Farmer in the Sky

OK, I'm not really trying to relive my childhood but I did just reread Robert Heinlein's kids book Farmer in the Sky. I'm pretty sure I read it when it first came out in 1950. I am not a science fiction fan, but I did read most of his books aimed at youth and I remember that I liked them a lot.

This story is about colonization on Ganymede started because earth's population was too large and there wasn't enough food. So with lots of hard work, a few rock crushing machines, imported earthworms and other soil bacteria but no weeds (great idea) they manage to create arable farmland. An e=mc² converter supplies sufficient power to create a heat shield and several other technologies create a breathable low-pressure atmosphere.

Social interactions, political commentary, technology, and survival techniques - perhaps it could have been an early version of a Reality show (which I wouldn't have seen since we didn't have a TV set).

The top cover is on the copy of the book I took out from the library; the bottom one is the 1950 version and was on my copy.