The Lion of Mars
- Downloads：1549
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-06-03 01:21:50
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Jennifer L. Holm
- ISBN：0593121848
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Andrew Eder
，
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， someti 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。 。。。more
Christine
，
This is one of those rare kid books that I've read and reviewed。 In this case， it isn't because it is superb but rather， it is one of those books that reminds me how complex adult books are。 This is a welcomed Sci-Fi chapter book for upper elementary。 Various countries worked together to create settlements on Mars that are representative of the countries and sadly， previous events caused a rift between the settlements that mirror the tensions found on Earth。 Yet a young child named Bell is the c This is one of those rare kid books that I've read and reviewed。 In this case， it isn't because it is superb but rather， it is one of those books that reminds me how complex adult books are。 This is a welcomed Sci-Fi chapter book for upper elementary。 Various countries worked together to create settlements on Mars that are representative of the countries and sadly， previous events caused a rift between the settlements that mirror the tensions found on Earth。 Yet a young child named Bell is the catalyst to events that brings together the various settlements and all ends well。 Good story line， decent characters， and a complexity that is just right for the target age group。 Yet for me， this book made me thankful for all the great adult level books that I have read。 。。。more
Katie
，
It's hard to go wrong with a good Mars settlement story， and I've never read one told from the point of view of a kid。 The writing was very accessible， the story was both interesting and fun， and enough bad things happen to keep kids turning pages。 I think my students are going to really enjoy this book！ It's hard to go wrong with a good Mars settlement story， and I've never read one told from the point of view of a kid。 The writing was very accessible， the story was both interesting and fun， and enough bad things happen to keep kids turning pages。 I think my students are going to really enjoy this book！ 。。。more
Kitty Young
，
I didn't love it。 The middle/end picked up which is why I gave it 3 stars， but slogging through the first half was tedious。 There was so little "life" in the settlement that I was angry that the poor children were sentenced to this existence。 I mean， when parents confine their kids to their homes and don't let them out we consider that criminal， but it is fine to do that to orphans？ Just send them to Mars？ If the settlement had been larger， more populated， and self-sustaining then the overarchin I didn't love it。 The middle/end picked up which is why I gave it 3 stars， but slogging through the first half was tedious。 There was so little "life" in the settlement that I was angry that the poor children were sentenced to this existence。 I mean， when parents confine their kids to their homes and don't let them out we consider that criminal， but it is fine to do that to orphans？ Just send them to Mars？ If the settlement had been larger， more populated， and self-sustaining then the overarching anti-isolationist message could have been more nuanced and meaningful。 。。。more
Ellon
，
This was a cute story。 Bell does seem a little young in this book but maybe that will be appealing to the age group。 I love that he loves cats so much （a fellow cat lover here）。 It takes a bit of time for Holm to world build， which isn't the most exciting but it's also not terrible。 I was a little annoyed that the virus that is mentioned in the summary doesn't show up until past the halfway mark。 I almost began to think I was reading the wrong book。 It's weird how eerily similar the virus is to This was a cute story。 Bell does seem a little young in this book but maybe that will be appealing to the age group。 I love that he loves cats so much （a fellow cat lover here）。 It takes a bit of time for Holm to world build， which isn't the most exciting but it's also not terrible。 I was a little annoyed that the virus that is mentioned in the summary doesn't show up until past the halfway mark。 I almost began to think I was reading the wrong book。 It's weird how eerily similar the virus is to COVID， despite being written before。 I liked how the kids had to problem solve and how it was shown that adults can make mistakes。 Overall a pretty decent middle grade science fiction story。 。。。more
Jgramley
，
A sci-fi book set on Mars。 Bell is the main character who live in an American colony。 It is through his eyes we see how lonely life can be when we isolate ourselves from others due misunderstandings and more。
Riley
，
