Science in Fiction: Making Learning Fun Through Reading (Plus, Recommendations For All Ages!)

Let’s Talk Bookish is a weekly bookish meme created by Rukky @ Eternity Books and is now hosted by Aria @ Book Nook Bits! Each Friday, there is a discussion topic for bloggers to write about, which I post on Saturday because, pffft, what even is time anyway.

This week’s Let’s Talk Bookish topic is a freebie, so I thought it would be fun to explore how effective it is to sneak science into fiction.

Even though learning is obviously fun, not everyone seems to think so. (Scandalous, right?!) There are a ton of fantastic nonfiction books that tackle science and are super fun. But, speaking as a librarian, there are also a lot of kids who refuse to cross that fiction/nonfiction divide. Because nonfiction means learning, and learning isn’t fun and entertaining, right? Welp, bookwyrms and bookwyverns, I have a solution for you: science in fiction. It’s honestly the best of both worlds.

Why science in fiction?

• STEM is super-duper, incredibly important, no matter what your age. It’s not algebra, okay? Science is something you’re going to use in everyday life. (Joking! Joking . . . mostly. I have a complicated relationship with algebra, okay? Don’t come for me!) I know not everyone enjoys science the way I do, but a basic understanding of it goes a long way. It dictates how our planet works and survives. It presides over how humans work and survive. Not something to be taken lightly, by any means!
  
• Not everyone likes nonfiction or can get through it. Let’s be honest, nonfiction books can be super dry and boring. Sometimes concepts just go in one ear and out the other, especially when you’re not engaged with what you’re reading. It happens. Some people also may not have a reading level or reading comprehension enough to get a lot out of nonfiction books, or they may feel overwhelmed. Slyly slipping science into fiction helps solve that problem. The story is engaging and interesting, while the reader also enjoys bite-sized nuggets of wisdom that they may be more likely to remember within the context of the story.
  
• Tricking people into doing what they should (but don’t want to) do is just an incredibly efficient way of getting things done. Honestly, it’s just science. Psychology, more specifically. It’s the same idea as why gamification works so well when it comes to getting people to read or do chores, etc. If you make something fun, it breaks through the stigma and base association someone already has with that thing. So okay, maybe someone thinks that science sounds super dull and boring. But hey, this fiction book sounds like a really interesting mystery. The fact that there’s science becomes secondary and the reader has fun learning something new. Win-win!
  
• Because fiction mirrors reality. And reality includes science. Also algebra, unfortunately. For now. I’m working on it. Anyway, the point is that sometimes including science adds extra realism and makes readers aware of the ways they interact with science in their daily lives already. Even something as innocuous as checking the weather every morning involves science. (Meteorologists aren’t using magic to determine their predictions . . . even if it sometimes may feel like mere divination.)

Science in Fiction for Littles

Because you’re never too long to start appreciating all the amazing things that make this world (and you) go. These books tend to be short with large, colorful pictures and very basic, simplified (sometimes cartoony) science.

Cece Loves Science is an adorable book about a little girl who discovers her love for science and all the ways that science can be fun. As girls are often underrepresented in STEM fields (and often discouraged from pursuing them, even today), it’s all the more important to show examples of women absolutely slaying in the field of science. Figuratively, of course. Well, mostly.

Lance Dragon Defends His Castle with Simple Machines is an absolutely mouthful of a title, but it’s a book that not only includes dragons (which obviously earns its spot on this list in its own right) but also catapults! It’s focused around engineering and simple building concepts. Namely, catapults. Including teaching young readers how to build one! What could be more fun than dragons and catapults?

Pete the Cat and the Supercool Science Fair is just one in a series of Pete the Cat picture books that tackles a science theme, but they’re all worth checking out, as far as I’m concerned. First of all, if you aren’t aware yet, kids absolutely love Pete the Cat. It’s one of the most popular series in our library. In this book, Pete decides to build a volcano for his school’s science fair. But the project isn’t as straightforward as it sounds, and his team needs to figure out how to overcome the problems that arise.

I Am The Shark is science focused on oceanography—sharks, in particular, as one might assume from the title. It talks all about the different types of sharks, what makes them unique, and shark anatomy. It tells the story of a single shark who thinks he’s the greatest shark at all these different things . . . until we realize there are other sharks that are bigger, smaller, faster, etc. than he is. I actually read this one at a StoryTime during our Oceans of Possibility summer of reading, and the kids absolutely loved it. They were so engaged, and continued to tell me shark facts when I saw them the following week!

