Preserving our Christian Heritage since 2001.
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Preserving our Christian Heritage since 2001.
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| Title: The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet |
| Author: Cameron, Eleanor |
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Format: Paperback: 226 pages |
| Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers; Reprint edition (October, 1988) |
| ISBN: 0316125407 |
| Review Date: July 1st, 2007 |
| Buy this Book from Amazon.com. |
Rating: |
| Book Description: Two boys build a space ship and fly to an unknown moon of the Earth to save an alien race that is dying. |
Review:
Before I go any further I want to make sure that everybody knows that this is a children's book. Amazon lists it at ages 9-12. I think that it is probably for children much younger. Children in kindergarten would probably enjoy it if it was read out loud for them.
The plot involves David and Chuck building a rocket out of spare parts after seeing an ad in the newspaper. The ad was placed by Dr. Bass, an old man who has an observatory and a laboratory in the town the boys live in.
Among his inventions is a filter for telescopes that allow the viewer to see in the different spectrums, which brought about the discovery of Basidium X, a very small moon that is invisible from the earth. Basidium X is inhabited by an alien species that are intelligent mushrooms. Mr. Bass is one of these people, and he came to Earth long ago as a spore. The Basidians are also mildly telepathic, which is how Mr. Bass knew his people were facing extinction, and why he sends the boys on their mission.
The morality of the book seems to be good. David and Chuck ask their parents/grandparents for permission before using any material to build their rocket, and obtain permission to go on the trip. At first they do not want to ask because they think their parents might say "No." But Mr. Bass insists that they do the right thing and they agree with him.
The boys learn that some things in life need protecting, which is why they keep Basidium X a secret between themselves and their immediate family. The boys do not want Basidium X to be exploited, becoming a tourist place, or the mushroom people to be subjected to scientists poking and prodding them.
Mr. Bass is also an interesting character. As I previously stated, he is not a human (although he looks very similar, and able to live on the Earth without raising to much suspicion,) and he is very old. There are several times he hints that he is several hundred years old. He is a scientist, but he never publishes any of his papers or findings. He is an inventor, but he never markets any of his inventions, much less bother to write down how he made most of them. He is also an artist, drawing pictures of the stars, planets and other heavenly objects, but he decorates the walls of his small house with his paintings and drawings. He is a man totally uninterested in worldly glories or achievements.
A high value is also placed on education, as at the end of the book they create a club for children so they can learn about space and science. Chuck's grandfather becoming their first President.
I think this is a good book for children, and I could not find any questionable morality. Although there are some funny "artifacts," in the book, such as some slang that I had never heard before (i.e. "Great jumping kadiddle fish!"), and some comments about how man had never gone to the moon.
