This is a book that only a 1940's teenage science enthusiast could love. The first 6 chapters are spent on establishing that our teen protagonists are competent to assist an adult scientist in building a rocket and flying it to the moon, then convincing their parents to allow it. I gave up when the scientist started lecturing one of the boys on leadership qualities. I understand that there are space-nazis later, whenever they get to the moon, and that sounds like it could be fun, but I just couldn't get there.

Audiobook version, borrowed from my public library via Overdrive. Abandoned at 27%. Spider Robinson does his best with reading this dull, dull, story. ( )

Solid beginning to this "series" of books. Moves right along, with plenty of incident. There's only one semi-defined character (Cargraves), the others are all ciphers, but the book is over so quickly it doesn't really matter. Possibly a little too much popular mechanics for some tastes, and there are a few sermons that are tiresome (although the off-handed way in which Heinlein's spokesman asserts that "mathematics has no content" as if this was a simple observation of fact, is kind of unintentionally hilarious). ( )

I really enjoyed the outset of this book, with reference to rocket design and space travel, but the plot was a bit too juvenile for my taste - the ending being far-fetched. Of course when it was written, the Nazi threat was on everybody's minds. I was amused to find a reference to Ley's "Rockets" within the story, as this is the book I found a reference to "Rocketship Galileo" in. ( )

An interesting piece of period fiction, from more innocent days (pre-Sputnik, even) when the difficulties of nuclear rockets and space travel were less well understood. Although I guess it was intended to be futuristic science fiction, today it reads more like alternate history.

One thing I liked about it was the portrayal of the boy heroes: more grown-up than grown-ups, responsible yet daring, disciplined, determined, knowing what they wanted, and diligent enough to learn what they had to learn to accomplish it. In short, they start out as the kind of person you *wish* you had been years ago, and you *wish* we had more of nowadays. (Thus this is *not* a coming-of-age novel where someone learns to be an adult, even though it is about adolescent boys; it is not a character development story.) I read it to my upper elementary school kids, and they enjoyed it, because it's a pretty good story.

*mild spoiler alert*



The story is not *just* about getting to the moon. If it's easy enough to get to the moon so that three boys and their uncle can do it, then so can somebody else. This was unexpected to me, but totally realistic. In fact, anything other than that would be unrealistic. ( )

I enjoyed the book. All of the Heinlein I have read has been mid to late career. It was interesting seeing where he started. It was much more hard-science than I expected, but that makes sense considering Heinlein's background. And I loved that there was still a know-it-all mentor character, even though he is open to the kids knowing some stuff, too. I can do without the gun tolerance, but I realize that's part of reading Heinlein. Although, my first and favorite novel of his questioned that deeply. But, SiaSL questioned everything. That's why I love it so. All in all, Galileo was a fun read with some insight into space travel and how to achieve goals without squelching potential. Oh, and Nazis. ( )