Richie's Picks: Great Books for Children and Young Adults

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"Have you seen the stars tonight?
Would you like go up on 'A' deck and look at them with me?
Have you seen the stars tonight?
Would you like to go up for a stroll and keep me company?"
--Paul Kantner, from Blows Against the Empire (1970)

Jack is an orphaned adolescent spacer. He's always lived on Freedom Station, which was formed from the asteroid X-117 and moved to its current site (just inside the Asteroid Belt) in 2217. The Station serves and services the ships that move Earthies away from their troubled planet heading for the similarly-troubled colonies in the Belt. Apprenticing at Gert's Pub, Jack comes into contact with all types. But heading into work one day:

"Jack stopped beside the fence that ran around the pub's side yard. The inorganics recycler was humming, processing a load of Gert's empties. A cool breeze fanned up from the South Dock. Cycle Four of the weather program. Jack took a deep breath and caught the smell of the fish farm, heavy and musty. Gert would say it was the ventilation glitching again. Gert would say the Company admins should get off their big, soft, fat butts and fix a few things around here.
"But Jack had always kind of liked that smell.
"Over the soft drone of the recycler, he heard a thump. And then a bump.
"Slowly, carefully, Jack set down the sling bag and peered over the fence.
"A rat was sneaking out from behind the bin of the recycler.
" 'Hey!' Jack shouted. 'Hey!'
"The rat froze. Its head turned, and just for a nano, it stared up at Jack.
"And then it made a dash for freedom.
" 'No!' Jack leapt over the sling bag. He reached the gate just as the rat did. His fingers hooked into its shirt collar. 'Got you!'
"A booted foot shot out and whacked him, hard, on the knee.
" 'Ow! Ow! Drekking...ow!'
" 'Let me go,' the rat hissed. 'Let me go, you toxic spacer!' The foot shot out again.
"Jack jumped back, lost his grip on the collar, and barely managed to grab the rat's sleeve.
"And realized it was a girl. Spam. Girl rats were the worst. They cried. They whined.
" 'You some kind of perv?' the rat said. And she slapped him, hard, right across the face.
"Jack let go of her and rubbed his cheek. 'Jupiter's eye. You don't have to hit people, you dim rat.'
"The Earthie girl glared at him, her hands on her hips, all wild, wiry white hair and eyes as bright green and iridescent as fish scales. They had to be gen mods, no way they could be natural, but Jack had never seen them in the catalog. 'You don't have to grab people.' She sounded just like a school vid, teaching the basic regs. 'And don't call me "rat." '
"Jack laughed. 'You are a rat. True fact. Your parents dumped you here.' "

So begins SPACER AND RAT, a sweet, little space adventure featuring futuristic performances of Macbeth, return-of-the-sun parties in zero gee, a cast of thousands (of little bots that perform all the menial tasks), intrigue and double-crossings, a young man searching for himself and longing for family, and the young, green-eyed woman with the unusual sibling, both of whom will change Jack's life forever.

Author Margaret Bechard has great fun with the technology and the terminology, such as having colony and ship names alude to Shakespeare characters and classic twentieth century sci-fi icons. But, in addition, readers will unquestionably be affected by Jack and Kit's story. Bechard provides both the despair of a solar system which has never succeeded in solving its health, political, or environmental problems, along with the hope that comes from this young man coming to see his universe in a new way.

True fact. SPACER AND RAT is one stellar trip.

Richie Partington
http://richiespicks.com
BudNotBuddy@aol.com