Can you name this book please? 40+ years-old sci-fi children's book

[WhereYouLeftIt]

Reposting here as per recommendation (thank you magimedi), really hoping someone will recognise the book I'm talking about.

I don't know the title or the author. I read it some time in the 1970's in my local children's library. Probably before 1975.

It was set in not-Earth, a colony where there was mining and the mines often collapsed, creating orphans that the rest of the colony would adopt, and it was considered an honour to adopt them (because their parents had died serving the colony). It rained at ?3pm? every day, the ruling elite claimed that this was their doing. The main character, an adopted orphan, thought this was probably rubbish, and he and another orphan were quite rebellious. They were arrested, the other orphan was ambushed and killed, the main character delivered to the ruling elite. At which point he is informed that he is not an orphan but a child of the elite, who are routinely fostered out as miners' orphans, to ensure that the colony rulers do not become hereditary. If you rebel you basically show the ability to think, only those who question orders are thought to be fit to give the orders.

Does anyone know the name of this book? Please?

I've no idea (sorry!) but it sounds really interesting. I'd like to read it when you find out.

It's Mumsnet. The Hive Mind. Someone WILL know

have you tried asking a librarian? I would think sci fi aimed at children published pre 1975 would narrow it down quite a bit

Use the BookSleuth forum on abe books uk (not US site). Put your query in the children's section with some info in subject line eg sci-fi rains every day 3pm 40+ years old. They don't like non-informative subject lines! However, they are very likely to be able to help you.
Please report back if you find out!

Sounds a bit like Usual Le Guin's the Dispossessed, but I wouldn't describe it as a children's book.

Ursula Le Guin

I think I might remember reading this too! Were the elite called the Scholars, and did he have a girlfriend called Talyra or something like that? There was another class of people called Technicians?

Trying to remember. Pretty sure not Ursula Le Guin though, I think the author was male.

have you tried googling some key phrases that you remember ?

I feel as though the title might have had the word 'stars' in it. Which doesn't narrow it down much for sci-fi, sorry!

The book NadiaWadia is thinking of is Heritage of the Star by Sylvia Engdahl (I can't remember her surname exactly!). It's not quite the same as the one the OP describes but it is what I immediately thought of!

Yes that's the one, SoupDragon! My old copy is probably still in a box in my parent's attic. Not a male author at all! I found this on google:

books.google.co.uk/books?id=R9XXBAAAQBAJ&pg=PA222&lpg=PA222&dq=Talyra&source=bl&ots=876kduynt8&sig=LBO52iFd3s_NkP_U4dDXd5pyv0E&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj3x8SvlZHLAhWGOxoKHeZBBtgQ6AEITjAH#v=onepage&q=Talyra&f=false

Not sure if it's the same one as the OP meant, but maybe she can have a read of this and see? The hero is called Noren.

I thought leGuin too.

My copy is in my own loft :) I also have the omnibus of the three books in the series.

I am jealous, Soup. You see, I never knew at the time it was part of a trilogy. I would have loved it back then (seventies). Maybe I will look them up anyway. Also found out recently there were sequels to 'A wrinkle in time' (first sc-fi I ever read) and my daughter got me the boxset for my birthday. It was interesting to read them, but I would have enjoyed it more when I was nine! Being unaware of sequels is what used to happen when there was no internet, I suppose.

This was my first science fiction book I think. I only read the trilogy having heard about it on Mumsnet :)