by Robert A. Heinlein
I listened to an audio production of this middle grade novel written in 1958 (originally serialized over three issues of The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction). I have to admit, I was not aware of this story, nor its place as the final book (#12, I think) in a juvenile series written by Heinlein. Overall, I enjoyed it. 3 1/2 stars out of 5. It's dated, of course, but was cute, witty, and wry.
Not sure how this would be received by middle grade or high school readers today. Quite a bit of exposition throughout and it bogs down just before half way with a lot of astrophysics technojargon. It was almost like the author was trying to provide a science lecture / engineering lesson to his younger readers. Most of the math went way over my head! Still, there is enough catchy dialog, nostalgia-filled references, and literary and historical allusions for adults with a bit of cultural background to thoroughly enjoy this science fiction outing originally intended for a juvenile audience.
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