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hayleybeale's review against another edition
4.0
Terrific tween science fiction, hilariously narrated with British self-deprecation by 12-year-old Eleanor - one of 300 kids evacuated to Mars when Earth's war with the Morrors doesn't go so well. See my full review here.
tani's review against another edition
5.0
The tone made this book incredibly easy to read, but the characters were what made it great. I loved all the main characters, and tagging along on their adventure was incredibly fun. By the end, I was laughing with delight every few pages. Highly recommended.
nenya_kanadka's review against another edition
5.0
My wife kept telling me how amazing this book was, and she's not wrong.
aylea's review against another edition
4.0
When the war with the aliens continues to go badly, Alice Dare is sent to Mars to train for the army with a few hundred other children. One day all of the adults disappear, leaving the children unsupervised and forming groups fighting for control of the resources left to them. Alice and her friends leave their base on Mars to find answers to what happened to the adults. Their space ship is destroyed by mysterious creatures called space locusts that no one has seen before. When they discover one of the aliens attacking earth and take him captive, they learn that those creatures are why the other aliens have been attacking earth. The kids and their captive use their ingenuity to survive the unpleasant atmosphere of Mars and tell the grown-ups of both species about the space locusts in time to join forces and save the solar system from being eaten.
Both funny and scary, this book will entertain readers looking for younger science fiction. Although the science isn’t all accurate or believable, it has a science fiction feel. At times it feels like Ender’s Game mixed with Lord of the Flies, but there are also a lot of funny moments and the goldfish shaped robot helps ease the tension even in the most stressful moments of the book. It has more swearing than most books this age as the characters are trying to survive on an inhospitable area. The voice of the main character could be fun and cute, but sometimes information is glossed over or not given in detail and the voice seems to be a way to avoid thinking about things too complexly. The characters' role as misfits that manage to get along well when they have a similar goal is one of the strongest points of the book. In spite of its weaknesses, the humor and strength of the characters will make this book fun for a wide variety of readers.
Both funny and scary, this book will entertain readers looking for younger science fiction. Although the science isn’t all accurate or believable, it has a science fiction feel. At times it feels like Ender’s Game mixed with Lord of the Flies, but there are also a lot of funny moments and the goldfish shaped robot helps ease the tension even in the most stressful moments of the book. It has more swearing than most books this age as the characters are trying to survive on an inhospitable area. The voice of the main character could be fun and cute, but sometimes information is glossed over or not given in detail and the voice seems to be a way to avoid thinking about things too complexly. The characters' role as misfits that manage to get along well when they have a similar goal is one of the strongest points of the book. In spite of its weaknesses, the humor and strength of the characters will make this book fun for a wide variety of readers.
alysha_reads_mi's review against another edition
1.0
The ending was ok but overall I found the book boring and dragging on. I would have loved to stop reading it after the first few chapter but I had to finish it for a class.
yellowdjo's review against another edition
4.0
This is a good book about what it would be like living on mars and having a war with Aliens. This is for middle school aged, but I will have it in my classroom if one of my students has a higher reading level.
storytimed's review against another edition
4.0
Just a classic, fun kids' adventure book. I liked the squad with their different abilities, I liked the aliens, I liked the unexpected darkness of everything getting a bit Lord of the Flies. Stakes felt real but book remained entertaining all the way through.