”Dad,” I said, “I want to go to the moon.”

”Certainly,” he answered and looked back at his book. It was Jerome K. Jerome’s Three Men in a Boat, which he must know by heart.

I said, ”Dad, please! I’m serious.”

This time he closed the book on a finger and said gently, ”I said it was all right. Go ahead.”

”Yes … but how?”

”Eh?” He looked mildly surprised. ”Why, that’s your problem, Clifford.”

Jag hade Ica över på middag häromdagen. Vi kom in på ämnet science fiction skriven för ungdomar, och jag satte genast Have Space Suit – Will Travel i händerna på henne och tvingade henne att läsa de första sidorna. Boken har sina brister. Men inledningen är helt underbar.