Robert Heinlein's Juveniles Trivia Quiz

Answer: Rocket Ship Galileo

"Rocket Ship Galileo" (1947) may be the weakest of his novels for juveniles, and the Nazi bit reads a little old today. However, this book shows his early ability to focus on science and a step-by-step plausible (for his day) plot. It is a fun yarn. Interestingly, this novel was supposedly rejected for the crazy idea of going to the moon.

Answer: Red Planet

Not to be confused with the 2000 movie of the same name, "Red Planet" (1949) was Heinlein's third juvenile novel. It involves some of the themes that Heinlein liked to focus upon, including gun rights, government interference, revolution, and possibly his original version of Mars for his later novel "Stranger In a Strange Land". One of his better efforts, it shows a Mars that is slowly dying but still has some oxygen, Martians, plant life, and canals.

A new revised version of "Red Planet" was released after Heinlein's death in order to put out a version that was closer to Heinlein's original intentions. The publishing house Scribner had an editor named Alice Dalgliesh who battled with Heinlein about the content of his novels. You can read more about these battles in the book "Grumbles from the Grave."

Answer: Between Planets

"Between Planets" is a 1951 novel, originally published in the magazine "Blue Book." From his autobiography, "Grumbles From the Grave", one notes that Heinlein was always trying to push into mainstream fiction magazines (which generally paid more than science fiction magazines). It was published as a novel the same year. This novel is a mixture between science and a political thriller.

Answer: The Rolling Stones

"The Rolling Stones" (1952) continues Heinlein's juveniles with an exploration of the solar system. It is an interesting fact that the "Star Trek" episode "The Trouble With Tribbles" may have been inspired by the flat cats (Martian animals) mentioned in this book. In a letter in Heinlein's "Grumbles from the Grave", Heinlein allows Star Trek to use the idea of the uncontrollably breeding tribbles, stating that he himself got the idea of his flat cat breeding problems from the story "Pig is Pigs" by Ellis Parker Butler.

Hazel Stone would later appear in several of Heinlein's adult novels, tying his early and later works in an idea he called World as Myth--where all worlds including this one and the world of fiction (including Heinlein's) really do exist.

Answer: Farmer in the Sky

"Farmer in the Sky" (1953) is a novel that began as a short story ("Satellite Scout") for "Boy's Life" magazine in 1951. Although Heinlein took great pains to get his science right, we now know the description of Ganymede to be completely wrong. Nevertheless, it is a still a good story about pioneer life.

Although it was published in 1951, in 2001 the World Science Fiction Society awarded "Farmer in the Sky" with a retro Hugo Award for Best Novel, awards given for those years when a Worldcon was hosted but no award given.

Answer: Starman Jones

"Starman Jones" (1953) was Heinlein's first juvenile novel to take its readers beyond the solar system. Some critics/readers see the last part of the novel, in which centaurs attack the human colonists, as a response by Heinlein to Jonathan Swift's "Gulliver's Travels", in which Swift compares humans to the Yahoos.

Answer: Tunnel in the Sky

"Tunnel in the Sky" (1955)is a story of a boy growing into a man, and includes several strong female characters. Unusually for its time, the main character Rod Walker is black, and the novel focuses on going from survival to a successful albeit primitive civilization.

Answer: Time for the Stars

"Time for the Stars" (1956) is an interesting book based on the twin paradox and the idea of an agency funding ideas (like space travel to other stars) that will not be practicable for at least a century.

Answer: Citizen of the Galaxy

"Citizen of the Galaxy" (1957) provides a fascinating look at slavery, begging, life in a matriarchal society, military life, and the life of the wealthy. In each example, Heinlein gives insight into Thorsby's adjustment to each type of life. Heinlein completes the novel by Thorby's insight that, although extremely wealthy, Thorby feels more limited in his life than he did as a beggar.

Answer: Have Space Suit - Will Travel

The novel "Have Spacesuit-Will Travel" (1958) was nominated for a Hugo, but lost to "A Case of Conscience" by James Blish. Like several of his novels, "Have Spacesuit - Will Travel" originally appeared in magazine form (in "The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction", August, September, October 1958). One of the key characters, Oscar (the space suit), was probably influenced by Heinlein's knowledge of pressure suits. He was involved in high altitude research during World War II.