Glitch

Middle-grade novels are written for readers from ages eight to 12, although other demographics also read them. Science fiction novels are set in the future or an alternate version of the present or past in which science and technology have advanced further than they have in real life. Science fiction draws inspiration from the real past and present to imagine where science might take humanity in the future. Books in this genre written for a middle-grade audience often explore common middle-grade themes like coming of age, the power of teamwork, the importance of friendship and family, the potential for unlikely heroes to save the day, and the necessity of resilience.

Many young readers are first exposed to science fiction narratives through their school curriculums. For example, Jules Verne’s novels like Journey to the Center of the Earth (1864) and Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea (1870) are often on reading lists. Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein (1818) is also considered an early work of science fiction. These books feature fantastical technologies like advanced submarines (which greatly outpaced scientific capabilities during Verne’s lifetime), time travel, and life-giving machines.

In the 20th century, many authors wrote science fiction books targeted specifically at middle-grade readers. One of the most famous examples is A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle (1962). Like Glitch, this novel uses time travel to explore important ethical questions and emphasizes the value of non-conformity and thinking for one’s self. The Giver (1993) by Lois Lowry also shares characteristics with Glitch in that its society’s children must enter specific vocations with no power to make their own paths. These books emphasize the value of community and developing one’s own moral code as their protagonists come of age.

Today, many science fiction novels incorporate dystopias to explore their ethical questions. Novels like The Hunger Games (2008) examine greed and violence amid resource scarcity and climate change and emphasize the value of teamwork and solidarity over brutal individualism. The bestselling Animorphs series follows five human children who can transform into animals as they battle in an intergalactic war—K. A. Applegate uses the series to explore anti-war themes. Peeps (2015) by Scott Westerfeld is a pandemic novel in which a young boy must find his way in a rapidly deteriorating world. Other entries in the genre are more fantastical and lighthearted, like Zita the Spacegirl (2011) and Sal and Gabi Break the Universe, both of which share Glitch’s emphasis on friendship. Whereas Glitch has an explicitly American context, Dragon Pearl (2009) by Yoon Ha Lee blends Korean mythology with science fiction elements to build its unique world. The experimental nature of the genre allows authors to explore important topics for young readers in new, imaginative ways, simultaneously entertaining children and discussing values and ethics.