Just as a counterpoint, not sure on the quality of these, but a good look at the year ahead.

http://io9.com/5723075/55-science-ficti … ue&s=i

I tend to agree, I feel that at their core they are using a setting that is out of our normal day-to-day, and using that to tell a story that either entertains or contrasts something in our normal lives in a way that we can approach.

If that entails swords,sorcery & dragons or starships, robots & aliens it gets to the same thing in the end, in a generality sort of way.

Growing up one of the authors that I enjoyed was Piers Anthony, who across different books, or even within the same books mixed the two quite entertainingly. So that to my young mind conflated the two into a mash of a genre, and I never really broke out of that, even while enjoying properties that solidly settled in one side or the other.

Oh, I'll definitely agree that some of his stuff really doesn't hold up to more adult scrutiny, but they really are great entry level books to a style of book that some kids just don't get.
And while I do love that the Harry Potter books kind of kicked off a resurgence of young adult fiction that was decent, that has seemed to slide downhill recently with the Twilight books.
I would much rather give a young child one of Piers Anthony's books, even with some of the odd sexuality, than any of the Twilight books, if I wanted to encourage them to read more and expand their horizons.