See Luna and Die (John Keir Cross)

Schoolboy Tom Glenn and his family are one of the first people to live on the Moon, which in the early days of colonisation is mainly inhabited by old millionaires who are able to afford the huge cost of becoming a 'Moon-dweller'. One day an unscheduled rocket arrives from Earth which has been commandeered by a bunch of criminals headed by Giovanni Frescati, known as the King of the Soho underworld, who have escaped to start a new life on the Moon. Can Tom and his gang of friends thwart the plans of the evil mob?

John Keir Cross mainly worked on scripts for the BBC, but he wrote a few children's books as well (including the very good Blackadder set during the Napoleonic Wars) and this is a snappy tale in the Enid Blyton mould (but better written) about plucky kids tackling dangerous criminals. Amusing that it is set in 1995, when it was thought that cities on the Moon would be in vogue (not precisely sure when this was written, but definitely pre-1960).

Overall:- 6/10

Planet:- The Moon  Year:- 1995

Included in:-
Stirring Stories For Boys edited by Eric Duthie (23 pages)