Topic: Summer coding project - SFC clone in Java - need design book suggestions

[Lepton]

Repost to get a new or different set of eyes on this:

For the heck of it, I thought I might try to code up some sort of SFC clone in Java, basically some sort of two ship demo.  I have a little Java experience but absolutely none in really coding an OOP application.  The game engine I will likely be using is JMonkeyEngine which will help alot, but I have no idea of how to go about defining appropriate classes or how one really goes about designing an application, let alone a gaming application.  I am looking for suggestions on books to read or sites to visit that will help me get an idea about how people do this sort of thing, which is nothing of what I got in my Java class.  I am pretty much a planner.  I don't like to experiment until I know something so I am looking to know something before I start stumbling about in this endeavor.  All suggestions welcome except the suggestion to code it in C++.  I don't know that language.  Thanks.