Back to the Future: 7 Middle Grade Novels That Look Ahead

The Ear, The Eye, and The Arm, by Nancy Farmer
In the year 2194, Tendai, Rita, and Kuda are the children of one of Zimbabwe’s most important men, General Matsika. Having spent most of their lives on the family compound, the children have always known safety…and boredom. Looking for a little adventure, the three decide to walk across the dangerous city of Harare so that Tendai can earn the explorer badge he needs for his Eagle Scout Award.  When they promptly run into trouble and disappear, their parents call upon the Ear, the Eye, and the Arm, detectives with special abilities as the result of a nuclear accident. As the detectives follow the trail, and the children use their own wits to escape one danger, only to land in another, it’s a cat-and-mouse chase filled with thrills, dangers, and a healthy dose of humor.

The City of Ember, by Jeanne DuPrau
Built two hundred years ago as a last refuge for the human race, the City of Ember is the only home Lina and her friend Doon have ever known. But resources (and time) are running out for the city’s inhabitants. The original Builders left instructions for a way out of the city in a locked box, but nobody seems to know where that box is. When Lina finds a torn scrap of paper, she and Doon begin to investigate and discover the missing instructions. When the teens are falsely accused of a crime and forced to flee, they decide to use the instructions to leave the city, discovering for the first time a whole other world they never knew existed.

Freakling, by Lana Krumweide
Everyone in 12-year-old Taemon Houser’s mountain city has the gift of psi—an ability to move things with the mind. After Taemon and his power-hungry brother, Yens, are involved in a horrible accident, Taemon is forced to make a decision that ultimately leads to the loss of his power. He tries to hide it for awhile, but since he can’t even feed himself without revealing his secret, he soon finds himself banished from the mountain to the dud farm, a place for those without psi. As he learns the power of touch and human connection, Taemon comes to see his new community through different eyes. But this is no utopia, either. Secrets and lies abound and Taemon needs to return home to face his brother head-on.

The One Safe Place, by Tania Unsworth
In a world plagued by drought, Devin has found a small measure of happiness living with his grandfather on their isolated farm. When his grandfather dies, Devin leaves for the city, soon finding himself on the street with other orphaned children, a complete opposite from the poor but loving home he has had up until this point. When Devin has the opportunity to live at the luxurious Gabriel H. Penn Home for Children, it seems like things may turn around. But the opulent surroundings mask a web of sinister secrets. The children there are strange, zombie-like, and when Devin discovers what is actually going on, he knows he has to come up with a plan to escape the Home. Immediately. A dark, twisting, thrilling read for older middle grade readers.

Eager, by Helen Fox
At the end of the 21st century, robots have become an integral part of everyday life, co-existing right alongside their human counterparts. When Grumps, the faithful and devoted bot belonging to Gavin Bell’s middle class family, begins to become run down, the family receives EG3R (pronounced Eager) to help Grumps out. Eager is an experiment, loaned to the family by a scientist friend, and representing the newest in bot technology. Able to learn and make independent decisions, he is rivaled only by BDC4s, produced by the top-of-the-line Life Corp. But now the BDC4s are acting strange, rebelling against their humans and taking a few too many liberties. It’s up to Gavin, his sister Fleur, and Eager to find and prove the malfunction before it’s too late.

Space Battle Lunchtime, Volume 1: Lights, Camera, Snacktion!, by Natalie Riess
On a lighter note, there’s this pick, featuring Peony, an earthly baker extraordinaire. When Peony is approached by a glasses-wearing frog to participate in a competition to find the “greatest chef in the galaxy,” she figures, “Why not?” And thus, she finds herself on Space Battle Lunchtime, a televised cooking competition. The appliances are a little odd, not to mention the ingredients, but Peony is up for the challenge. Unfortunately, not every extraterrestrial chef on the show is impressed by Peony’s talents. Turns out jealousy and cutthroat competition aren’t unique to planet Earth.

The Giver, by Lois Lowry
If you’re going to compile a list of middle grade novels with futuristic settings, you just can’t leave out The Giver. 12-year-old Jonas lives in what many would call utopia. The world may be void of color, but it’s also void of pain, poverty, and death. At The Ceremony of 12, Jonas is shocked to be given the most prestigious of jobs, The Receiver of Memories. In his subsequent studies with The Giver, the man who receives all of the society’s memories, Jonas is exposed for the first time to emotions he’s never felt before. Heartache, fear, and grief intermingle with joy, hope, and love. Faced with the memories and experiences of the community, Jonas must decide which world he would rather live in—one without pain, or one without joy.