Tenderfoot in Space

Rating:
Summary: Tenderfoot in Space: colonizing from a kid and his dog's POV
Review: Tenderfoot in Space was originally written for Boys Life magazine, and not surprisingly, focuses on a young Boy Scout (Charlie Vaughn) and his dog (Nixie) that moves with his family to Venus to build a better life than they could expect on an overcrowded Earth (not an uncommon theme in Heinlein's books). It is a delightful read, typical of Heinlein's juvenile series. Most of the story is written from either Charlie's or Nixie's point of view; I especially enjoyed reading scenes from Nixie's viewpoint. Charlie has to first make a difficult decision on whether or not to take Nixie with him; the only way he can go is to be frozen, with a low probability of survival. On the way, Charlie learns lessons on life and society, which continues when the family begins life on Venus. The Vaughn's do not arrive on Venus as wealthy immigrants, and Charlie quickly learns the difference between living in a govenment-controlled society and a pioneer one, especially school! Charlie and Nixie have several adventures, make friends, and there is a surprise ending with Nixie saving Charlie and a new friend's life in the Venus jungle, ending with Nixie receiving a Boy Scout lifesaving award. This was a fun story, with Heinlein doing his usual excellent job of inserting his firm views on self-reliance, loyalty, independance, and non-political correctness (a strong point is made about school being a social vs. a learning opprotunity) while delivering an interesting and enjoyable story. Anyone familiar with Heinlein will enjoy this story. I strongly recommend this as a read for anyone, but especially younger readers.