SOLVED. pre-1993 YA Science Fiction that takes place in a socially engineered colony on the moon (or maybe another moon or asteroid?) with a girl who might one day become a captain, a boy who races ships but really should be an artist. [s]

[Jonathan]

I read this book when I was in 7th grade (92-93) after a girl in my class gave it to me.

The book takes place in the future on the moon, in a heavily socially engineered colony where all the main characters are young teenagers but there are adults pulling the strings behind the scenes.

The POV character is a female teenager. I believe the opening scene of the book includes her, um, "taking matters into her own hands" before she falls asleep. The unseen adults who control the colony think she has potential to be a ship captain one day.

The other most important character (possibly her love interest?) is a boy who participates in ship-races around the moon and also makes amazing sculptures. In the climatic scene, he wins a race by pulling an unexpected maneuver that whips him around in a spectacular way, catapulting him across the finish line ahead of everyone else. However, the people in charge disqualify him, saying the move was too dangerous. It is later revealed by the adults pulling the strings that the real reason he was disqualified was so he would quit racing and focus on his sculptures, because he had more potential as a great artist.

That's all I can remember about the book. I remember liking it quite a bit at the time, but in retrospect the level of control/social engineering involved was kinda creepy, though the teenagers actually seemed to basically live very free lives.

[bookel]

Don't recall if the details are in it but it is set on the moon.
This Place Has No Atmosphere
by Paula Danziger
This Place Has No Atmosphere

[Jonathan]

bookel wrote: "Don't recall if the details are in it but it is set on the moon.
This Place Has No Atmosphere
by Paula Danziger
This Place Has No Atmosphere"


Thank you for giving it a go! That's a very different book though. In the book I read the teenagers were much more serious and engaged in their moon colony life.

[bookel]

Thought of Louise Lawrence but think her books can be ruled out? One set on the moon, Moonwind...
You can try searching worldcat.org for moon juvenile fiction print book English with year range.

[Jonathan]

Found it!!!

I took your worldcat search recommendation, searched through 280 books with my terms and nothing fit, so I changed the search to "asteroid" instead of moon and found it!

The book is "Orbital Resonance" by John Barnes. Nominated for Tiptree in 1991 and Nebula in 1992.

"Melpomene Murray's concerns are those of any teenager: homework, friends, dates. But Melpomene lives on the Flying Dutchman, an asteroid colony located thousands of miles from an Earth almost destroyed by disease, war, and pollution. She and her spaceborn classmates are humanity's last hope, and Mel's just starting to realize how heavy a responsibility that is. Her parents and teachers have trained her from birth to lead mankind into the future.

What they never realized is that Melpomene might have plans of her own..."



Reading more from other summaries and they have all the social engineering I remembered, the bedroom scene, and then described a classroom group project scene that I recalled the moment they started talking about it.

[Kris]

Glad you found your book, Jonathan. Here's the link - Orbital Resonance by John Barnes.

[bookel]

https://www.librarything.com/work/188012
Cover images.
Excellent, well done!