Secret of the Ninth Planet (Version 2)

The sun is dying, and only a teenager can save it. An alien race called the Bacchi has established stations throughout the solar system, siphoning solar energy from each planet back to their homeworld. If they continue unchecked, the sun will nova within two years, incinerating everything in its path. Enter Burl Denning: a seemingly ordinary high school student who possesses a unique mental power inherited from his explorer father. When Burl encounters the crew of the experimental spacecraft Magellan, he becomes their unlikely anchor to Earth's survival. Together, they must journey to the outer planets, destroying each station before it's too late. Donald Wollheim's 1959 classic pulses with the pure, reckless energy of early science fiction: rocket ships, alien threats, and a young hero thrust into impossible circumstances. It captures a golden age belief that courage matters more than credentials, that a kid with the right stuff can pilot humanity's last hope. For readers who grew up on adventure tales and still believe the universe rewards the brave.