THE MARS 7

This SF novel sees seven Earth high school students journey to Mars to stay with host families.

Sixteen-year-old twins Aaron and Alta Scott are studying at Terra/Mars Bilingual High in Arizona and will be numbered among the Mars 7—a group of classmates selected for the first ever foreign exchange stay on the Red Planet. Besides Alta and Aaron, there are five teenagers from Russia, Saudi Arabia, Kenya, India, and Japan. All are fluent in Martian and will be paired with Martian teens. It is hoped that by living with the host families, they will forge bonds and further strengthen relations between Earth and Mars. Yet the situation on Mars is more volatile than the Earth teens have been led to believe. Among the Martians, there are minority conservative groups that vehemently oppose humans coming to their planet. On the human side, there are mining consortiums that would put profit ahead of both cultures’ terraforming ambitions. The teens’ foreign exchange goes well. The earthlings quickly become friends with their Martian companions. But someone is out to sabotage the Mars 7 mission. Can Alta and Aaron use their secret twin telepathy to avoid disaster and unmask the culprits? George, a mystery writer, constructs a straightforward, omniscient narrative in the past tense aimed at middle-grade and YA readers. For the most part, the tale focuses on events from either Alta’s or Aaron’s perspective. Both twins are likable, offering a good-natured sibling relationship and few foibles (beyond the usual tendency of teen protagonists to take matters into their own hands). The cultural diversity of the Mars 7 is presented in broad but agreeable strokes, with the teens’ spirit of togetherness foreshadowing a similar, more exotic dynamic with their Martian counterparts. The sabotage plot bobs nicely alongside Aaron and Alta’s explorations. The Mars 7’s youthful buoyancy comes to the fore throughout and rubs off on the adult characters. The dialogue is upbeat and offers plenty of fun moments, especially by way of the Russian-English malapropisms of Mars 7’s Boris Liefkovich. As events accelerate and Alta, Aaron, and their classmates embrace the near future, so too will young readers take to heart this story of friendship and acceptance.

A fast-moving SF adventure showcasing the zest and optimism of youth.