FARMER IN THE SKY

The woozy vision of science fiction insinuates itself again into the juvenile field in this peculiar yarn about a trip in a space ship and pioneering on the planet Ganymede. Bill Lermer and his father, step-mother and step-sister travel to Ganymede on a huge space ship, are landed in the midst of artificial winter (created for fertilization of the crops), and begin life in the new settlement. But there are difficulties in the new life — ill -feeling from the original settlers, some mechanical mishaps and the difference in atmosphere which causes the death of Bill's step-sister. However, Bill decides to stay after all and help build a new civilization. Plenty of entertaining gimmicks- the mechanism of the space ship is described in detail- machines which spread oxygen on the planet, and all sorts of Buck Rogers inventions. However, the story leans too much on the novelty and the characters lack substance.