Out-of-This-World YA Books to Read on May the Fourth

There’s no better way to tap into your inner geek than by celebrating May the Fourth with a stack of YA books filled with space travel, aliens, and quests to save the galaxy.

From sweeping space operas to explosive adventures, these books should be on the nightstand of every Star Wars fan. You’ll get swept away by alien invasions, dystopian societies, and plots to save the galaxy. May the Fourth be with you as you geek out over these otherworldly books!

What kind of space story do you want to read?

If you want something with a little bit of everything—friendship, humor, epic space battles, and more:

Aurora Rising

Aurora Rising

By Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff

Book 1:

The year is 2380, and the graduating cadets of Aurora Academy are being assigned their first missions. Star pupil Tyler Jones is ready to recruit the squad of his dreams, but his own boneheaded heroism sees him stuck with the dregs nobody else in the academy would touch. And Ty’s squad isn’t even his biggest problem—that would be Aurora Jie-Lin O’Malley, the girl he’s just rescued from interdimensional space. Trapped in cryo-sleep for two centuries, Auri is a girl out of time and out of her depth. But she could be the catalyst that starts a war millions of years in the making, and Tyler’s squad of losers, discipline cases, and misfits might just be the last hope for the entire galaxy. NOBODY PANIC.

Aurora Burning

Aurora Burning

By Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff

Book 2:

First, the bad news: an ancient evil—you know, your standard consume-all-life-in-the-galaxy deal—is about to be unleashed. The good news? Squad 312 is standing by to save the day. They’ve just got to take care of a few small distractions first.

Like the clan of gremps who’d like to rearrange their favorite faces.

And the cadre of illegit GIA agents with creepy flowers where their eyes used to be, who’ll stop at nothing to get their hands on Auri.

Then there’s Kal’s long-lost sister, who’s not exactly happy to see her baby brother, and has a Syldrathi army at her back. With half the known galaxy on their tails, Squad 312 has never felt so wanted.

When they learn the Hadfield has been found, it’s time to come out of hiding. Two centuries ago, the colony ship vanished, leaving Auri as its sole survivor. Now, its black box might be what saves them. But time is short, and if Auri can’t learn to master her powers as a Trigger, the squad and all their admirers are going to be deader than the Great Ultrasaur of Abraaxis IV.

Shocking revelations, bank heists, mysterious gifts, inappropriately tight bodysuits, and an epic firefight will determine the fate of the Aurora Legion’s most unforgettable heroes—and maybe the rest of the galaxy as well.

If you want an outcast story:

Skyward

Skyward

By Brandon Sanderson

Book 1:

With her father branded a traitor, Spensa is stuck on the lowest rung of society. But she’s spunky and fierce, and she’ll do whatever it takes to achieve her dream of becoming a pilot.

Starsight

Starsight

By Brandon Sanderson

Book 2:

Spensa finally made it to the sky, but the truths she learned there were crushing. The rumors of her father’s cowardice are true—he deserted his Flight during battle against the Krell. Worse, though, he turned against his team and attacked them.

Spensa is sure that there’s more to the story. And she’s sure that whatever happened to her father that day could happen to her. When she made it outside the protective shell of her planet, she heard the stars—and what they revealed to her was terrifying. Everything Spensa has been taught about her world is a lie.

Humankind has always celebrated heros, but who defines what a hero is? Could humanity be the evil the galaxy needs to be protected from? Spensa is determined to find out, but each answer she discovers reveals a dozen new questions: about the war, about her enemies, and even, perhaps, about Spensa herself.

But Spensa also discovered a few other things about herself—and she’ll travel to the end of the galaxy to save humankind if she needs to.

If you want something set on earth, with some other-worldly elements:

Nowhere on Earth

Nowhere on Earth

By Nick Lake

Sixteen-year-old Emily is on the run. Between her parents and the trouble she’s recently gotten into at school, she has more than enough reason to get away. But when she finds a little boy named Aidan wandering in the woods, she knows she needs to help him find his way home. But getting home is no easy matter, especially when Emily finds out that Aidan isn’t even from Earth. When their plane crashes into the side of a snowy mountain, it’s up to Emily to ensure Aidan and their pilot, Bob, make it off the mountain alive. Pursued by government forces who want to capture Aidan, the unlikely team of three trek across the freezing landscape, learning more about each other, and about life, than they ever thought possible.

The Last Girl on Earth

The Last Girl on Earth

By Alexandra Blogier

Li has a father and a sister who love her. A best friend, Mirabae, to share things with. She goes to school and hangs out at the beach and carefully follows the rules. She has to. Everyone she knows—her family, her teachers, her friends—is an alien. And she is the only human left on Earth.

The Abdoloreans hijacked the planet sixteen years ago, destroying all human life. Li’s human-sympathizer father took her in as a baby and has trained her to pass as one of them. The Abdoloreans appear human. But they don’t think with human minds or feel with human hearts. And they have special abilities no human could ever have.

When Li meets Ryn, she’s swept up in a relationship that could have disastrous consequences. How far will Li go to stay alive? Will she save herself—and in turn, the human race—or will she be the final witness to humanity’s destruction?

If you want a complete series to binge-read:

 

Illuminae

Illuminae

By Amie Kaufman, Jay Kristoff

Alien invasions, a deadly plague, romance, drama, and epic battles will keep you riveted to this fast-paced and addictive series.

If you love competition:

Nyxia

Nyxia

By Scott Reintgen

Everything is a competition for a group of teens recruited to mine a valuable substance in deep space. Teams are forged and alliances are made. Only the best will survive to receive fortune and glory.

If you want contemporary dystopian:

Satellite

Satellite

By Nick Lake

Three teens born in space are going to Earth for the first time. Toss in a mysterious corporation, a conspiracy, and a thoughtful protagonist, and you have a recipe for an unputdownable story.

If you’re in the mood for some kickass girl power:

Hullmetal Girls

Hullmetal Girls

By Emily Skrutskie

Trouble is brewing in the collective of starships that Aisha and Key call home. As cyborg soldiers sworn to protect the Fleet, they must decide where their loyalties lie.

If you want a story about royals and rebellion:

Shadow Run

Shadow Run

By Michael Miller, AdriAnne Strickland

A rebel, an exiled prince, and a galaxy-shattering romance combine into an explosive and action-packed space adventure.

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