Dune

Theaters PG-13; Out now.

Frank Herbert’s sci-fi classic about the son of a wealthy family surviving on a dangerous desert planet was first made into a film in 1984 and gets an updated adaptation this holiday season. While published for adults, this classic series has myriad teen fans, and the new movie is likely to garner more.

READ-ALIKES

Binti: The Complete Trilogy by Nnedi Okorafor. DAW Books. 2019.
Gr 9 Up–Binti, a Himba girl from Africa, is heading to the prestigious Oomza University when her ship is attacked by an alien race in this fast-paced, thought-provoking sci-fi series. Hand this high-stakes intergalactic tale to readers who enjoy the drama and character development in Dune.

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff. Knopf. 2015.
Gr 8 Up–Written like a briefing report about an attack on a mining colony, this fast-paced space opera combines interstellar drama with political intrigue as two teens race against time to save their ship. The unusual structure of this novel—which uses instant messages, email, and interview transcripts to drive the narrative—adds to the appeal. Characters are not given physical descriptions.

Scythe by Neal Shusterman. S&S. 2016.
Gr 9 Up–Set on a future Earth where science has eliminated natural death and most racial differences, two teens are selected to train as Scythes, charged with culling the population. While Dune is a space opera and Scythe is a dystopian novel, both these absorbing sci-fi stories are thought-provoking and focus as much on the characters as the world-building.