18 Action Adventure Books With a Science Twist
What makes heart-pounding action adventure stories more exciting? Knowing that even if the stories are fiction, the science is real! All of the books on this list are entirely fictional, but the authors have thoroughly researched the areas of science that inspired these stories. Whether it’s bringing dinosaurs back to life or using the laws of physics to create magic, there is something for every science fan!
Omega City series by Diana Peterfreund
Scientific Subject: Rocket Science
Gillian Seagret’s father’s conspiracy theories about the lost technology of the rocket scientist Dr. Aloysius Underberg may have cost him his job, but Gillian knows her father is right and plans to prove it. When she discovers a space-themed riddle promising to lead to Dr. Underberg’s greatest invention, she enlists the help of her brother and her friends to find the ruins of Omega City, a vast doomsday bunker deep inside the earth. But while Gillian wants to save her dad’s reputation by bringing Dr. Underberg’s secrets to light, there are others who will stop at nothing to make sure they stay buried…forever.
Edge of Extinction series by Laura Martin
Scientific Subject: Dinosaurs
One hundred and fifty years ago, the first dinosaurs were cloned. Soon after, they replaced humans at the top of the food chain. The only way to survive was to move into underground compounds. Five years ago, Sky Mundy’s father vanished from North Compound without a trace. Now she has just stumbled on a clue that not only suggests his disappearance is just the tip of an even larger mystery, but also points directly to the surface. To find her dad — and possibly even save the world — Sky and her best friend, Shawn, must break out of their underground home and venture topside to a land reclaimed by nature and ruled by dinosaurs.
A Riddle in Ruby series by Kent Davis
Scientific Subject: Engineering and Inventions
Ruby Teach, daughter of a smuggler and pirate, has been learning how to swindle and steal and pick the most complex locks for as long as she can remember. But a collision with aristocratic young lord Athen sends her spinning into chaos. Little did she know that her whole life has been spent in hiding from nefarious secret societies and the Royal Navy . . . who are both now on her trail. In this middle grade adventure, Kent Davis weaves a rip-roaring tale through an alternate colonial Philadelphia. A world where alchemy — that peculiar mix of magic and science — has fueled the industrial revolution.
Chronicle of the Dark Star series by Kevin Emerson
Scientific Subject: Outer Space and Rocket Science
It is Earth year 2213, but there is no Earth anymore, and Liam Saunders-Chang is one of the last humans left on Mars. The son of two scientists who have been racing against time to create technology vital to humanity’s survival, Liam, along with his friend Phoebe, will be on the last starliner to depart before Mars, like Earth before it, is destroyed by the sun going supernova. Or so he thinks. Because before this day is over, Liam and Phoebe will make a series of profound discoveries about the nature of time and space and find out that the human race is just one of many in the universe locked in a dangerous struggle for survival.
Going Wild series by Lisa McMann
Scientific Subject: Animal Biology
Charlie Wilde knew her life would change forever when her family moved from the city of Chicago to the suburbs of Arizona…and that was before she found the bracelet. After putting it on, she notices odd things start to happen. Suddenly Charlie seems to have the speed of a cheetah and the strength of an elephant — and that’s just the beginning. She would be thrilled about her transformation if she had any idea how to use the device or control her amazing powers. So Charlie is forced to put her trust in new friends to help her uncover the surprising truth behind the mysterious bracelet.
Space Runners series by Jeramey Kraatz
Scientific Subject: Outer Space
In the year 2085, Benny Love is pretty used to surviving on what he and his family can scavenge on Earth. But when he wins a scholarship for a life-changing trip to visit the Lunar Taj, the first-ever resort on the Moon, Benny thinks he finally has a chance to give his family a better life. But he gets more than he expected when he and the other kids discover the Moon has secrets no one else knows about. Benny is a long way from home — and soon there might not be an Earth to go back to.
Countdown Conspiracy by Katie Slivensky
Scientific Subject: Rocket Science and Robotics
Miranda Regent can’t believe she was just chosen as one of six kids from around the world to train for the first ever mission to Mars. But as soon as the official announcement is made, she begins receiving anonymous threatening messages…and when the training base is attacked, it looks like Miranda is the intended target. Now the entire mission — and everyone’s lives — are at risk. And Miranda may be the only one who can save them.
The Keepers series by Ted Sanders
Scientific Subject: Physics
Mixing magic and physics, Ted Sanders has created an epic story that has the feel of classic fantasy but twists it into something new and innovative. When Horace F. Andrews finds the Box of Promises in a curio shop, he quickly discovers that ordinary-looking objects can hold extraordinary power. From the enormous, sinister man shadowing him to the gradual mastery of his newfound abilities to his encounters with Chloe — a girl who has an astonishing talent of her own — Horace follows a path that puts the pair in the middle of a centuries-old conflict between two warring factions in which every decision they make could have disastrous consequences.
What other books would you add to this list? Tell us in the comments below!
