Have Space Suit Will Travel

Author: Robert A. Heinlein

Robert Heinlein is a staple of sci-fi literature, and he actually created several books specifically for young adults. Have Space Suit, Will Travel is one of the last of these. Kip is a high-school soda jerk who dreams of going to the moon. When he finds a contest offering an all-expenses paid trip to the moon, he sends in entry after entry, only to win second place. His prize is a decommissioned, non-functioning space suit. Kip fixes up the space suit, which he names Oscar, but ultimately decides to return Oscar for a cash prize that will help him pay for college. He goes for one last stroll with Oscar and something completely crazy happens: he's abducted by aliens. Along with a young girl named PeeWee, who was also abducted, Kip must outwit the evil aliens that he calls Wormfaces and find a way home. Since the book was published in 1958, some of the references are a bit dated, such as soda jerk and soap contests, but what's not dated is Kip's enthusiasm for the technology and the way that he explains it. Nominated for the 1959 Hugo award, this is a good-old fashioned space adventure that will pull you in and have you travelling along with it at the speed of light.