| Have Space Suit-will Travel |
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''Have Space Suit-Will Travel'' is a juvenile Science Fiction Novel by Robert A. Heinlein published in 1958 . Like his other juveniles, it is a well-constructed adventure story, but compared to many of them, it takes a more philosophical approach, examining what is noble and ignoble about the human race through a varied cast of characters that includes humans, aliens, and even a Cave-man . (The "What is man?" theme is also explored in another of his juveniles, The Star Beast , but there the tone is more comedic and ironic, whereas ''Have Space Suit-Will Travel'' is heroic, and sometimes even tragic.) Heinlein makes good use of his engineering expertise to bring a sense of realism to the story; for a time during World War II , he had been a Civilian Engineer working at a laboratory where pressure suits were developed for use at high altitudes. SYNOPSIS Kip, a bored high-school senior, enters an advertising-jingle contest, hoping to win an all expenses paid trip to the Moon . He doesn't, but as a consolation prize he gets a used Spacesuit . Resigned to making the best of a disappointing situation, he fixes it up and is walking around in it playing with the radio when a Flying Saucer lands, and he's captured by aliens and taken to the moon! Once there, he escapes with the aid of a fellow captive. However, they are recaptured and taken to the alien base on Pluto where their doom seems sure—until they are rescued by another race of aliens, only to discover that much more than their own fates hang in the balance... This book works on multiple levels. On the surface, it is an adventure story, where a bright kid gets his chance to save the human race. On another, it is very much a Coming Of Age story, as Kip (who seems to have had little human contact outside his family before he is Shanghaied ) learns to identify with others--indeed, the whole human race--and also comes to appreciate his rather eccentric parents. EDITIONS
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