Reading Responses 8 (Wk 11: 10/28 - 11/3) Science Fiction

[Dr. Buffy]

Reading Responses 8 (Wk11): Science Fiction 

Part 1: Add 1 science fiction book that you chose to read this week to the Goodreads group bookshelf. 

Note: You may not be able to add a book, if the book has already been added to the group bookshelf by another student. In this case, add the title information to your post.

Part 2: This week I'd like you to write about the science fiction book that you chose to read.

1. A citation for the book in APA format.

2. A brief annotation for the book, no more than two sentences.

3. Briefly describe the setting of the book (i.e., time and place). Does the setting play an important part of the story or is the setting backdrop? How does the society or community in the book reflect (or does not reflect) contemporary society? Your answer to #3 should be about 100 words in length.

[Susan]

A Rover’s Story by Jasmine Warga (already added by Catherine)

Warga, J. (2022). A Rover’s Story. HarperCollins.

‌Told from both the perspective of the Mars rover Resilience (based on the real rovers Perseverance and Curiosity) and through the letters to Res by the daughter of one of its scientists, A Rover’s Story explores themes of humanity, friendship, and endings throughout the course of Res’s calibration and mission.

A Rover's Story is set (mostly) in the Jet Propulsion Lab in California, outer space, and on Mars, during contemporary times, as it is based on the launch of the Mars rovers in 2011 and 2020. The science fiction angle of the book concerns the emergence of human-like emotions and understandings in the fictional rover, Resilience, narrating its story. Therefore, the setting is important as it creates the context for Res’s existence. The community of robots-Res, Journey, Fly and Guardian-reflects contemporary society in their discovery of the importance of teamwork, emotional intelligence, and especially, friendship while developing their identities and sense of purpose.

[Catherine]

Warga, J. (2022). A Rover’s story. Balzer + Bray, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers.

Resilience the Rover is built for a specific mission to Mars, but when he starts developing human emotions, Resilience must face more than just his mission– he must overcome his worries and fears.

The setting for the novel changes throughout– readers begin with Resilience in the lab at a time-period that seems to be current day, and then Resilience is off to Mars, where time is harder to keep track of; however, another character, Sophie, takes readers into her mind with dated letters she writes to Resilience from her home in California during her childhood, as well as years later in Michigan where she goes to college. The setting is an important part of the story–the lab where Resilience is built, Mars, and Sophie’s locations of home and school–all weigh heavily on the plot. Many emotions come into play in these spaces and the story would not be what it is without the setting. The story finishes with Sophie as an adult caring for her elderly mother and they both go to visit Resilience in a museum. The community in the book reflects a contemporary society with the description of friendship, and the many emotions that come with it, as well as the will to survive and overcome the odds.

[Keely]

1.
Collins, S. (2008). The Hunger Games. First edition. New York, Scholastic Press.
2.
Katniss lives with her little sister and mother in the poorest city in Panem, District 12, and they are all just trying to survive the days. One boy and girl as tributes in an annual televised event called the Hunger Games, where each tribute fights to survive and be the lone survivor to be called the winner.
3.
The setting of the novel changes as the characters travel to the Capitol and then to the location of the Hunger Games, which is a forest-like setting. The book starts in District 12, where the main character, Katniss, her friends, family, and Peeta are from in this dystopian world. All the settings are important to the backdrop of the story because they highlight the differences between where Katniss is from and the hardships vs. the richest city in Panem, the Capitol, and how they find entertainment in the Hunger Games. Also, touching on subjects such as poverty, capitalism, and how strongly television influences people, and the popularity of the tributes of the games reflects how well they do in the games with sponsors. While dramatized more in a dystopian future way, these are issues we face as a society in our age.

[Faith]

The City of Ember

(this was already added to the bookshelf, but I wanted to use it!)
DuPrau, J. (2003). The city of ember. 1: Ember. Random House.

