User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
Jennifer Holm has an uncanny way of delivering a science fiction novel that makes even a science-fiction-averse reader such as myself fall in love with it.
The Lion of Mars takes place on...Mars. Bell has grown up there and knows no other existence. A virus outbreak leaves it's children wondering why they have been isolated from other colonies and they are left to take action and save the adults and their future.
Reading a book like this during a pandemic makes the "science-fiction" all the more real. What stands out to me is the power of this book to become more than a "science-fiction" story, rather than an incredible book about family.
Rating: really liked it
E ARC provided by Netgalley
Review posted here:
https://msyinglingreads.blogspot.com/...
Rating: really liked it
Fast-paced and fun! Great for young readers.
Rating: really liked it
8/7/22 This was a fun reread. What would it be like to be one of the first kids to grow up on Mars? The adults may have memories of Earth, but the young people only know what it's like to be on Mars.
12/31/21 3⭐s for the first half, 5⭐s for the last half. What would it be like to grow up on a Mars space station? Find out in this story about Bell and friends that starts slow as we are introduced to the characters and their daily lives and picks up speed when the kids & teens find themselves taking care of daily tasks and survival on their own.
A story that celebrates the importance of other people, working working together for a common cause and cooperation, this could be a good class read-aloud. Or give it to those who are looking for stories that take place in outer space or other planets.
Rating: really liked it
No matter in which time period a book is set, a good story about kids having adventures, solving problems independently, and realizing that adults are human is always welcome.
The Lion of Mars takes place 70 years in the future, a time in which different countries have set up colonies on Mars. Something has taken place in the US that has resulted in the existence of a state called "New California," but there's no background on whether the colonies are for purely scientific exploration or because of problems on Earth. But whatever issue brought the colonists to Mars, it doesn't loom large in their lives.
We see life in the colony through the eyes of Bell, an 11-year-old boy. The personalities of and relationships between the children are familiar and comfortable. Kids will be able to see themselves in at least one of the characters. The relationships between the children and adults is less familiar, however, in that the children do not have a parental relationship with any particular adults. They follow the philosophy of "it takes a village," or in this case, "it takes a colony." In fact, I'm not sure if there is even a biological relationship between any of the adults and children.
Most of the story in
Life on Mars revolves around a crisis within the Earth colony. The kids have to use bravery, smarts, and a willingness to break the rules to solve the problem. Books in which kids are the heroes, acting autonomously to help adults and/or clean up messes created by adults, are usually quite popular with children. Especially if the adults are presented as whole and realistic characters (i.e., not one-dimensional dunderheads). The kids are also realistically drawn, with diverse personalities. There's even a goth girl (apparently that's still a thing in 2092!). Although the kids are presented in an overall rosy light, they aren't perfect, which keeps them interesting.
An interesting feature of the characterization is that the issue of race does not really arise. Bell describes himself as being in the middle of a range of skin tones. That's pretty much the only mention of race or ethnic heritage. I have to say I was suprised that the characters all appeared to be cisgender. There were no characters specifically described as binary or transgender. Also the romantic relationships were all heterosexual. And the characters pretty much remained within traditional gender roles. There is a female captain in one of the other colonies, but that's not so unusual these days; and she has a much softer personality than the male captain. I would have thought that 2092 would have more LGBTQ representation and more diversity in gender roles than 2021. I suspect that this may have more to do with the targeted age range (8-12 yrs) than the author's actual vision of the future.
The story ticks a lot of genre boxes. It takes place in the future, so we have science fiction. There are elements of conflict and adventure when the kids have to solve the problem, and there's some mystery surrounding the relationship of the US colony to the other colonies. The mystery and the story are tidily -- and rather quickly and easily -- wrapped up. Jennifer Holm is an always reliable and popular author, and
Lion of Mars does not disappoint.
Rating: really liked it
It’s March 5, 2091, and Bell shares his experience of being raised on Mars. Later in the story, we learn that any time a new adult made the journey to Mars, they were required to bring an orphan with them to live among the Americans. Bell was such an orphan, but he now has a Mars family. Holm’s description of their living conditions, as well as the relationships between the children and adults, made this unputdownable. From their food production to their daily jobs to their view of Earth (as place they had no memory of) — I was completely enamored by the complexities found in such a small book. And there were emotional scenes that made it quite obvious that no matter where we live, we’re still human. We still love. We still get scared. And we still yearn for approval.
“Bell,” Sai said, “Trey told me what happened on the train. It was very, very brave of you to walk through the tunnel by yourself to get help.”
But he was wrong. I hadn’t been brave.
“I almost gave up. I was scared the whole time,” I confessed.
His eyes met mine and he nodded.
“That’s what bravery feels like,” he said.
I really enjoyed The Fourteenth Goldfish series a couple years ago, so I suppose it should be no surprise that Holm grabbed me, yet again, with The Lion of Mars. Is this not part of a planned series? Please tell me this isn’t the end!
For more children's literature, middle grade literature, and YA literature reviews, feel free to visit my personal blog at The Miller Memo!
Rating: really liked it
In my high school creative writing class the teacher said the mark of a good science fiction story is that it is first a good story in a science fiction setting. This is that story. This is a story from the near future set on Mars. There is plenty of coping with life on Mars and what that would be like for science fiction fans, but the story, at its core, is a coming-of-age story. Bell, has spent his life on Mars and it is through his eyes that the story unfolds. He is curious, obedient, and in many ways an average human boy - he loves cookies and cats and worries about changing friendships. He succumbs to peer pressure. Yet, he is a boy who has never seen a river, ocean or tree. When a disaster occurs, he finds strength he didn't know he had, makes new friends and deals with grief. Well written, with well-developed, very human characters this is a heartwarming story that will be popular with science fiction lovers and non-lovers. I might add that this a great addition to the small, but mighty, elementary school aged science fiction collection.
