This was the first science fiction novel I completed reading on my own some 36 years ago. Unfortunately the details are very sketchy indeed, but here's what I think I remember:
- It was a hard back library book
- The book was 100 pages long (perhaps exactly or just over)
- I read it some time pre-1980, possibly in 1979 but it may not have been new then
- It would've been classified as a "Children's Book" back then, but would be YA or Middle Grade now
- The POV character was a young boy of about 10-12 years of age
- It was set on the Moon
- The boy is rescued by some space gypsies
- He is befriended by a young space gypsy girl with dark hair
- When he is returned to his family, his parents are very prejudiced against the gypsies.
- A scene fragment of transferring from a lunar rover to the entrance tunnel to a lunar base
- A scene fragment of the boy looking at a computer screen and seeing someone who reminds him of the girl
Like so many here, this is a long term unscratchable itch that I'd love to soothe. Many thanks in advance for any clues or pointers.