Before long they are headed for the furthest reaches of the stars, with stops on Mars, some asteroids, Titan, and beyond. It all starts when the twins decide that life on the lunar colony is too dull and buy their own spaceship to go into business for themselves. Join the Stone twins as they connive, cajole, and bamboozle their way across the solar system in the company of the most high-spirited and hilarious family in all of science fiction. Of course, anyone who's met their grandmother Hazel would know they came by it honestly. Even so, it's clear that Castor and Pollux Stone both have 'Trouble' written in that spot on their birth certificates. It doesn't seem likely for twins to have the same middle name. My next Heinlein’s juvenile will be Starman Jones.One of Heinlein's best-loved works, The Rolling Stones follows the rollicking adventures of the Stone family as they tour the solar system. After a few months there they move on to the outer planets. Enjoyable, but very light. The family decides to pull up stakes and head of to Mars.

The Stone family lives on Luna, the father is a writer of radio adventure serials, mother is a medical doctor, grandmother is a scientist (retired), the three kids, all sharp as tacks, do great in school and have had success and with inventions. I’m thinking of Leave it to Beaver, My Three Sons, or Ozzie and Harriet. That sort of thing.

The interaction within the family reminded me a lot of what we might experience in a late 1950s – early 1960s family comedy. This time I discovered The Rolling Stones didn’t stand up as well as those other books. Naturally, I read this when I was a teenager, and as far as I recalled it was just as good as all his other “juveniles. Since I read Heinlein’s Space Cadet and Have Space Suit, Will Travel not too long ago – well, in the last few years, – I picked this one. Now? Who knows who the “big three” would be, if such even exists. At least they were the big three when I was reading a lot of SF when I was in high school and college. No, it’s not forgotten, none of Heinlein’s juvenile SF novels are, really, but I recommend them, some more, some less, so here we go.įor a break from reading mysteries, I was in the mood for an oldie by one of the “big three”, Asimov, Clarke or Heinlein.

Robert heinlein the rolling stones