Young Doon Harrow and Lina Mayfleet have only ever known about their underground city that is slowly running out of resources to provide for the town. Believing in themselves and finding hope for a way out will guide them through clues left behind by the original founders as well as battling the leaders within who are corrupt.

The setting is an underground city that was built to last only 200 years. There are assigned roles that the children are given for their career's and rations they obey. The setting IS the story. It is all about how the setting affected those in charge, instilling fear of change and the outside world. It is about how to make it beyond the setting, following those clues. I think that the setting doesn't exactly reflect society we experience. However, the thought of corrupt leaders who banish the thought of change or belief systems can be correlated. The town's collective ideology behind following orders, blindly believing it's the only way can be paralleled to many situations today. Just not the exact same. It is an exaggeration highlighting ways of thinking.

[Bonnie]

Brown, P. (2016). The wild robot. Little Brown and Company.

After a shipwreck, Roz the Robot awakens on an island uninhabited by humans. She quickly has to learn to adapt to “living” on an island, and getting along with the creatures of the island.

This book is set on a remote and wild island. The time period is somewhat indeterminate, but is probably modern day as the main character is a robot, and other things (like container ships) are briefly mentioned. The setting is a huge part of this particular story. In the beginning, Roz has to learn how to get along on the island. She learns a lot about the different terrains that exist there, and how these different areas are home to different types of wildlife. Apart from Roz, all of the main characters of the book are animals. Eventually Roz learns to communicate with them, and from that point on they really are a mirror for society. The animals are afraid of Roz at first because she is different, but over time they learn to accept her as she is able to help them survive.

[Olivia]

Please Return to the Lands of Luxury

Tilton, J. (2023). Please return to the lands of luxury. Blueberry Finch LLC.

Living in a land of trash, Jane doesn’t often come across things that are spotless; that is, until she comes across a doll that is practically brand new without a single scratch and a tag with a name and address. She knows this doll is important and she will do whatever she can to return it to its owner in the lands of luxury.

This story takes place in two different cities: Yarborough (the land of trash) and Copiacia (a land of luxury). The year is not specified; however, the reader can assume it takes place in a version of the future based on the advanced/futuristic technology (robots, communication devices, AI, etc.). The setting is an important part of the story as it shows a divide between the people who live in the land of luxuries and the land of trash. Towards the end of the story, it is used to demonstrate the unjust treatment of the governing body. This fictional society is not unlike contemporary society in regards to how people are treated based on their economic/financial standing. The people of Copiacia, with all their wealth and lives of luxury, are oblivious to the mistreatment and living conditions of those who live on Yarborough.

[Cheyenne]

L’Engle, M. (1962). A wrinkle in time. (Movie tie-in edition, 2017). Square Fish.

Meg Murry, her brother Charles Wallace, and new friend Calvin O’Keefe travel through space and time to rescue Meg’s and Charles Wallace father.

L’Engle does not mention what time the book take place; however, Meg’s mother mentions to Calvin that she will be giving Meg a typewriter for Christmas. With this statement I believe that book takes places in the 1960s, which was in the book was published. There is no one set place in the book. The book starts in a smalltown in the United States, before the children are taken to four different planets. In the smalltown, most of the adults, excluding Meg’s mother, are constantly gossiping or belittling Meg because her father is missing. They belittle Meg because they believe that she is not as smart as her scientist parents and that they can’t understand why Meg does not believe that her father is dead. I believe that the community in the book does reflect contemporary society because I have noticed that people, even now, tend to gossip and may their own opinions about things that they don’t understand.

[Requil]

Holm, J. L. (2021). The Lion of Mars. Random House Children’s Books.

Eleven-year-old Bell learns the meaning of family and the importance of friendship in the harsh environment of a settlement on Mars.

