Space Cadet
- 242
- Pages
- about 4.5 h
- Reading time
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Our view
“Space Cadet” is a straightforward, likeable Heinlein juvenile that moves the military-academy story into space. Matt Dodson, a boy from Iowa, joins a patrol that keeps the peace in the Solar System, trains as an officer and shoulders responsibilities far beyond his years. Some readers enjoy the alien society he meets, through which the novel explores matriarchy without hiding its flaws. It remains good company for young readers and fans of classic science fiction.
The view of the BookRank editors, written from readers’ ratings and comments. It does not affect the score or the book’s place in a ranking.
About the book
Space Cadet is a 1948 science fiction novel by Robert A. Heinlein about Matt Dodson, who joins the Interplanetary Patrol to help preserve peace in the Solar System. The story translates the standard military academy story into outer space: a boy from Iowa goes to officer school, sees action and adventure, shoulders responsibilities far beyond his experience, and becomes a man. It was published as the second of the series of Heinlein juveniles and inspired the media franchise around the character Tom Corbett, including the 1950s television series Tom Corbett, Space Cadet and radio show which made "Space Cadet" a household phrase whose meaning later shifted in popular culture.
Reading order · Heinlein juveniles
Full order & progress →- Rocket Ship GalileoStart here
–Not ranked yet - Space CadetThis book
7.67.6 / 10 - Red Planet
7.67.6 / 10 - Farmer in the Sky
7.67.6 / 10 - The Rolling Stones
–Not ranked yet - Starman Jones
7.77.7 / 10 - The Star Beast
–Not ranked yet - Tunnel in the Sky
–Not ranked yet - Time for the Stars
7.67.6 / 10 - Citizen of the Galaxy
7.67.6 / 10 - Have Space Suit—Will Travel
7.57.5 / 10
Where the score comes from
The sources average 7.3 across 51 ratings — not yet many, so the reader vote carries 26% of the weight and the rest pulls toward the Science fiction average of 7.8. That is how 7.6 comes out.
| Source | Average | Ratings | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open Library | 8.7 | 9 | 18% |
| Hardcover | 7.0 | 42 | 82% |
Frequently asked
How long is Space Cadet?
It has 242 pages — shorter than 87% of the ranked books in Science fiction.
In this book
Themes this book shares with others — each leads to the best books on it.
If you liked this
The same shelf — Science fiction — and a score of 7.6, the closest to this book.
