We only heard about Jennifer L. Holm’s new book The Lion of Mars a couple of weeks ago when we were researching new books coming out in 2021. We had listened to The Fourteenth Goldfish, another middle grade science fiction story by Jennifer L. Holm, on a road trip earlier in 2020. That book was a lot of fun, and The Lion of Mars sounded super cute. So when it was released on January 5, 2021, we nabbed it.

As an interesting parallel to our current times, the book features the outbreak of a virus on Mars that affects all of the adults, but none of the children. While I was reading the book, I also happened to come down with the dreaded COVID-19. I had only mild symptoms, fortunately, but I did have a lot of time on my hands, and I was in isolation in the back room of our home so that nobody else would get sick. What better to do when you’re sick and have been banished to your bedroom than read about space-illnesses, am I right?

A note from the author at the back of the book explains that she wrote the story long before COVID-19 was ever dreamt of. But the virus did break out while the book was in the last stages of production, which makes the book oddly prescient.

I found the book extremely soothing, to be perfectly honest. It’s ultimately a heartwarming, encouraging tale that helps to put things in perspective. That’s why we’re recommending it to your family on the blog this week: in the hopes that your family can read it together and enjoy something both relevant and uplifting.

Setting the Record Straight

I do feel I must set something straight here, as I was inadvertently misled while reading The Lion of Mars (though it’s entirely my own fault). Here is the jacket description:

Besides spending his whole life on Mars, Bell is just like any other kid. He loves cats, eats all kinds of cake, and is curious about everything. Like, why do teenagers act so weird? And why did his best friend, Trey, suddenly want to switch rooms? But most of all, Bell wonders about the secrets the adults keep. Why doesn’t the US colony have contact with anyone in the other Mars settlements? Is it really so dangerous out there? And why are they always so alone?

When a virus breaks out and the grown-ups get sick, Bell and the other kids are oddly immune. And soon it’s up to Bell to find his courage, uncover the truth, and face the terrifying unknown to save his family.

I think I had been reading too many adult sci-fi novels, where a description like that means a race against the clock, probably a bunch of aliens, some intense fighting sequences between the colonies, and some closets with a lot of skeletons in them.

But this is a middle grade book. It is not the intense, starship-battle-style sci-fi book I think I imagined when I read that description. Indeed, the description is very accurate. I just read the first half of the book wondering when the intense action bits were going to start. When I finally realized that they weren’t coming, I readjusted my expectations, and I was able to fully enjoy the book.

And the story really was enjoyable when I knew what to expect. Where I was picturing the Mars settlements of the future that other science fiction writers have given, Holm’s Mars settlement is small. There are several settlements with maybe a dozen people, one from each of five or six countries. They are starter settlements, so there are no sprawling metropolises on the surface of Mars. 

And the US settlement (where Bell lives) has no contact with the others. That means that their isolation is even more pronounced because of the connections that they could have, but don’t.

I really liked the decision to have budding yet undeveloped settlements. Holm chose to focus her narrative on a unique part of the settlement process. This isn’t a story about getting to Mars, but nor is it a story about a fully developed Martian society. It’s about a group of budding Mars inhabitants, most of whom are not adults. It means that the stakes don’t have to be astronomical (pun definitely intended) in order to be interesting. I haven’t read that many stories about new colonies as they’re still growing, so it was a fun, unique story for me at least.

Part of the Pride

Ultimately, The Lion of Mars is about courage and community. It’s about growing up and growing together. It’s about healing withered relationships and cultivating new ones. Obviously, I won’t say too much about what actually happens in the book (because (1) spoilers, and (2) it’s much more enjoyable to see things unfold for yourself). But I think the emphasis on relationships and community is what makes the book so uplifting.

I think the relationship I enjoyed reading about the most was probably between Bell and Phinneus, the aged gardener who helps grow the settlement’s supply of algae and other important vegetation. Phinneus was about as close to a grandfather as Bell could have in the settlement, and their interactions are charming and funny. Watching Bell and Phinneus interact reminded me of gardening and talking with my own grandfathers (though, we admittedly didn’t garden on Mars. That would have been pretty cool.)

But all of the relationships in the small US settlement are fun to read about. And they all feel organic, which is nice. In some stories, I feel like relationships are there to help drive plot along. People exist to be used as devices to propel the story. 

Not so in The Lion of Mars. Rather than feeling like a contrived sequence of events, the story’s plot progressed very naturally. It was almost like I, as the reader, was just watching a security tape of the colony during a given time period that happened to be particularly eventful, if that makes sense. Things didn’t happen for seemingly no reason. Characters interacted with each other in normal ways, and they went about their regular life in a Martian settlement. 

I think I enjoyed this laid-back approach more than I would have enjoyed a story with more direct action. It left me time to think about what it might actually be like in a Martian settlement. I got to see life unfolding rather than be told what it would look like. I like that in a story.

Holm also injects oodles of humor into the book. I cracked up even on just the first page and turned to Michela to say, “I think we’re going to like this one.” And I did! The humor was laced throughout even more intense or emotional sequences. But the book handled the laughs in a way that didn’t detract from those bigger moments. I felt it was a welcome addition at any time.

The only thing I wish Holm had done is explain why the kids are on Mars. She does detail how they got there, which is helpful. But they aren’t related at all, and presumably these kids have parents back on earth. I kept wondering why their parents sent them to Mars while it’s still being settled, why kids are part of the first settlers if they don’t have to come with their parents, and whether maybe these kids were all orphans on earth and that’s how they got chosen to come? Maybe Holm mentioned it somewhere and I just missed it, but I was a little curious on these points. 

These minor questions did not ruin the experience for me, however. I found The Lion of Mars to be a relaxing, funny, and uplifting experience. 

Who to Read With

The Lion of Mars is a middle grade book, so it is written for kids roughly 8–12 years old. But honestly, I’d be comfortable reading it with even younger kids if they want to join in. In fact (before I tested positive for COVID), I read it aloud with Geekling. He just played with his blocks on the couch next to me. And if I ever stopped reading, he would look up, tap the book with his hand and say, “Finish! Finish!” So, I guess he must have enjoyed it at least a little bit.

I felt comfortable reading it aloud because there wasn’t any content that I was concerned about. No swears, no violence, and the main character is young enough that he’s still grossed out when the married adults kiss each other. It was a good, wholesome read from start to finish, and we wholeheartedly recommend it to your family.

If you would like a copy, it’s available on Amazon or over at Bookshop.org. If you buy from Bookshop, your purchase will help support local bookstores that are struggling during the pandemic, at no extra cost to you. So that’s a nice perk!

Let us know what your family is reading together in the comments, and be sure to subscribe to our email list so you never miss an update from the blog!