This book is set in the near future, in a settlement on the planet Mars. The setting is very important, because it explains the isolation of a small group of Americans as they live and work in a subterranean home on Mars. We know from the messages coming from Earth that most of the planet Earth is at war with each other (even more than in real life now), so that is different. The biggest difference inside the American settlement is that instead of children being born from couples on Mars, small children are brought to Mars from Earth by nannies and collectively raised by the group. Although the way they behave is family-like, the definition of family as we know it is completely different among the settlers.

[Brittany]

The Giver

1. Lowry, L. (1993). The giver. Clarion Books.

2. When Jonas is selected to be the Receiver of Memory, he is met with a number of challenges while seeking the truth. Ultimately, Jonas is able to bring hope and joy back to his community that he was forced to leave behind.

3. The setting of this book is in a futuristic dystopian community that controls the lives of those who inhabit it. This setting plays a huge role in the story because of rules in which people are expected to follow within the community, and they are cruelly punished when they do not. This story makes a significant effort to show the reader it has clear parallels to contemporary society. It shows that everyone should have the right to their own free will, and that censorship can sometimes have detrimental consequences. These are sentiments that are relevant today and will continue to be as time goes on throughout the entire world.

[Erin]

1. Lowry, L. (1993). The giver. Houghton Mifflin.

2. In a dystopian universe, Jonas learns that he is to be trained to become the new Receiver of Memory. Throughout his training, he finds there is much more to life than what he has known and sets out to discover it.

3. The Giver is set in a dystopian universe town, presumably, in the future. It is devoid of color, strong emotions and memory. This creates a setting that is important to the story – a town where the citizens experience “sameness.” I understand that the elders might want to protect the people from sadness and pain, but in doing so they also miss out on love and joy. I first read this book several years ago, and as I reread it for this prompt, I found myself being thankful that we don’t live in a society like this one. We have freedom to choose and experience emotions and remember.

[Allison]

Pfeffer, S. B. (2006). Life as we knew it. Harcourt.

When an asteroid strikes the moon, disrupting life on Earth, Miranda and her family struggle to survive in a drastically changed world where resources are scarce and society begins to crumble.

The story is set in a small Pennsylvania town in contemporary times, though the narrative unfolds in an altered reality where a natural disaster brings society to the brink of collapse. The town, normally mundane, becomes a place of isolation, fear, and survival as Miranda's family faces dwindling resources, extreme weather, and a failing social infrastructure. This setting is integral to the plot, emphasizing the drastic and personal impact of global disaster on everyday life. The community mirrors contemporary society in its reliance on technology, but as resources disappear, it reveals vulnerabilities and challenges often ignored, highlighting societal dependence and the fragility of modern life.

[Brionna]

Cole, J. (1990). The Magic School Bus: Inside the Human Body. Scholastic Press.

Arnold, one of the students in Miss.Frizzles class swallows the magic school bus. The students in his class get to take a trip through Arnolds stomach and learn about the human body.

This story takes place in a school classroom where students get to learn about different topics of science through the use of a magic school bus. The setting plays an important role in the contemporary times because the setting is in a school classroom. Although this book was publish in the 1990's the classroom settings do not seem to have changed throughout time. The part that makes it science fiction is through the eyes of learning from a different perspective. Learning about the part of the human body are very much the same, but being able to swallow a bus and "travel" through the human body we know if unrealistic. One great thing about the Magic School Bus series is that it is not just a book, but also a series of videos. This is a great and fun learning aid to use to learn about scientific information. Always enjoy reading through these series of books.

[Kylie]

1. Haddix, P. (2005). Double identity. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

2. Great mystery starts to surround Bethany as she approaches her 13th birthday. Why are her parents acting strange and why is she left behind by them?

3. This book starts with Bethany being shown as a normal 12 year old girl. She lives in a typical neighborhood with her two parents. However, all this comes crashing down as she is rushed into the family’s car and then left at a stranger’s house. That shake up really plays an important part of the story because it contrasts Bethany’s life before and after really well. The overall society in this book is pretty reflective of contemporary society. The science fiction parts come from learning that Bethany is a clone of her deceased sister that drowned. Cloning is secret and highly illegal in this story but her parents did it anyway to create her.

