Space Opera Fans discussion

I’m looking for suggestions for books for my granddaughter who is a bright 9yo. I can find suitable fantasy books but space opera not so much. Heinlein’s juveniles, Andre Norton, Tom Swift, etc are dated and in most cases are clearly written for boys.

Any ideas? I can think of books for teens easily. She read Wrinkle in Time last year and liked it.

Hmm, I recommend the "Time Wars" series by Simon Hawke. They might be just a *little bit* out of her age range though. And probably out of print.

There's 12 books in the series, and they combine time travel adventure with the plot of a famous historical story, "Ivanhoe", "The Three Musketeers", "The Scarlet Pimpernel" and so on.

I just read Fire in the Night Sky. While reading it, while it is under YA, I saw it as being something my daughter would have read between ages 10 and 12. Definite female lead character. It's the 1st in a series by Chris Pike and M.D. Copper.

There is a 6-book series, of which I have only had a chance to read the first 2 books, but female MC, spaceships within the solar system, and when I wrote my review, I commented it was perfect for junior high, in my mind. Saving Mars by Cynthia Mars is the series.

Finally, Lindsay Buroker's Sky Full of Stars series. An 18 year old female pilot and animal lover, she is trying to prove to her parents she can handle a ship and help in the family business, (her ship looks like a turtle). A spin off of her Fallen Empire series, this one is geared toward YA and again something my daughter would have read when she was in junior high. So far it's a 3 book series, but each book is a stand alone.

Thanks for all the suggestions. I’ll look into those.

Fledgling by Sharon Lee/Steve Miller or A Beautiful Friendship by David Weber. Both of those are free on Kindle if you want to check them out.

Sarah wrote: "Fledgling by Sharon Lee/Steve Miller or A Beautiful Friendship by David Weber. Both of those are free on Kindle if you want to check them out."
I love both those books, and also thought of Balance of Trade by Lee and Miller, but I don’t think my granddaughter is quite ready for them. When she is 11 sure, but not at 9 - unless she picks them out herself from a shelf full of books.

Hmmm maybe Frontier Incursion by Leonie Rogers

Is your granddaughter a fan of Doctor Who?

Give the "Lucy Wilson Mysteries" by various authors a try.

They're a spin off series featuring the young granddaughter of Brigadier Lethbridge-Stewart and her friend Hobo, as they protect their hometown from all manner of nasty aliens.

The publisher is Candy Jar Books.

I bought the Moon Base Alpha books for my nephew when he was around 8-10, who seemed to like them. First one is Spaced Out.

One I looked at this year but didn’t buy was We're Not from Here, which is about colonizing an alien planet. (I went with a science book about penguins instead.)

When I was trying to recall the name of that book I encountered Found, which is not Space Opera but looks like a sci-fi thriller for kids. Apparently it’s a series: The Missing Collection by Margaret Peterson Haddix: Found; Sent; Sabotaged; Torn.

I like the old Star Trek: The Next Generation Starfleet Academy books (Worf's First Adventure is the first one).

Shelley Adina, the "Magnificent Devices" series.
Steampunk adventures with a strong female lead, set in an alternate Victorian era.