Why Sci-Fi Belongs on a Kid’s Bookshelf

From the moment you crack open a sci-fi book, you are transported to unknown worlds, often with strange creatures or stunning technology. But here’s the best part — you can’t just sit back and observe. Instead, you must actively envision the impossible. Such a challenge enhances skills that go beyond reading comprehension — it sharpens your power of imagination.

But sci-fi isn’t only about imagination. These stories also inspire academic interests. To explain concepts like warp drives or force fields, writers often relate back to real theories. How does that spaceship work? Now you’re thinking about physics and chemistry. Want to understand those alien lifeforms in the story? Well, now you’re thinking about biology. Those sleek robots — they spark questions about computers and engineering. The connection between sci-fi and STEM is natural.

Here’s another underrated strength of the genre: it pushes kids to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes…or tentacles. When you’re immersed in an alien society, for example, you’re confronted with a wildly different worldview. You can’t avoid wrestling with big ideas — like how societies operate, the implications of rapidly evolving technology, or even freedom and justice. To experience life as alien, you have to stretch your perspective.

Science fiction stories shape the next generation of big dreamers and critical thinkers. That’s why I created Kit and Katomi: I believe we need more positive and fun science fiction chapter books for young readers.

The readers of today are the leaders of tomorrow!

– Tony Guilarte, writer and illustrator of Kit and Katomi: Into the Galaxy!