The Lion of Mars

The Lion of Mars by Jennifer L. Holm  259 pp.

This junior fiction book is by a very popular author of children's books. Bell is just your average 11 year old boy, except for the fact that he has spent most of his life in an underground colony on Mars. The colony is one of several built as part of an international effort involving multiple countries. Originally all the colonies worked together but an incident involving the death of a member of the U.S. delegation caused the head of the U.S, colony to cut them off from the others. Bell is one of several children in the colony, most of whom are teens. When a medical emergency sickens all the adults it is up to the kids to travel to the nearest colony for help. After that the kids learn how great it is to have other friends and experience other cultures. But once the adults are well, their director once again shuts them off from their new found friends. It is Bell who takes the lead in clearing up the misunderstanding that caused the rift. Much of the technology used in the book is based on actual science. The Lion of Mars is nominated for the 2023-2024 Mark Twain Award.