Space Cadet

Gr 6–10—Fans of Suzanne Collins's "The Hunger Games" series may be intrigued by Robert A. Heinlein's science-fiction tale that was first published more than 60 years ago. The story of adolescent boys hoping to be part of a solar peacekeeping force gets a new retelling by David Baker and a cast of nearly 30 other actors. Today, the 2075 setting may not seem as far-flung into the future as it did to earlier generations, and listeners could easily imagine their sons or grandsons taking part in the types of training and boot camp environments Heinlein describes. Matt Dodson starts as a fish out of water character, but soon meets new friends from diverse planetary backgrounds. Many of his cohorts do not successfully make it through training, but Dodson proves he has what it takes to succeed. Unlike "The Hunger Games," girls and boys in this coming-of-age tale do not compete side by side and, in fact, girls are barely mentioned at all. Insightful teachers and librarians might encourage students to debate whether this book's lack of female role models is simply a product of its late 1940s era or represents intentional sexism by the author, and have them compare this title with more recent books in the genre.–Bernie Morrissey, The Harker School, San Jose CA