Looking for sci-fi about a teenage girl on a ship (colony) that avoids overpopulation by sending all its teens onto a hostile planet below to survive for a time period. If they live, they become adults and members of the colony.
Stump the Bookseller
New format, same book stumper solving.
This is “Rite of Passage” by Alexi Pansin. One of my favorite Sci Fi books. As kids reach the age of 14(?), after extensive training, they are released on a planet to see if they can survive until pick-up; a way to weed out the weaker people, although the rite is easily survivable with common sense.
They live on a large colony ship that traverses the galaxy, trading and exploring, with a rich and fascinating culture.
Could this be “Invitation to the Game” (also known as “The Game”) by Monica Hughes? It was published in 1990. The major difference is that the teenagers are on Earth, not a colony ship.
There’s a very full summary here:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invitation_to_the_Game