6 h 1 minAudiobook18 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at costPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
Rockets carry people and cargo between the planets—and space pirates see a prize in every journey.
In On the Trail of the Space Pirates by Carey Rockwell, young cadets prepare to serve the Solar Guard, the force that keeps peace across the planets. Tom Corbett wants to prove himself. But in a solar system where outlaws threaten the space lanes, determination must go hand in hand with skill and loyalty.
Tom's crew includes Roger Manning, whose quick wit brings humor and nerve to the mission. Captain Strong demands discipline, while Commander Walters oversees the cadets' training and duties. Their world makes space travel a bright promise, but protecting it calls for courage. This is a fast adventure built around people who need to trust each other.
What you’ll discover
- Danger between the planets Follow a rocket-travel world where outlaws threaten the routes that carry people and cargo.
- A cadet with resolve Meet Tom Corbett, whose determination centers a crew with different strengths to offer.
- Humor under pressure Get to know Roger Manning, a cocky cadet who brings quick wit and nerve.
- Duty put to work Explore an adventure that values honesty, loyalty, and acting when others are in danger.
- A hopeful space age Step into the 1950s dream of rockets crossing a solar system worth protecting.
Who will love it
Readers who enjoy classic rocket-age adventure, with brave young heroes, clever plans, ship-board teamwork and villains who plot big. It suits anyone who likes a mystery that grows chapter by chapter and a friendship that holds firm.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Three cadets report back to the Academy
- A fair, a feud and a strange ride
- A dirty sky and a hole under the floor
- The time capsule and the secret light key
- Undercover among the outlaws
- Prison Rock under attack
- The Space Kid inside the pirate crew
- Rescue, a red herring and a trap
- What the story is really about
- How the story is told
Who’s who
- Tom CorbettThe curly-haired pilot and command cadet of the Polaris unit, who thinks fast under pressure and wants to protect his friends and serve the Solar Guard.
- Roger ManningThe blond radar cadet with a sharp tongue and a love of teasing, who is also a gifted radar expert and a loyal friend.
- AstroThe huge Venusian engineer who tends the atomic engines with loving care, has an enormous appetite, and fiercely guards his unit-mates.
- Captain Steve StrongThe shy but brave Solar Guard officer who teaches the unit and leads the search for the thieves, determined to protect the Alliance.
- Bull CoxineA giant, scheming prisoner who hates Strong and wants to rule the Solar Alliance, using his brains as well as brute strength.
- Gus WallaceA big, loud spaceman who runs a fake ride concession with Simms and wants easy money and revenge on Roger.
- Luther SimmsA small, sly rocketman and Wallace's partner, who helps carry out the plans and sometimes wishes he could quit while ahead.
- Mike HawksThe exposition commissioner and retired Solar Guard officer, who is proud of his fair and fears what the mystery could do to it.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet, computer or Kindle, with the type as large as you like.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 6 h 1 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 18 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
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Sur la piste des pirates de l’espace
by Carey Rockwell · 1953
Three space cadets chase pirates from a fair on Venus to a prison asteroid, with a stolen secret at stake.
Medium level5–10 hours to read25 languages
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In short
On the Trail of the Space Pirates is a science fiction adventure for young readers, written by Carey Rockwell as part of the Tom Corbett Space Cadet series. It is set in the year 2353, when people have settled Mars, Venus and several moons, and a force called the Solar Guard keeps the peace between the worlds.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Three cadets report back to the Academy
The story opens on a monorail speeding toward Space Academy. Three tired cadets of the Polaris unit are returning from leave. Tom Corbett is the command cadet, Roger Manning is the radar man, and Astro is the giant Venusian who keeps getting hungry. Just as they fall asleep, two rude men shove Astro aside, and a quarrel starts that the cadets think is over once the men leave.
The men are Gus Wallace, a big man with a loud mouth, and Luther Simms, a smaller man with a rat-like face. They sneer at the cadets as lazy students paid for by taxes. Roger answers with cool sarcasm, and Astro tells them to blast off. The cadets settle back to sleep, but the author has quietly planted the two men who will matter most.
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What is On the Trail of the Space Pirates about?
It follows Space Cadets Tom Corbett, Roger Manning and Astro, with Captain Strong, as they hunt two thieves who stole a vault-opening secret from a time capsule. The trail leads to a prison asteroid and a pirate captain.
Who is Bull Coxine?
Bull Coxine is a giant former Solar Guard petty officer who led a mutiny and ended up on a prison asteroid. He hates Captain Strong and plans to build a pirate fleet and rule the Solar Alliance.
When is On the Trail of the Space Pirates set?
The story takes place in the year 2353, when people live on Mars, Venus and several moons. The Solar Guard keeps peace between the planets, and Space Academy trains cadets as pilots, radar operators and engineers.
The author
Carey Rockwell
American science fiction house pseudonym
Carey Rockwell was the house pen name used for the Tom Corbett, Space Cadet series of novels, a set of juvenile science-fiction adventures published in the early 1950s alongside the popular American television show of the same name. The books captured the era's excitement about spaceflight and the future for a generation of young readers. The novels follow Tom Corbett and his fellow cadets of the Space Academy as they train to explore and protect the Solar System, facing dangers, sabotage, and adventure across the planets. Fast-moving and optimistic, the series reflected the golden age of space-adventure fiction for young people. The 'Carey Rockwell' name was a publisher's pseudonym for the ghost-written series rather than a single real author. Our editions present these adventures clearly. Read everything up to chapter 2 free, then start free for the whole book.
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