Being fascinated with science fiction as a teen makes sense: Sometimes you feel like an alien in your own body, and you definitely wish you could get off this planet. While we can’t put you on spacecraft and send you off to Mars (sorry), we can recommend these young adult movies, books, series and writing guides that are out of this world (#sorrynotsorry for using this cliche).
Science Fiction Movies on Kanopy
Kanopy is a video streaming service that gives you access to critically acclaimed, award-winning, and otherwise beloved cinema that you can watch from the comfort of your couch. (No trip to the library required! Just create a Kanopy account with your library card).
Kanopy includes plenty of action-packed and imaginative science fiction for young, aspiring astronauts out there. We’ve listed a few below.
- April and the Extraordinary World: In this alternate history, Napoleon III dies from experiments that are attempting to create an immortality serum. Over the next few decades, scientists begin to go missing, including April’s parents. But in 1941 Paris, she’s determined to continue their work, no matter the danger. Talking animals, cyborg rats and the quest for immortality make this award-winning alternate history a pure joy to watch.
- Alienoid: Alienoid looks so jarring, so wonky, and thus, so appealing (more than a few Everything Everywhere All at Once over-the top vibes). This South Korean movie has time travel (the main timelines take place in the late 1300s and 2022), cat shapeshifters and aliens who have infiltrated human society. There are a lot of characters, action and comedy to hold your attention for all 2 hours and 22 minutes of the film’s runtime.
- Molli and Max in the Future: The concept of this movie, according to writer and director Michael Lukk Litwak, was to update the classic romantic comedy When Harry Met Sally. Now, that might not scream “fun science fiction romp” on first glance, but trust us, it is. Molli and Max have a meet-cute 1,000 years in the future. While Molli is flying through space, trying to avoid debris, she literally runs into Max. Cue further space shenanigans, plus cute banter.
- Best Friends Forever: Speaking of updating classics, Best Friends Forever asks “What if Thelma and Louise took a road trip through the apocalypse?” In this darkly funny horror story, besties Harriet and Reba begin a road trip from Los Angeles to Austin, Texas, just as L.A. is being destroyed by a bomb. Only the two self-absorbed, bickering friends don’t notice it’s the end of the world as they know it. There’s a lot of discovering to do on this chaotic road trip.
- Beyond the Infinite Two Minutes: This Japanese film is a budget movie at its best. A cafe owner in Kyoto discovers that his computer monitor shows what’s happening two minutes in the future, from the lens of the TV monitor in the cafe ... which itself displays what happened two minutes in the past. The computer monitor and the TV monitor are made to face each other for an infinite recurring effect. You won’t regret finding out how this small amount of time travel causes a total meltdown in the Zoom era.
- The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy: We’d be remiss if we didn’t include this classic BBC adaptation of Douglas Adams’s novel (which you can read with your library card). The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy is a genre-defining work, and this adaptation set the standard for how to make quality adaptations of quirky works for a generation.
Fan-Favorite Science Fiction Series
With tales that take fans across the solar system and to new galaxies, it’s no wonder that some of the most iconic science fiction stories are ongoing series. After all, how can Star Wars ever end when there are estimated to be one septillion stars to fight among? (That’s 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000,000, which really is, quite frankly, way too many zeroes.)
Below, we’ve listed science fiction series that continue to reinvent themselves for modern audiences and thus appeal to teens and adults alike.
- Star Wars: In a galaxy far, far away, the Skywalkers set off a saga that became a phenomenon here on Earth. If you search for Star Wars in the catalog, there are nearly 1,000 results returned, including the movies and TV spinoffs on DVD and Blu-ray and books for teens.
- Star Trek: Where Star Wars is a flashy, rollicking space adventure, Star Trek is hard science fiction, more serious in tone and more contemplative. New generations of Trekkies have been discovering the franchise since its start in the 1960s; many people who get into it in their teens go on to be lifelong fans. We have everything from Star Trek: The Original Series to the last season of Star Trek: Discovery.
- The 100: Kass Morgan’s YA dystopian thriller romance (yes) became a phenomenon thanks to the CW TV adaptation, and really, there’s nothing more teenage than that (complimentary). It follows 100 juvenile delinquents whose punishment and ticket to freedom is to recolonize the Earth in a story that’s for fans of Divergent and The Hunger Games.
- Stranger Things: Welcome to the Upside Down, where Gen Z joins the 1980s nostalgia train. (What? You mean that’s not what’s up with the Upside Down?) Enjoying Stranger Things is proof that you’ve graduated from reading and watching kiddy horror like Goosebumps. You can borrow seasons of the show and read various tie-in novels.
- Dune: Frank Herbert’s novel is both a genre-defining mainstay in the science fiction space and a subversion of typical sci-fi storytelling conventions. Dune takes readers on a hero’s journey in the far future in a feudal society. The latest film adaptations star Timothée Chalamet and Zendaya. We probably should have led with that and called it a day.
Meet Up with Fellow Speculative Fiction Fans
Did you know: Burlington County Library System holds an annual Fandom Fest, where fans who love traditionally geeky things come to nerd out about their fandom. Whether you’re into superheroes or Doctor Who, anime or Dungeons & Dragons, you might just make a new friend at Fandom Fest. This year, Fandom Fest was Saturday, September 20, at Burlington County Library. Keep a look out for the 2026 event!
BCLS also hosts Dungeons & Dragons and anime group events at the library throughout the year.
Want Personalized Sci-Fi Recs? Use Book Match
If you’re thinking “I’ve already read Dune and The Hunger Games five times, show me something new,” then we suggest you use our Book Match service.
By filling out a short form (it will take five minutes or less, we promise), you will be emailed book recommendations from a librarian that match your preferences and tastes.
Learn to Write Your Own Science Fiction Story
As a science fiction nerd, you’ve probably been inspired by the many things you’ve read or watched, and may have even dabbled in writing a short story or novel. If you dream of new alien adventures or scary horror stories, then the below writing guides can help you get your ideas on paper.
- Ursula K. le Guin: Conversations on Writing: This short volume reveals how le Guin, author of the The Left Hand of Darkness and one of the undisputed masters of science fiction writing, approached the craft. It never hurts to learn from the best.
- Write Your Own Science Fiction Story: This guide is specifically written to help teens write science fiction. It’s a great starting place if you’ve never sat down to type up a story before.