SSYRA 2022 #1Oh my god。 The first of my batch of this year's Sunshine States。 This was a freaking delight。 I love all of the characters， and I'm equal parts fascinated and terrified of the life they're living。 I know that space living is a thing that I may or may not see in my lifetime， but Holm does an awesome job at fleshing out what that life might be like。 As the sickness progresses， it feels very relevant to the pandemic we lived through （both the sickness aspect and also the weird fear of SSYRA 2022 #1Oh my god。 The first of my batch of this year's Sunshine States。 This was a freaking delight。 I love all of the characters， and I'm equal parts fascinated and terrified of the life they're living。 I know that space living is a thing that I may or may not see in my lifetime， but Holm does an awesome job at fleshing out what that life might be like。 As the sickness progresses， it feels very relevant to the pandemic we lived through （both the sickness aspect and also the weird fear of who do we listen to， who should we trust， who actually has our best interest at heart）。 I'm always fascinated with MG novels where the main characters must step up and take on the adult roles or make drastic， life changing decisions， because I genuinely don't think I could be that person。 I'm eternally grateful I was never placed in that situation。 。。。more
Anne
，
Bell lives on Mars。 His day is filled with lessons and chores and is governed by the rules， such as: never go outside without a buddy， don't take the Rover without permission， don't engage with the other nations who also have settlements on Mars， etc。 Things are pretty routine - until the day that all the adults in the compound mysteriously get sick and it is up to Bell to save them all。This was a very engaging story。 The similarities to Covid were a little creepy but the authors note makes it c Bell lives on Mars。 His day is filled with lessons and chores and is governed by the rules， such as: never go outside without a buddy， don't take the Rover without permission， don't engage with the other nations who also have settlements on Mars， etc。 Things are pretty routine - until the day that all the adults in the compound mysteriously get sick and it is up to Bell to save them all。This was a very engaging story。 The similarities to Covid were a little creepy but the authors note makes it clear that was not her intention。 Highly recommend for grades 5-8， although some readers may want to wait until we get through the pandemic before picking it up even though the illness is not the main focus of the story。 。。。more
Mariposa Aristeo
，
A sweet sci-fi story without the weirdness and action of typical sci-fi， but lots of humor and heart。
Kimberly Reads
，
I need to contact the publisher。 Almost a quarter of the book has a completely different book printed in by， obviously， mistake。 This was the title I chose for my students for my Book of the Month initiative lesson。 I can’t lend it out knowing that a good chunk of it is missing with an unrelated fantasy novel spliced in。Of what I did read， this was a fairly standard intermediate reader sci-fi story。 I hate when a writer will parse down a story as if a tween is incapable of the attention span nec I need to contact the publisher。 Almost a quarter of the book has a completely different book printed in by， obviously， mistake。 This was the title I chose for my students for my Book of the Month initiative lesson。 I can’t lend it out knowing that a good chunk of it is missing with an unrelated fantasy novel spliced in。Of what I did read， this was a fairly standard intermediate reader sci-fi story。 I hate when a writer will parse down a story as if a tween is incapable of the attention span necessary for more gradual and descriptive character development。 If this were YA or adult， with the actual conflict introduced much sooner and explored further， it would be a great story。 For my reluctant readers， this is a good start for them， though。 I just need a complete copy and not a bad print！ My more experienced readers， however， might get a little bored。 By the time the actual conflict hits， the print mistake eats up most of its development。 I read the rest anyway， which picks up when the protagonist goes to find help。 Some of the reactions seemed a bit unrealistic considering the American colonists completely isolated themselves years prior。 Then， with literally only a few pages left in the book， a few words are exchanged and suddenly things are ok。 No resolution as to how to reconcile with the American government forbidding contact。 Not even a mention of how they chose to separate themselves with the conflicts on Earth to embrace their new identities on Mars。One of my students immediately picked up on Bell’s lack of identifying parents。 Eventually， it’s explained that the children on Mars were ferried there as orphaned infants with unrelated new colonists， then fostered/adopted in to a settlement regardless of sovereignty。 Bell sees all the adults as his family， without singling any out as a singular parent。 Two， an elderly man and the older female doctor， were more parental figures than the others for Bell in particular。 Nonetheless， he never questions or identifies anyone as a father and mother figure。 He simply embraces the communal nature and loves each adult for their role in their tiny community。 My students would probably struggle with this。 I think identity would play a bigger role in such a situation， and I know my gifted crew would pick up on that。It’s unfair for me to truly judge the book’s shallow approaches and plot holes （the whole issue with Trey is never explained） since so much of the book is literally missing in print。 I do want a fixed copy because I know there are some of my students who would still enjoy it。 。。。more
