Blast off with the stories that invented science fiction – The Time Machine, War of the Worlds and more, retold for ages 7–9.
Visit Mars with John Carter. Dive twenty thousand leagues with Captain Nemo. Climb into a volcano, outrun Martian war machines and come face to face with living dinosaurs. This ten-book collection gathers the stories that forged science fiction itself – early time travel, alien invasion, dystopia and undersea adventure – each retold in clear, engaging language for young readers, with a QR code in every book linking to a free audiobook.
The lead adaptations are by Ned Hartley, best-selling writer of Marvel Origins: Spider-Man and a career comics author – joined by Kellie Jones, who studied Writing for Young People, and Gemma Barder, adapter across Sweet Cherry's Easy Classics range. The collection is illustrated throughout by Nick Moffatt, an award-commended illustrator specialising in the spooky and fantastical, whose artwork carries readers from the Morlocks' tunnels to the surface of Mars.
Science fiction makes children ask how the world works – and how it might work differently. For schools, the set feeds KS2 reading and topic work on space, oceans and invention; for parents, it's the box for children who love dinosaurs, aliens and big questions. Alongside the famous names sit genuine rarities – Camille Flammarion's Omega and Ayn Rand's Anthem – that no other children's collection offers.
Ideal for:
- Ages 7–9 · Key Stage 2 (Years 3–5)
- Children who love space, dinosaurs and “what if?”
- STEM-curious readers and future scientists
- School and classroom library collections
- Pairing with the Creepy Classics collection
- Birthday and Christmas gifts
Sweet Cherry Easy Classics adapts timeless stories into accessible illustrated books for children. From Sweet Cherry Publishing – Children's Publisher of the Year 2022.
Ned Hartley writes comics – and sometimes books that are not comics. He is the best-selling writer of Marvel Origins: Spider-Man, Marvel Museum, The Marvel Universe: An Atlas of Marvel and many more. He lives in London with his wife and two children, and has not been bitten by anything radioactive as far as he knows.
Kellie Jones studied Writing for Young People in England, Publishing in Scotland and Japanese in Japan, and adapts classic stories for young readers across Sweet Cherry's Easy Classics range.
Gemma Barder lives in Market Harborough, Leicestershire, and began her career in children's magazines before becoming a full-time writer of novels, treasuries and storybooks for children, including adaptations across the Easy Classics range.
Nick Moffatt is an award-commended illustrator and storyteller specialising in all things spooky and fantastical, who has brought classics including Dracula, The War of the Worlds and The Hound of the Baskervilles to life for new generations of readers.