Rating: really liked it
This was a bit slow for me. I liked the relationship of the older man and the protagonist and enjoyed some of the world building .The narrator sounds younger than 11 and the adult not finding out the truth about the accident didn’t make sense except to force the tension in the plot. I thought the girls were stereotypical. Science fiction can be hard for young readers and this is accessible. It’s not too complex.
Rating: really liked it
This may be my favorite Jennifer L. Holm book. Although the book takes place entirely on Mars, it feels believable and realistic. An author’s note details what aspects of the story are based on current Mars research.
Bell is curious, funny, and caring—a very likeable narrator.
As the youngest member of the US colony, 11 year old Bell is full of questions—about Earth (he loves animals, especially cats!), about the teenagers and their moodiness (especially his best friend Trey), and about the other Mars colonies.
Why can’t they have any contact with the other colonies? What is so dangerous out there?
When a mysterious illness breaks out among the adults, Bell and the other children are forced to take charge and make difficult decisions.
Great read—full of laughter, loss, mystery, and more.
Rating: really liked it
Experiencing life on Mars through the eyes of expressive 11 year-old-Bell, the youngest member of the U.S. colony who travels and relocates on Mars, shares convincing details about the planet, and how humans might survive in this environment. Throughout, Jennifer Holm convincingly describes life in their colony, the red fine dust on Mars' surface, types of robots, space vehicle travel, digi-slates, and lots of dishes created from algae grown in the algae farm on the ship, to name a few believable details. As the members of the colony, carefully selected for their ability to make this expedition a success reveal their personalities, the adventure becomes riviting. Although Bell is the youngest member of the team, his ability to react purposefully in times of stress, makes this story suspenseful, and full of heart. I would classify this thrilling space adventure as a realistic fiction/science fiction tale, because the characters are so convincingly depicted. Definitely a masterpiece I couldn't put down, after the most recent Mars Rover expedition, this timely tale will absolutely captivate its readers.
Rating: really liked it
What an incredible read! 🌟 🚀
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@jenniferlholm is one of my favorite authors and this new MG did nothing disappoint! The characters are wonderful and multifaceted and the science fiction concept of living on Mars is realistic (with an explanation at the end of how it could work). I actually got fairly worried in the middle, too! Overall, this is a super fun book for grades 3-7.
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Bell has a fairly normal life...except that he lives on Mars. When all the adults get deathly ill, Bell and the other kids have to contact one of the other foreign settlements for help, which is against the rules.
Rating: really liked it
Awesome!! I read this is one sitting so you know it kept my attention!
Highlights of this book is that it’s easy to read, takes place on Mars so you get sci-fi, strong main character, and a really interesting premise of multiple country civilizations on the planet. This had everything from survival, dust storms, growing crops on other planets, missing rover missions, international drama, and a space cat!!
The only major downfall was the plot kind of jumped around. Sometimes it’s survival, sometimes adventure, sometimes character drama, international struggles, etc…. It hopped around A LOT which I didn’t struggle with but could see a MG reader either find extra engaging, or hard to follow.
I highly recommend this to any 3rd grade + reader!! Super super fun and interesting read.
Rating: really liked it
The Lion of Mars was all kinds of cute. I'm honestly not sure why I rarely dive into middle grade books because they are seriously entertaining. Now this one is set in 2091 and people now live on mars. Of course, there's always talk about us eventually living on another planet. So, it was definitely fun to jump into this little space adventure.
Bell is all kinds of adorable. I loved his mixed match family and his cat Leo. Even though I'm more of a dog fan I did find it interesting how long the cats survived on a different planet. Although, the copious amounts of algae they all eat would probably upset my stomach in some weird way.
Besides liking the characters, there's a little mystery to solve. The one thing in question is why the no one interacts with other countries on this planet. It honestly seemed odd to me because one would think that they were working to make things better on Mars. Ya know?
In the end, it was a little obvious that there was miscommunication and that's what ultimately solved everyone's problems on this little planet. Definitely enjoyed the heck out of it and will have to jump into another one of Jennifer's books soon!
Rating: really liked it
I am giving this book 4 stars because that is what 3 classes of 6th graders said. I was hopeful for more action, but they really like this coming of age story set in Mars. I liked how Jennifer Holm explored the idea about how kids would live on Mars. I really liked her idea of people carrying orphans to Mars and raising them as a community.
As a teacher there are a few things to take into consideration. At one point in the book there is an illness. Things were very similar to COVID. My students had a strong reaction to this portion of the book and we had to talk about it. Then the children had to make a tough decision about euthanizing a pet. That was another tough conversation. The children in the story also have to deal with death of loved ones. It was just a lot to process for my students. With all that being said, it was a valuable read. I thought for sure they would not like the book. It wasn't action packed or anything. When we did our final thoughts, they loved the book. I would definitely keep is for a more mature middle grade reader.
Rating: really liked it
"Something doesn't need to be big to have an impact," he said, and smiled. "Kind of like you."
🧑🚀
Bell has spent most of his life in a U.S. settlement on Mars and has no desire to leave, but when a dangerous virus attacks the adults in their settlement, it’s up to the kids to go for help. What they find beyond their home shocks them and has them wondering about the truth of an incident that occurred years before. Will they be able to survive on the Red Planet?
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This MG scifi book is IT y’all! I feel like I’ve read a lot of science fiction books over the years with the Bluebonnet books, but this is definitely my favorite. Holm is such an amazing writer and this novel is just more proof. The Lion of Mars is not just sci-fi, it’s adventure and mystery too. Middle grade readers will love it. Great choice Bluebonnet committee!
CW: death, illness