[Elizabeth]

The Lion of Mars
1. Holm, J. L. (2022). The Lion of Mars. Yearling Book.

2. Bell is an 11-year-old boy who lives in the U.S. settlement on Mars. Their settlement leads a peaceful, yet isolated life until trouble strikes and it’s up to Bell and his fellow Martian kids to get help from the other settlements—a possibility that has been taboo for as long as he can remember.

3. Briefly describe the setting of the book (i.e., time and place). Does the setting play an important part of the story or is the setting backdrop? How does the society or community in the book reflect (or does not reflect) contemporary society?

The Lion of Mars is set on Mars in the year 2091 and is told in first-person perspective by the main character, Bell. The setting is integral to every part of the story from characterization to plot, and specifically central and peripheral conflicts. Their isolation is what kicks off the need for the kids to reach out to other settlements in an act of desperation amidst the introduction of rodent-borne novel-to-the-adults, virus. The characters of the story reflect contemporary society as they portray a family of sorts. As an isolated family unit, they have developed a culture all their own as evidenced by unique slang and the dispersal of roles among adults and children.

[Mara]

The Lion of Mars


(This book was already previously added to the bookshelf)

1. Holm, J. L. (2022). The Lion of Mars. Yearling Book.

2. Bell is a part of a group of children growing up in an American colony on Mars. When things start to go wrong, Bell and his friends have to break some rules to save the colony.

3. This book takes place in the future on the planet Mars. Both the setting and the timeframe are critical parts of the story structure. Without the distance from Earth or being far in the future, most of the story would not be possible. The American colony is made up of people biologically unrelated to each other, but they represent a blended family unit that is often seen in today's society. We also see divisions amongst nations playing a large role in the story's conflict. The adults are adamant about staying separated from the other colonies, but the children don't understand. This is a mirror to today's society in which so many children learn bias from a young age. Overall, this book does a great job of modeling some of the issues in contemporary society without exerting a heavy hand. Readers are led to the feeling that there is strength in unity.

[Amy]

The Little Prince

Saint-Exupery, A.D. (2000). The Little Prince (A.D. Saint-Exupery, Illus.; R. Howard, Trans.). Harcourt Inc. (Original work published 1943)

A young prince travels from his home asteroid to different planets, meeting various inhabitants who each embody different human traits and eccentricities. After arriving on Earth, the prince forms a friendship with a stranded pilot, sharing profound insights about love, loss, and the importance of seeing beyond the surface.

The setting of "The Little Prince" spans across multiple worlds including Earth. The bulk of the story takes place in a desert where the pilot meets the prince. Each planet has a whimsical nature that spotlights the innocence and curiosity of childhood, contrasting with the complexities of adult life. The settings presented are not just background information as they reflect the inner worlds of the characters, emphasizing themes of loneliness and misunderstanding in contemporary society. The prince's encounters with different characters critique adult priorities—like power, wealth, and vanity—mirroring societal pressures and the loss of childlike wonder in the modern world.

[Hailee]

1.

2.Condie, A. (2010). Matched. Dutton Childrens Books.

3. Matched is about life in a future dystopian society where young society members are "matched" or partnered by the society leaders at the age of 17. Cassie is first matched up with her best friend Xander. The randomly another match pops up in the system. His name is Ky. She is told by leaders that it is a mistake. This "mistakes' brings up many doubts about The Society in Cassie's mind and she begins to question the life that she has known.

4. Matched setting is not distinctly defined. All we know it that is a futuristic dystopian society in the United States. The Society does play a fairly significant role in the story. After the matching incident Cassie beings to question many of the control and rules that are in place by The Society. While there are other events that happen, many of the plot points are tied back to life in The Society. The Society is similar to our current society with basic style of power structure. You have the government who creates rules that citizens are expected to follow. It however is different because in Matched, The Society has total control of all aspects and basically strips away all creativity/individuality.

