Reviews

A diverse collection of futuristic stories set within contemporary emotional landscapes, tailor-made for millennials. Each author offers a distinct vision of what life may be like for teens of the future, from life on Mars to living with robots and having aliens for best friends. Authors interweave these plots with delicate true-to-life situations including coping with the divorce of one's parents and losing a parent, themes that let readers know that with all of the wonder and possibility that future technology might bring, parents that live on Mars still get divorced, and human beings still die of cancer. Dianna Sanchez presents the story of a young Latina born into an agrarian Martian family who visits her extended relatives on drought-ridden Earth for the first time. Mike Barretta imagines a high school biology project that genetically modifies a live chicken egg into a dragon. Adding a dash of humor, R.W.W. Greene brilliantly depicts what a space-age timeout might look like. Other authors include Nancy Kress, Zach Shephard, Deborah Walker, Eric Choi, and Leandra Wallace, and more. This collection of short science fiction is an ideal entree to the genre for neophytes, as it's not laden with heavy doses of technological jargon or larded with dystopian violence. Offering just the right amount of imagination, humor, and contemporary nuances to engage young readers, this is a must-have in science-fiction collections serving middle graders and teens. (Science fiction/short stories. 10-16) Kirkus Review of Books"