From the review at Geekdad:
Originally published in 1949, Red Planet was Robert A. Heinlein’s fourth novel, and the third of his Juveniles Series for Scribner’s. Some of the other titles in the series include Rocket Ship Galileo, Space Cadet, Starman Jones, and Have Spacesuit, Will Travel. Time, and the rapid march of science, have not been as kind to Red Planet as they were to some of Heinlein’s other work. This story takes place on a Mars as described at the end of the 19th Century by astronomer Percival Lowell, complete with water filled canals and semi-breathable air. Heinlein has populated this landscape with large-scale native flora and a population of Martians with their own ancient cities and culture. This novel also contains some topics which probably would not make it into young adult fiction today, including the rights of colonists to own and carry weapons.
Be that as it may, Red Planet is a great example of Golden Age Science Fiction and is a very well told adventure story. I believe it is an excellent book to share with your kids, especially young boys. For the über-geeks among us, it can also be the catalyst for a teaching moment, illustrating how far we have come in planetary science in the last six decades. Red Planet is still in print, now by Del Rey, and is available from Amazon. The most recent printings of this book contain Heinlein’s entire work (the original version was quite severely edited) which is a much better read, in my opinion, than the one released in 1949. Even with the extra pages, the book is relatively short and is suitable for even the shortest of pre-teen attention spans. Enjoy!
What strikes me as particularly cool about this book, especially given the era it was written in, is that the young heroes are guided by a strong sense of independence, intelligence and justice, in the face of an authoritarian system of government and schooling… sound familiar?
Here’s the synopsis from Amazon:
Young Mars colonist Jim Marlowe leaves his home in South Colony to attend a school at the Martian equator, and brings along his round, furry Martian friend Willis. When the friendly creature is captured and held hostage by the militaristic headmaster, Jim and his buddy Frank mount a rescue operation to save Willis—and stumble upon a terrible secret that threatens the survival of the Red Planet colonies.
How-To:
