Young Adult Science Fiction

At the close of the nineteenth century, American youths developed a growing interest in technology. Once publishers and authors recognized this interest, they sought to create reading material to fill this market need. The result was science fiction for young adults, which bore certain similarities to science fiction for mature readers and at the same time explored themes of special interest to adolescents. This volume includes chapters by expert contributors on young adult science fiction in various countries and on topics central to the genre. The first part of the book surveys the history of science fiction for young adults both in the U.S. and in other places, such as Canada, Great Britain, Germany, and Australia. In the second section, chapters look at such topics as science fiction novels as coming-of-age stories, the portrayal of women in Robert Heinlein's works, representations of war in science fiction, and the importance of science fiction to film and comic books. Extensive bibliographies conclude the volume.