This is a fun sci-fi coming of age adventure story. Ismael, the main protagonist, finds his life completely changed after his mother dies in a flitter crash. He signs on with a merchant shipper and the rest you’ll have to read for yourself. It’s a great story in the tradition of Heinlein’s YA stories from early in his career. Yea, some of it is silly, but it is a fun tale. All the book in this series are.