Between Planets

As I work my way through the Heinlein juvenile novels, I would put this one in the top half of those. This novel benefits from Heinlein's military experience. A nice tale of a teen learning to become a man as planets go to war. Definitely not a Rah Rah!! type of military novel like Starship Troopers. This novel doesn't encourage young men to shirk their duty to the military if it calls, but does show some of the negative experiences brought about by war while remaining a teen-friendly book. I felt the characterization in this book was not as strong as some of the other juveniles by Heinlein, but the subject matter raised it to a worthwhile read. Definitely recommended as an early comparison for fans of Starship Trooper and The Moon is a Harsh Mistress. Have Spacesuit, Will Travel remains at the head of the class of the Heinlein juveniles.