—specifically, the son of Poseidon.

In short order, Percy is swept into a quest to prevent war among the Gods. Throughout the series, we encounter many of the greatest figures of Greek mythology, from Zeus to Polyphemus, as our hero and his friends work to save the world and each other.

This series is a wonderful way for young readers to learn tons about Greek mythology and history, in a world not so different from our own, with a boy no so different from themselves.

Artemis Fowl is a children's-to-young-adult version of James Bond mixed meets Lord of the Rings meets Starship Troopers. Kind of.

It's about a 12 year old boy genius, who may or may not be a little bit evil, at first. But whatever his moral failings, he is an incredible criminal mastermind. In the first installment of this 8-book series, Artemis is determined to restore his families fortune, and devises a plot: to kidnap a fairy and demand ransom.

That fairy is a member of the Lower Elements Police, Holly Short. And as Artemis soon finds out, she is not an easy fairy to kidnap—especially since she has the whole of the LEP working to save her.

In the later books, Artemis and Holly cross paths in numerous ways, often working together and developing their relationship from one of mutual distaste and resentment to one of friendship.

The Artemis Fowl books have a little bit of everything—within one series of children's sci-fi and fantasy books, you get exciting spy technology, daring missions, and of, course, a range of fantasy creatures from fairies to goblins to centaurs.

As an award-winning classic of children's literature, The Hobbit remains in a place of high regard and popularity even today, more than 80 years after its publication.

If you haven't read or seen The Hobbit, you may still know its protagonist from Tolkien's, one of the best science fantasy authors, other grand works, The Lord of the Rings. Though his role in LoTR is brief, it is the adventures of Bilbo Baggins in The Hobbit that make Frodo's later journeys possible.

The Hobbit is a tale of adventure for all ages—though, some parts may be a little scary for very small children. The plot follows Bilbo Baggins, a quiet and peaceful Hobbit, as he gets caught up in a quest for treasure. Largely orchestrated by the great wizard Gandalf, he is at first reluctant to accompany a band of dwarves on a journey to the Lonely Mountain, which they wished to take back from the dragon Smaug. Throughout the journey, Bilbo faces many dangers and temptations, and learns valuable lessons. His journey is one of self-growth as much as it is one of adventure.

In true dystopian fashion, the Tripods series is about a small band of rebels, building a revolution against the powers that try to control them. But in this case, those powers are not an authoritarian government, but the Tripods, giant three-legged machines that conquered Earth—seemingly inspired by the Martian invasion in War of the Worlds.

In this new, conquered Earth, teenagers undergo a "capping" ritual when they turn 14, an event they are taught to look forward to, but that in fact enables the Tripods to control them. The series begins when 13-year-old Will discovers that there are people living outside of the Tripods' control, wearing fake caps or hiding in the mountains. This begins him on a journey to joining the resistance, meeting new friends and allies along the way.

The City of Ember takes place in an underground world, where survival is dependent on the functioning of a high-powered generator. But the city is dying, and it's only a matter of time before the generator fails.

The series is about two friends, Lina Mayfleet and Doon Harrow, as they race to find a way to save their people, following clues from the city's founders, and learning shocking new truths along the way.

Erin Hunter is a pseudonym used in combination by Victoria Holmes, Kate Cary, Cherith Baldry, Gillian Philip, Inbali Iserles, Tui T. Sutherland, and Rosie Best, a team that has grown steadily over the years. With so many talented authors and creators, it's no wonder that the Warriors series is as expansive and popular as it is.

While there are a number of separate series within the Warriors franchise, the first series is Warriors: The Prophecies Begin. This series introduces us to the social structures of clans of feral cats through the eyes of a house cast named Rusty, who joins these warring cats and is eventually renamed Firepaw and accepted into the clan.

The Magic Treehouse series is a staple of every classroom and library. The series, which is written to be accessible to very early readers, teaches kids about many different historical times and places through the eyes of two normal kids, Jack and Annie.

Each book in the series features a different setting, with new dangers and adventures and quests for the two kids. They time travel back to these exciting places in a magic treehouse, sent by Morgan le Fay.

These books are great for encouraging reluctant readers, as they are short, easy reads, and do not need to be read in any order—this means that kids can choose to read about the topics they like the most, whether that's dinosaurs, the North Pole, even mummies. There are 28 books in the original series, as well as a second series that takes place mainly in and around Camelot, where Jack and Annie encounter many of the figures from the legends of King Arthur, and undertake tasks and quests for the realm.

What child doesn't dream of living in a land where fairy tales are real? That's certainly part of the appeal of children's sci-fi and fantasy books—they allow us to enter worlds of magic and madness, good and evil, and of course, great adventure.

The Land of Stories is about two kids who really do fall through a book of stories into a world of fairy tales. Siblings Alex and Conner stumble into this realm, where they encounter all our favorite fairy tale characters and creatures—the good, and the bad.

The siblings set out on a quest to collect the special items they need to return home—iconic fairy tale items, such as Cinderella's shoe and Sleeping Beauty's spindle. But retrieving these items proves dangerous, and dark forces plot to stop them.