Newberry Awards (Score 1)

Check out the list of Newberry Honor and Newberry Award books. Even today I will happily sit down with one of these--shorter, simpler prose combined with incredibly powerful stories.

Since you asked for sci-fi in particular, here are a few Newberry suggestions that may suit:

The Giver by Lois Lowry (Houghton)
A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle (Farrar
The High King by Lloyd Alexander (Holt)

Full list can be found here:

http://www.ala.org/ala/alsc/awardsscholarships/literaryawds/newberymedal/newberyhonors/newberymedal.cfm

Check them out, you wont be sorry. :)