Book from 70s or 80s about teenage mutants fighting aliens - Unshelved Answers

Book from 70s or 80s about teenage mutants fighting aliens

2009-11-07T21:00:53Z

Back in the late Seventies or early Eighties when I had a lot more hair I read a YA paperback with a plot that I vaguely remember as follows:

Aliens are invading a human-occupied planet
Three teenage humans discover that they have psychic powers. It might be telekenesis, telepathy, and teleportation.
(SPOILER ALERT) Using their powers and their quick wits they manage to fight back the alien invasion and win the day

What is this book?

UPDATE: We have an answer! But I can't seem to check it as the correct answer!

Answer by SDL for Book from 70s or 80s about teenage mutants fighting aliens

2009-11-10T21:39:36Z

It's not a perfect fit, but it reminds me of Sleator's Interstellar Pig.

Answer by Gene Ambaum for Book from 70s or 80s about teenage mutants fighting aliens

2009-11-10T21:57:55Z

I believe you've crossed Marvel's New Univers http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Psi-Force with John Christopher's Tripod Books http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tripods

Answer by 143books for Book from 70s or 80s about teenage mutants fighting aliens

2009-11-13T17:08:11Z

Was it The Tomorrow People? http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0069647/

There was a '70s TV show, & spin-off books. It sounds like the plot would fit pretty well. They definitely had the books at my friend's middle school in the early eighties. But it was a series... but they did have the three "T's" according to: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Tomorrow_People

Answer by Matt for Book from 70s or 80s about teenage mutants fighting aliens

2009-11-16T14:02:50Z

The sad part is I actually remember reading the book but for the life of me I cannot remember the title.

Answer by Scott Vales for Book from 70s or 80s about teenage mutants fighting aliens

2009-11-16T22:04:06Z

The series is called Animorphs. They briefly also had a TV show by the same name. Recently, Rennaisance Learning has been publishing AR quizzes for some of them.

Answer by Sarah L for Book from 70s or 80s about teenage mutants fighting aliens

2009-11-17T01:33:48Z

Was it the Planet Builders series by Robyn Tallis?

Answer by grrlpup for Book from 70s or 80s about teenage mutants fighting aliens

2009-11-17T04:56:17Z

I had a paperback trilogy in which three kids discovered their psionic powers (and each other's existence) at a shopping mall. I'm pretty sure the word or prefix PSI was in the titles. Each book was supposedly written by one of the teens, and the teens were actually listed as the authors on the book covers. Unfortunately, I can't come up with titles.

Answer by Emily J for Book from 70s or 80s about teenage mutants fighting aliens

2009-11-17T05:44:18Z

Ok, I've become possessed with finding this book. This one sounds too fantasy-ish, but try The Ring of Fire by Shirley Rousseau Murphy, read an Amazon customer's review

Space Winners by Gordon Dickson, has three teens on a planet, and aliens, but not sure if they have psychic powers, read customer review on Amazon- I'd add the link but I'm limited to one.

That's all for now... have you thought of any other details?

Answer by Crayola for Book from 70s or 80s about teenage mutants fighting aliens

2009-11-17T06:16:20Z

It sounds rather like Power of Three by Diana Wynne Jones, although it did not have "aliens" -- though the psychic powers and three kids, plus fighting off of an invasion, sound right up the alley. The races could easily be remembered as alien species. Plus, a publication date of 1977 puts it perfectly in place for this timeline.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_of_Three

Answer by Emily J for Book from 70s or 80s about teenage mutants fighting aliens

2009-11-17T17:55:26Z

The publication date is 1991, but how about the Rowan series by Anne McAffrey?

I can't believe how many "psychic powers defeat aliens" books are out there!

Answer by youngwhippersnapper for Book from 70s or 80s about teenage mutants fighting aliens

2009-11-18T02:03:32Z

Could it have been Flight in Yiktor by Andre Norton?

Answer by orioles9fan for Book from 70s or 80s about teenage mutants fighting aliens

2009-11-18T23:06:56Z

Since I, too, wasted time looking on Novelist and LibraryThing without luck myself, I asked in a post on the SciFi group on LibraryThing and here's the only response I got:

(from user pjfarm): "I read a similar book (probably late 70's) though I don't recall the name or author. The plot as I recall was that they were veterans of the war with the aliens and were being sent back home for various reasons. The teenage girl had telekinesis and was a spoiled brat, the military needed her, just not that badly. There was a slightly older guy, maybe early twenties, with teleportation who didn't want to be there and made himself annoying enough to get sent home, and there was an older guy in his forties with telepathy who burned out. He had lost his wife on a mission, she was tortured to death and he felt all of it in his mind.