[Morgan]

1. Hernandez, C. (2019). Sal and Gabi break the universe. Disney-Hyperion.

2. Salvador Vidon is a Cuban-American middle school student who has an unusual capability: he can travel through the space-time continuum. When middle schoolers can travel the multiverse, trouble is bound to arise.

3. The setting of Sal and Gabi Break the Universe is primarily in the normal modern world. Because of Sal's abilities, the characters also visit alternate universes that are similar to the one that they actually live in. I think that the setting serves less like a reflection of our current society than many other science fiction books, as the multiple universes are mainly used for self-discovery and understanding as Sal processes his feelings.

[Caleb]

Frank Einstein and the Antimatter Motor

Scieszka, J. (2014) Frank Einstein and the antimatter motor. Amulet Books.

Frank Einstein is a young scientist who creates two self-learning robots, Klink and Klank. With them and his best friend Watson, Frank sets out to win a science award and save his grandpa's repair shop.

The book takes place in modern day in an American town called Midville, with most of the scenes taking place in the repair shop run by Frank Einstein's grandfather, Al. The shop plays an important part in the story as it is Frank's favorite place in the world and serves as his scientific workshop. It also serves as his primary motivator, as he wants to win the science award prize in order to keep the shop open. Outside of the shop, little else of the community is described, so it can't really be said that it does much to reflect our own society.

[Bre]

The Girl Who Built a Spider

1. A citation for the book in APA format.
Brewington, G. (2024). The girl who built a Spider. Godwin Books/Henry Holt and Company.


2. A brief annotation for the book, no more than two sentences.
A girl and her two best friends build a solar powered spider and win the science fair. She meets another kid scientist that has uncovered an evil plot to take over the world and helps him save the day.


3. Briefly describe the setting of the book (i.e., time and place). Does the setting play an important part of the story or is the setting backdrop? How does the society or community in the book reflect (or does not reflect) contemporary society? Your answer to #3 should be about 100 words in length.
The setting of the book is a typical middle school and middle school experience. The setting is definitely more of a backdrop piece for this story. Unlike a lot of science fiction, there is very little world building that is needed aside from catching the reader up on what types of science exist in this version of the world. This world has a few incredible advancements in robotics, but many similarities to our contemporary society. I think that this is pretty important to make this story relatable to the kids that are reading it. This is a soft science fiction that can introduce readers to the excitement of imagination when applied to what can happen in the real world that we live in.

[Rachael]

The City of Ember

1. DuPrau, J. (2003). The city of ember. Random House Children’s Books.

2. When flickering lights and diminishing supplies threaten to forever submerge their underground city in darkness and despair, 12-year-olds Lina Mayfleet and Doon Harrow hasten to decipher a long-forgotten set of instructions believed to be their only hope.

3. The City of Ember takes place in an underground city some 200+ years into the future. Over time, knowledge about the earth above was lost. The people of Ember only know of their city, as the surrounding darkness discourages curiosity for exploration. However, elements of contemporary society are reflected in this isolated civilization. Although the storage left by the Builders is meant for all citizens, the city is still dependent on a capitalist system. In fact, people in higher positions of power are portrayed as corrupt, taking advantage of diminishing supplies at the peoples’ expense. In a further reflection of contemporary society, desperation over rapidly depleting resources feeds public distress over future survival.

[Kaylee]

Haddix, M. P. (2000). Among the Hidden. Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers.

In a world where the government forbids third children, Luke has spent his life in hiding. Can he and others like him find the courage to step out of the shadows?

The story "Among the Hidden" takes place in a dystopian future where the government enforces population control laws and imposes other restrictions on the working class. The majority of the story takes place at Luke's family home and farm, where he spends his life in hiding. This futuristic setting is important, as it reinforces the oppressive laws and surveillance that force Luke and other "shadow children" into secrecy. While this society contrasts with the freedoms we have today, the story serves as a reminder of how easily our society could slip into something similar in the future.