I loved Asimov's Foundation books (particularly the first three collections of novellas, not so much the later novels, plus Prelude to Foundation) when I was in middle school (4–6th grades), though he wasn't writing down to a middle school level so they'd probably be just fine for 9th graders.
I loved A Wrinkle In Time (actually, I'd aim that younger than high school freshmen), liked A Wind At the Door, hated (at the time I read it, can barely remember anything about) A Swiftly Tilting Planet, and couldn't stand Many Waters the first time I read it but gave it another chance much later and liked it.
Ubik by Philip K. Dick is one of his more accessible novels. Personally I tend to prefer his short stories to his novels (his strength is in his premises, not so much in characterization). It's worth introducing them to the master of the ontological riff. I'm ashamed to say I've never actually read Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?. The Man In The High Castle is a classic of the alternate history genre, but frankly I couldn't get very far into it because the main character is too unsympathetic. VALIS is...kind of impenetrable.
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timeasmymeasure
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Date: 2013-08-17 09:50 pm (UTC)I loved A Wrinkle In Time (actually, I'd aim that younger than high school freshmen), liked A Wind At the Door, hated (at the time I read it, can barely remember anything about) A Swiftly Tilting Planet, and couldn't stand Many Waters the first time I read it but gave it another chance much later and liked it.
Ubik by Philip K. Dick is one of his more accessible novels. Personally I tend to prefer his short stories to his novels (his strength is in his premises, not so much in characterization). It's worth introducing them to the master of the ontological riff. I'm ashamed to say I've never actually read Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?. The Man In The High Castle is a classic of the alternate history genre, but frankly I couldn't get very far into it because the main character is too unsympathetic. VALIS is...kind of impenetrable.