Karen
，
We all thought this was a great story。 Prefect for elementary kids 。
Beth Anne
，
This ended up being disappointing for me and I would have abandoned it except that I’m buddy reading with my son for his language arts class。 I powered through to finish it， but his impression for the first half mirrored mine: kind of slow and meh。 I’m curious to see what he thinks about the second half， but for me it was just cheesy and contrived where it could have been really engaging。
Jordan Henrichs
，
Jenni Holm is great and I enjoy her recent interest in middle grade science fiction （this as well as The Fourteenth Goldfish and The Third Mushroom） as it is an area that is relatively unexplored by authors。 This was well done and held some nice surprises。
Kristen
，
The great thing about The Lion of Mars is that even with all its sci-fi elements （a small settlement on Mars where algae is the main food ingredient and dust storms are the main threat）， the story doesn't FEEL sci-fi。。。so it's going to appeal to a lot of readers。Because even though Bell lives on Mars， he experiences a lot of things other 11-year-olds deal with: grief following the loss of a loved one， evolving friendships and feeling left out， breaking the rules and dealing with consequences， et The great thing about The Lion of Mars is that even with all its sci-fi elements （a small settlement on Mars where algae is the main food ingredient and dust storms are the main threat）， the story doesn't FEEL sci-fi。。。so it's going to appeal to a lot of readers。Because even though Bell lives on Mars， he experiences a lot of things other 11-year-olds deal with: grief following the loss of a loved one， evolving friendships and feeling left out， breaking the rules and dealing with consequences， etc。 Of course， there are lots of things Bell experiences on Mars that no other kid could imagine， but his likable personality and Holm's ability to give her characters depth in a relatively short read made me immediately invest in Bell （and read the book in one day）。 。。。more
Jessica Gibney
，
This middle-grades science-fiction novel takes place on a newly colonized Mars with small， isolated settlements。 Holm gives age-appropriate explanations for how such a settlement could exist， and uses plot events to vividly illustrate some of the challenges that space colonization presents。 She also hints at some real， scary outcomes that space pioneers might face。 This novel stays firmly in the children's literature/happy ending camp， but students might feel compelled to discuss some alternate， This middle-grades science-fiction novel takes place on a newly colonized Mars with small， isolated settlements。 Holm gives age-appropriate explanations for how such a settlement could exist， and uses plot events to vividly illustrate some of the challenges that space colonization presents。 She also hints at some real， scary outcomes that space pioneers might face。 This novel stays firmly in the children's literature/happy ending camp， but students might feel compelled to discuss some alternate， horrible outcomes。 And students might want to talk about how much adult responsibility the children are given。 These young pioneers have real agency and autonomy--is that something students reading would also want for themselves？ This would be a great book to read alongside a science unit in which students are tasked with constructing a space colony。 。。。more
Beth Honeycutt
，
A great middle grade book！
Paulus
，
Good concept， somehow too obvious reactions and plot twists to my taste。
Velvet Rose
，
A warm hug。 So so good！！
Kim
，
Sweet story that will appeal to all kids。 Bell is another great character from Holm's imagination。 This book will appeal to all kids。 It's got interpersonal drama as well as "sciencey" stuff that comes with living on Mars。 Sweet story that will appeal to all kids。 Bell is another great character from Holm's imagination。 This book will appeal to all kids。 It's got interpersonal drama as well as "sciencey" stuff that comes with living on Mars。 。。。more
Linda Spillman Bruns
，
It was a cute， easy read about a small group of Americans， including several kids， living in a colony on Mars。 AR 4。0; 6 pts
Stephen Bernau
，
Important for kids to see the vitality of working with others。 We’re stronger together than against each other。
Arminzerella
，
