I’d also call Schmitz’s most famous story, “The Witches of Karres” YA too. “Grandpa” is an engaging adventure story that would be empowering to a teenage reader, the kind who cast themselves as action heros in their daydreaming.
YA lit is all about having young protagonists for young readers to identify. (I know I should say cowpeople and spacepeople but it just doesn’t sound right.) I’d say the 1950s and 1960s was a transition time for American childhood, as kids switched from dreaming of becoming cowboys when they grew up, to hoping to become spacemen. The early days of television had a number of popular science fiction adventure shows aimed at kids. Most of the many SF magazines knew their audience ran young. Plus quite a few SF writers were cranking out books intended for young readers. Heinlein had his much-loved novels from Charles Scribner’s (the Heinlein Juveniles), Andre “Alice” Norton’s novels were popular, as were the Winston Science Fiction series, and Isaac Asimov had his Lucky Starr series. Literary critics considered the whole genre aimed at adolescents. In 1955 there was quite a lot of YA science fiction being published. “Grandpa” has never been marketed as YA, but the protagonist is just 15. And it allows me to bring up the topic of young adult (YA) literature in science fiction.
This was a great pick by the VanderMeers because “Grandpa” deserves preserving, and Schmitz deserves better recognition. “Grandpa” was first published in the February 1955 issue of Astounding Science Fiction, and it’s been well anthologized since. Last July I read it in The Great SF Stories 17 (1955) edited by Isaac Asimov and Martin H. This is my second reading of “ Grandpa” by James H. I can understand why I was captivated by tall tales in my adolescence but why didn’t I ever outgrow them? After forty years of adult reality, why do I still enjoy children’s fantasies? Science fiction fans usually discover the genre when young, enchanted by its sense of wonder, even becoming addicted to the fantastic for the rest of their lives. Group Read 27: The Big Book of Science Fiction
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