Cat Johnson Braves Doll Lil’s Word Association Challenge!

Author: Paula Danziger
Book: This Place Has No Atmosphere
Release: January 1, 1986
Series: Novel
Source: Personal Library
Purchase: Book Depository – Barnes & Noble

It’s 2057 and people live in malls, and the school is fueled by garbage . . . some things haven’t changed.

Aurora, fifteen, has the perfect life–and Matthew has asked her of Homecoming.

Then her parents decide to become settlers in a colony on the moon. Aurora cannot imagine living in a place with no atmosphere. There are only 750 people on the moon. What if none of them is a boy her age?

Moving is never easy, but it can turn out to be better than you expect. For Aurora, moving to the moon ends up being out of this world.

The year is 1986. I had recently moved (AGAIN) to a different state and was about to start school mid semester. I was the new kid once more. It seemed like just as soon as I would start to fit in my family moved. I am sure many adults can relate to the feeling of being up-rooted and moved as a child, but at the time you swear you are the only person who has ever felt that way.

So…I read…a lot. At first it was to pass the time on long cross country car trips following a moving van (remember this is back in the days before TV’s in cars, ipods, cell phones…) But, as I grew older the books and stories I would read would have more purpose than just killing time. Sometimes the books actually changed my perspective on things by telling me a story in which I could so deeply relate. It wasn’t a person in my face telling me that “this too shall pass”. No, it was a story that I could understand and it showed me that things can get better if you change the way you confront them. I know they seem so similar, but it’s a very different thing to show and not tell.

This brings me to the late Paula Danziger’s 1986 release of . I picked up the book because I thought the premise of living under a dome on the moon really cool. And it was…totally, but it was so much more.

Danziger wrote a quirky Science Fiction spoof that is at times funny and sad but if anything it is a wonderful coming of age story. The characters are all very realistic in their actions and the emotions conveyed. Readers get to see a teen, who by nature is feels like the center of the universe, discover that she is a part of that universe. Aurora deals with depression and normal teenage angst, but in the midst of it all she grows closer to her parents and realizes all that she can be and contribute to the world whilst finding her true identity.

And, lets face it . . . finding ones identity is a timeless lesson that continues to be something kids, teens and adults have issues with.

I loved this book. I am so happy to see that it is still in print…with a far less cheesy 1980′s cover. ;)

What were some of your favorite books as a Young Adult/ tween?

Also Reviewed By: –

Day is a dreamer who has never met a stranger. She is fearless and will talk to anyone and read anything! She taught music and dance and was a singer/actress for years, performing on stages both nationally and overseas. Now married with children, she spends less time singing on stage and more time writing songs at home. But, family life has not completely slowed this chick down. She still loves an adventure and learning new things. She resides in Texas with her family, Great Dane (Sophie), Labradoodles (George & Cosmo) and Chihuahua (Juan Carlos).

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