The Lion of Mars

Excellent middle grades read. Engaging from the get go with a well rounded cast of characters that develop fairly well. The plot moves briskly and there were twists I didn't expect. First book I've read by Jennifer Holm but I'll definitely be reading more.

Also, there's a cat!

My Middle-Grade March continues. I'm about to throw down an unpopular review but this book did very little for me. It's my fault, I think I was expecting a Lost in Space/ The Martian type dealio in which we would learn some science about life on Mars. Instead, I got a coming of age story about getting along with your neighbors- which is fine, just unexpected. One of my favorite books, when I was a kid, was [b:This Place Has No Atmosphere 1788950 This Place Has No Atmosphere Paula Danziger https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1583495350l/1788950.SY75.jpg 1787885]. I know how luring the idea of living in a colony can be. I got a little frustrated with how long this took to get going, the virus attack doesn't even happen until more than halfway through the story. The girl characters were a little over the top with their obsession with fashion and makeup. In fact, none of the characters are deeply developed. I could barely tell the adults apart. I loved the idea of sending orphans to Mars, until I really thought about it and it makes the kids seem like science experiments. I don't understand why they would not send more cats. I think stuff was going on back on Earth and none of it is really explained, it may have to do with the fact that our narrator is so young. It was also driving me crazy that the title wasn't explained until almost the very end. In the end, it's not the worst story, but it's not great either.

A good read, interesting characters and interesting plot. Almost like a slice of life on...Mars.