Danny Dunn and the Anti-Gravity Paint
 First edition | |
| Author | Raymond Abrashkin, Jay Williams |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Ezra Jack Keats |
| Series | Danny Dunn |
| Genre | Science Fiction |
Publication date | 1956 |
| Pages | 154 |
| OCLC | 17528399 |
| Followed by | Danny Dunn on a Desert Island |
Danny Dunn and the Anti-Gravity Paint is the first novel in the Danny Dunn series of juvenile science fiction/adventure books written by Raymond Abrashkin and Jay Williams. The book was first published in 1956 and originally illustrated by Ezra Jack Keats.
Plot
Through a mishap in Professor Bulfinch's laboratory, Danny accidentally creates an anti-gravity paint. In time, the government constructs a spaceship which uses the paint as a propulsion system. The spaceship is launched prematurely after Danny and Joe follow Professor Bulfinch and Dr. Grimes on a tour of the ship. A mechanical failure dooms the four to a trip out of the Solar System unless they can repair the ship. Should they fail in this, they will drift too far from the Sun and freeze to death.
Current science
The book was published in 1956, one year before the start of the Space Age. It explores the aspects of actual space exploration versus science fiction. Danny's teacher, in an effort to get him to stop daydreaming about space adventures, punishes him by making him write repeatedly "Space travel is at least one hundred years away". After his teacher congratulates Danny for his spaceflight, he gives her the punishment assignment which he worked on while on board, and she says she will keep it as a souvenir.
Reception
Floyd C. Gale wrote in Galaxy Science Fiction that the book "demonstrates a wonderfully brash humor ... let your 8-to-12-year-old find out the rest of the story for himself".[1]
Editions
McGraw-Hill
- (Paperback, 1956, illustrated by Ezra Jack Keats)
- (Hardback, 1956, illustrated by Ezra Jack Keats)
- (Hardback, 1959, illustrated by Ezra Jack Keats)
Archway Books
- (Paperback, 1979, #7 in their series)
Pocket Books
- (Paperback, 1983 reissue, illustrated by Ezra Jack Keats)
References
- ↑ Gale, Floyd C. (June 1957). "Galaxy's 5 Star Shelf". Galaxy Science Fiction. pp. 107–110. Retrieved 11 June 2014.
- "Space-Boy". The New York Times. November 18, 1956. Retrieved November 15, 2010.
- "Books Illustrated by Keats". Ezra Jack Keats Foundation. Retrieved November 15, 2010.