Have Space Suit—Will Travel

This is Heinlein at his most entertaining. The first chapters, in which Kip rebuilds the space suit piece by piece, are full of practical detail and a real love of engineering. Then the story shifts gear into pure adventure, moving from the Moon to Pluto and beyond, with captures, escapes and narrow survival in harsh environments.

Kip is a likeable narrator, modest, practical and determined, and Peewee is a memorable companion: fiercely clever, brave and occasionally exasperating. The Mother Thing, a kind and mysterious alien, gives the book much of its warmth. The final section, in which humanity's right to exist is put on trial, raises big questions in an accessible way.

The science is of its era, and some social attitudes feel dated. The jump from backyard tinkering to galactic courtroom is dizzying, and some readers find the ending abrupt. Still, the energy and sense of wonder carry it, and it remains a superb introduction to classic science fiction. Its message about curiosity, preparation and keeping a cool head in a crisis is one that young readers in particular tend to remember long after the plot details fade. About 255 pages in the Del Rey mass-market paperback.