Barbary

As orphaned Barbary travels to her new home on a space station, her own problems are dwarfed by the first sighting of an alien spacecraft. The VIPs rushing out to study and possibly greet the approaching ship create enough commotion for Barbary to smuggle her pet cat Mickey on boardagainst the rules. Although this situation threatens to become cloying, McIntyre avoids potential traps as Barbary and her sister deal with being responsible for Mickey. At its best, the combination of excitement about space, living on a frontier, and the down-to-earth mechanical details of zero-G toilets recalls Robert Heinlein's excellent stories for this age group. In her first book for young readers, McIntyre displays the talent that won her acclaim for her adult SF. (10-up)