Losers in Space

Gr 9 Up—Imagine a future in which technological advances have allowed humanity to achieve PermaPaxPerity, or Permanent Peace and Prosperity. Everyone is guaranteed a generous income and lifestyle and can choose whether to work and/or have children. A select few are allowed, through talent or celebrity, to earn more than the guaranteed minimum, but their fortunes cannot be passed down to their children. The "moes," or losers of the title, are all children of celebrities who have been sent to an elite prep school to try to achieve "eenie" status through fame or talent but, failing that, will be relegated to life as "mineys." To prevent this not-so-horrible fate, Susan and her too-cool-for-school posse decide to stow away on a ship to Mars. Trouble results when the group's ringleader, the son of an infamous trial lawyer, turns out to be less of a charming con man and more of a cold-blooded killer. The fun twist that makes this novel stand out is that it is 100 percent, self-proclaimed "hard" science fiction. Everything that happens is "as true and correct as the author can make it in light of current science" and detailed explanations of everything from the spacecraft to interplanetary radio communications are included in periodic "notes for the interested." Barnes also explores the idea that, even with PermaPaxPerity, not everyone is happy and coming of age is still a struggle, especially with the media a constant presence and dangerously pleasurable drugs readily available. Recommended in particular for sci-fi fans who will appreciate the novel's geeky level of detail.—Eliza Langhans, Hatfield Public Library, MA