Who can resist a title like Do Not Lick This Book? You shouldn’t, though, because this book is full of germs. Literally. It’s a story about a microbe named Min who is very, very tiny and travels to a lot of places. The story is funny and interactive, filled with pictures that are colorful but also really unique and inspire curiosity.

Give Me Back My Bones is a super fun read-aloud book that’s focused on anatomy. In a totally fun way, though, because a storm has come along and scattered this skeleton across the ocean! He’s got to find different parts of him to pull himself back together. The story is told in a really cute rhyme-scheme with a bit of humor, and it encourages interactivity as readers look for the different bones on the pages. Plus, it helps identify all the different bones, as an added bonus!

Science in Fiction for Early Readers

Early readers are just moving past storybooks and into light chapter books. A lot of these still include pictures and illustrations of some sort, but fewer and with far more words in between. The concepts here are a little more complicated, but still simple enough for young minds to digest. These stories almost always revolve around the protagonist solving some sort of problem related to science.

Artemis Sparke and the Sound Seekers Brigade is a delightful book that tackles ecology. Specifically, Artemis is terribly concerned about the salt marsh near where she lives . . . and unfortunately, she seems to be the only one. Especially since her data now shows that the marsh may be in trouble. If only she could summon up the courage to force someone to listen to her concerns.

Dragons and Marshmallows is the first in the Zoey and Sassafras series, which are early chapter books that mix science, animals, and magic. Magical animals (including a dragon!) come to Zoey to be cured. Zoey usually gets to the bottom of things using the scientific method and experimentation, which she dutifully documents in her journal. The plots are super fun, easy to follow, and engaging for young readers, and it provides some great mimicable examples of science.

Yasmin the Scientist is just one book in the fantastic Yasmin series. Not only does this include trial and error for a science fair, but it involves kitchen science (which is probably the yummiest kind). These books break science down into a quick, basic thing that readers can grasp, while showing Yasmin working through these simple problems.

Steve L. McEvil is a bit on the harder side, but it focuses on the dark side of science with all sorts of mad science experiments and technology! Unlike the others on the list, it isn’t necessarily heavy on the science, which may be a bit of a surprise coming from a supervillain. Still, science is very important to the McEvil family, and it still plays a big part in the story, even as Steve is learning about friendship and crushes.

Harley James and the Mystery of the Mayan Kings focuses on cryptology and archaeology as young adventurer Harley James finds herself entangled in a massive mystery. What I enjoy about this book is that unlike many other books on this list, it focuses on a more human side of things, examining the culture that the sites and artifacts belong to. While the mystery itself is quite fun, it also teaches readers that you sometimes need to take a more holistic scientific approach that looks at a greater context.

Any Magic Schoolbus chapter book is going to be a win. They’re good for younger readers, packed with all sorts of good facts, and also terribly fun and engaging for kids to read. Plus, if you’re of a certain generation, like I am, reading it yourself is going to produce a significant amount of nostalgia, which is always a win!

Science in Fiction for Middle Graders

Middle graders tend to be tricksy beasts. Not old enough yet to be too-cool teenagers, but not quite young enough anymore to be happy with whatever you set in front of them. This begins the phase of existence that I like to call “beneficial trickery.” Basically, they may like science, but liking science isn’t cool. You know what is cool? Reading a book about a mystery. That just happens to have science.

The Antidotes: Pollution Solution is a little more on the nose with its ecology message. The book is centered around a group of students who become actvitists in an attempt to save Chesapeake Bay after it’s been found to be polluted by a plastic-eating bacteria. The group themselves are so different, but they have to find a way to work together for a greater cause.

Peter Lee’s Notes From the Field takes a really unique spin on paleontology, which, as someone who wanted to be a paleontologist for her entire young life, has a spot near and dear to my heart. Not only does the book feature a diverse protagonist and family, it also highlights the struggle of caring for someone with dementia. Throughout the book, Peter demonstrates his skills of observation, experimentation, and the scientific method as he tries to work through his personal struggles . . . even resulting in some findings that catch him completely by surprise!

The Mutant Mushroom Takeover is the first book in a science-themed series that deals with ecology and ecosystems in a fast-paced and adventurous way. Nate and Maggie are best friends, even though Maggie is all too obsessed with science (especially fungi) and Nate is very much into aliens and conspiracy theories. That’s what makes the pair work out so well! The story focuses on the mystery, with a mix of paranormal elements and adventure, but with a bunch of sciencey goodness and observations along the way.