They were shipwrecked on an unknown barely industrial planet, the only survivors. That was the first two chapters, the rest of the book finds them working in the circus until the aliens find the planet and these three decide to organize a resistance.

It sort of reminds me of a Lester del Rey type of book but I don't know if he was the author. Sorry I can't help you further."

I would have thought you might have mentioned a circus if that was it....but Lester del Rey might be an author to take a look at. Seems to be similar to Norton, mentioned by youngwhippersnapper.

Answer by tymbrimi for Book from 70s or 80s about teenage mutants fighting aliens

2009-12-23T16:00:52Z

Hi, No title but hope this helps narrow it down. I can add on that I recall the teleporter dying so the telepath and telekinetic girl escape at the end of the book. Yellow book hard cover.

http://www.librarything.com/topic/77210

I read a similar book (probably late 70's) though I don't recall the name or author. The plot as I recall was that they were veterans of the war with the aliens and were being sent back home for various reasons. The teenage girl had telekinesis and was a spoiled brat, the military needed her, just not that badly. There was a slightly older guy, maybe early twenties, with teleportation who didn't want to be there and made himself annoying enough to get sent home, and there was an older guy in his forties with telepathy who burned out. He had lost his wife on a mission, she was tortured to death and he felt all of it in his mind.

It sort of reminds me of a Lester del Rey type of book but I don't know if he was the author. Sorry I can't help you further.

Answer by Emily J for Book from 70s or 80s about teenage mutants fighting aliens

2010-01-13T06:23:35Z

I thought I'd give this another go, so here are some more for you to check out:

The Children of the Lens, E.E. Smith (or another in his series)

something by Poul Anderson?

something by Wilmar Shiras (Children of the Atom?)?

I still think you need to take a look at Space Winners by Gordon Dickson (1965)

maybe something by Andrew J Offutt?

You can also post your query here:

http://www.sfsite.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=16

Answer by firecooklmp for Book from 70s or 80s about teenage mutants fighting aliens

2010-01-21T18:54:32Z

I know this is a longshot, but something about your question reminded me of Madeleine Lengle's series, beginning with A Wrinkle in Time (which I've never actually read, but had to help one of my kids with a project on it a few years ago).

Answer by Stu for Book from 70s or 80s about teenage mutants fighting aliens

2010-01-22T00:10:00Z

Could it have been a novella or long short story in either the Asimov or Analog Sci-Fi magazines? I have no idea how to search the old stories, but those mags were popular in the 70s.

Answer by Kalen for Book from 70s or 80s about teenage mutants fighting aliens

2010-01-22T18:45:21Z

Sounds sort of like the "My Teacher is an Alien" series by Bruce Coville, although that wasn't so much an invasion, and it was more than one book.

Answer by Drakolan for Book from 70s or 80s about teenage mutants fighting aliens

2010-01-22T20:30:06Z

After an absolute ton of research, the closest thing I can find is Galactic Rejects by Andrew Offutt.

Answer by QbnLibrarian for Book from 70s or 80s about teenage mutants fighting aliens

2010-01-24T06:48:02Z

I am going to say Escape to Witch Mountain by Alexander Key the book is totally different than the movies! Here is a summary: Escape to Witch Mountain Wikipedia entry

Answer by Melodie for Book from 70s or 80s about teenage mutants fighting aliens

2010-01-28T13:35:01Z

Offutt, Andrew J. The Galactic Rejects. New York : Dell Publishing, 1973. "The sad middle-aged man, the temperamental young girl, and the self-centered young man have special mental powers that had been highly useful in the war against the Zauli. Now they were being sent back to Earth as worn-out casualties of that war. When their transport is destroyed in space they are stranded on the planet Bor, whose population and technology resemble that of nineteenth century Earth. Rinegar's telepathic receiving, Corisande's telekinesis, and Berneson's teleporting are special talents even on Earth, but on Bor they would be regarded as witchcraft. The perfect solution is to join a carnival. The strange trio are soon moving from city to city, amazing audiences with their carefully controlled powers. Then the Azuli spaceship lands and brings the interstellar war to the peaceful planet. Comfortable in their new lives, the renowned performers have to decide whether or not to become involved again in the deadly struggle from which they had been rejected as no longer useful. But what can three humans do against an army of alien invaders?
The last time I read this was in 1979 and I thought it was good so kept it. Amazing I remembered it.