Independent Reading Level: Grades 3-7
Awards: California Young Reader Medal (2022)

Summary
Bell is an 11 year old boy living on Mars. His American Settlement on Mars is the only world he has ever known. He really loves his life there with other people in the American Settlement and with his cat! He knows there are other settlements on Mars, but they do not socialize with one another.
One day there is an issue in the American settlement. Many of the adults are getting sick. What will Bell and the other children in the American Settlement do? Will they follow the rules about not contacting the other counties or will they find a way to help the adults before the supplies from Earth arrives?

Review
I really enjoyed this middle grade sci-fi book! It was a very realistic story in a very unrealistic world. I love a book that has the entire world transformed.
It is very student language friendly, but engaging. It was on the surface on topics of isolation and sickness and what to do in challenging situations. Many of my students who have been reading it really like it! ( )

Loved this science fiction book (even for young readers not into sci-fi). Strong characters, mystery and suspense, funny! ( )

I'm a big fan of JLH, but this was just okay for me. That may have had something to do with the audiobook narrator deploying a fake-sounding little kid voice. But I also think the plot was on the predictable side and I'm not a fan of drama built around misunderstandings that could have easily been cleared up if people had just talked to each other.

Nevertheless, this is super solid middle-grade fiction that I think most young readers will enjoy. I don't really see it as a Newbery contender, but you never know. ( )

reading level: grade 4-5