The Last Beekeeper takes a closer look at ecology and climate change in the form of one of Earth’s most important flying fluffs: bees! This book takes place in a dystopian world, where climate change has led to natural disasters and the ecosystem is on the brink of collapse. The protagonist is tasked with saving the very last beehive to prevent bees from vanishing into extinction. Filled with fast-paced action and adventure, this one’s a wild ride.

The Highland Falcon Thief is an interesting take on science, as it focuses solely on trains. Well, not solely. There’s also heavy use of the scientific method and deductive reasoning, as well! But this should come as no real surprise given that the series is called Adventures on Trains. Each book is set in a different train and teaches readers about these real-world historical trains and all the different fascinating features about them, including things like how they go and what makes them so special!

Fans of fantasy (and dragons!) will love What We Found in the Corn Maze and How It Saved a Dragon while also being exposed to a world filled with utterly useless magic, where residents yearn for science. Definitely flips some things on its head, don’t it? Cal and his friends certainly didn’t expect the adventure they accidentally stumble into, and definitely not to find another world where magic exists but science does not. And what a difference that makes! Readers will see how amazing scientific advancements are from the perspective of a character who has never experienced them.

We Dream of Space hits the astronomy thing a bit on the nose with a plot centered around the ill-fated Challenger lost. Told from the perspective of twins whose life is becoming rocky who are longing to escape to space and trying hard to live through vicariously through the Challenger space launch, which carries the hopes and dreams of so many with it. Until things go horribly wrong. It blends personal growth and struggle with dreams and hope and a look at both the wonder (and the dangers) of space.

Science in Fiction for Young Adults and Adults

I lump these two together because there are a lot of overlaps here. Many young adults read adult works and adults read young adult works. The two parties rarely understand each other, even if they agree on literature, but that’s a different matter altogether. Point is that these books are sometimes more straightforward about their science and sometimes not, but the focus is entertainment.

Just One Damned Thing After Another is the first in the Chronicles of Saint Mary’s series, which focuses on two very fun aspects of science: anthropology and sociology. Through the use of time travel, historians at St. Mary’s get to study history and ancient cultures first-person, which, if I’m honest, sounds like the greatest job ever. Except, you know, all the things that go wrong and ultimately end in potentially dangerous and deadly situations. While there are a lot of things to love about this book, getting to discover and examine historical sites is definitely a highlight!

It may not come as a surprise that Project Hail Mary is chock full of sciencey goodness, given the subject. Ryland is the sole survivor on a space shuttle tasked with unraveling a scientific mystery that may be the end of civilization as we know it if he can’t find a solution. But, you know, no pressure. There is a lot of really geeky science talk about spacey things that, I’ll be honest, occasionally went over my head. It got really nitty-gritty at times. My favorite part of this book, though, was how it handled the field of linguistics, which is tricky at the best of times and downright difficult when the participants aren’t even the same species.

A Natural History of Dragons is the most important scientific study of all . . . all about dragons, duh! Okay, so maybe dragon naturalist isn’t a real job (even though it totally should be). However, the methodology exemplified by Lady Trent and her approach to studying these creatures is extremely scientific.

Even though it’s technically fiction, Remarkable Creatures is based on the true story of Mary Anning, who made remarkable strides in the field of paleontology back when women were definitely not allowed to do that. Her story is absolutely fascinating, especially all the pushback she faced and the challenges she ran into due to her gender. Of course, this novel focuses a lot on the drama of her life and relationships more so than her discovery, but the science is definitely still there, and it’s well worth the read!

The Killing Code focuses on the really interesting field of cryptology, based on the true story of codebreakers during World War II. Cryptology is all about making and breaking codes, and what’s really interesting about it is that it’s part art, part science, and part mathematics.

Into the Drowning Deep covers several different fields of science, including the study of murder mermaids, which I would definitely like to sign up for, please. The majority of the science involves oceanography but also, obviously, cryptozoology, in a way that’s really interesting. Add that to the horrific, tense, dramatic, claustrophobic atmosphere on the ship and the fear of the unknown and this book not only packs in all the sciencey goodness but will have you on the edge of your seat as well.

Challenger Deep is an interesting, surreal, monster of a book that is sometimes confusing and wholly indicative of the subject matter. The book tackles psychology and mental health, particularly in relation to schizophrenia, even talking about treatments and facilities. It’s based on the experiences of the author’s son while learning to manage his own schizophrenia and is a really eye-opening insight to how mental illnesses can impact the way somebody views the world.

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