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Bell lives in a small compound on Mars along with a group of other Americans – scientists， researchers， etc。 – who all contribute to their community to keep things running， growing， working。 He and some of the older kids are curious about the other settlements on Mars （France， Germany， etc。）， but their interest is firmly rebuffed by their Commander who insists that they isolate themselves。 There are a couple of reasons for this – 1。） American relations with other countries back on Earth are not Bell lives in a small compound on Mars along with a group of other Americans – scientists， researchers， etc。 – who all contribute to their community to keep things running， growing， working。 He and some of the older kids are curious about the other settlements on Mars （France， Germany， etc。）， but their interest is firmly rebuffed by their Commander who insists that they isolate themselves。 There are a couple of reasons for this – 1。） American relations with other countries back on Earth are not good， and 2。） something bad happened to one of the American settlers during a joint expedition years ago， after which the Americans cut themselves off from everyone。 The kids are all being trained to assist with/take over the adults’ responsibilities， and their knowledge and skills are severely tested when all of the American adults become sick at the same time due to some mysterious illness。 Medicine from Earth is too far away and will take too long to reach them， so Bell and Trey use the underground train tunnels to visit the nearest settlement to get help。 That’s when they learn just what they’ve been missing out on all this time – new friends and mentors， new food and cultural experiences， parties！ After a few weeks， the adults are all expected to make a full recovery and the kids are relieved， but what happens now？ Do they have to go back to the way things were before？ This is a fantastic inquiry into what it might take to successfully colonize Mars and the sorts of problems and issues settlers might face – scientific， political， and otherwise。 This is a kid-friendly science fiction/survival story that has a lot of heart and will charm younger readers much as “The Martian，” by Andy Weir did for adults。 。。。more
Tiffany
，
2023 Children's SequoyahFun Sci Fi read that I think my students will enjoy。 2023 Children's SequoyahFun Sci Fi read that I think my students will enjoy。 。。。more
Randi Penner
，
Gah- right in the feels。 Now， I’m not usually a sci-fi reader， so honestly it took me a hot minute to get into it， but once I did I couldn’t put it down。 Did I want to chunk it across the room a time or two because it hurt my feeling， absolutely， but wow。 It was such a relevant message。 In a time where everyone has kept to themself， this story demonstrates the importance and necessity of community。 I wrote a page of notes of things I want to incorporate in my classroom when we read it， because w Gah- right in the feels。 Now， I’m not usually a sci-fi reader， so honestly it took me a hot minute to get into it， but once I did I couldn’t put it down。 Did I want to chunk it across the room a time or two because it hurt my feeling， absolutely， but wow。 It was such a relevant message。 In a time where everyone has kept to themself， this story demonstrates the importance and necessity of community。 I wrote a page of notes of things I want to incorporate in my classroom when we read it， because we will absolutely have to read it。What I didn’t like: I felt like the ending was a bit rushed and I would have liked to marinate in that moment for a touch longer。 。。。more
Erin Nugent
，
My boys loved this book。 It's our first book about living on a different planet and how not living on earth makes it harder to understand everyday objects。 My boys loved this book。 It's our first book about living on a different planet and how not living on earth makes it harder to understand everyday objects。 。。。more
Bethe
，
Dire consequences force the kids at the American Mars colony to break the rules and seek help from the other countries on the planet。 Lots of little twists， fun times， new friendships， old misunderstandings cleared up。 Leave it to the kids to figure it out to bring the pride back together again。 Great sci fi for the MG crowd。
Sharon Craft Viall
，
different nations have sent people to Mars and once they get there they can not come back to Earth。 They are wondering why they can not the U。S。 does not go to other colonies。 The story is centered around Bell and how things are done on Mars。
Danielle Hammelef
，
This was a fun book to read that made me feel as if I were living on Mars。 Bell made an authentic middle grade point of view character and I enjoyed his love of cats too。 It was surprising for me to learn what the Lion of Mars was and the mystery of why the American settlement stopped interacting with other settlements。
Elizabeth
，
This has some cute moments， but I found parts of it confusing。 The ending was also a little too neatly wrapped up for my tastes。 Good middle grade fiction。
Marina
，