I read the original edition of this book, published in 1997, which predates the Pathfinder/Sojourner landing by a couple of years. This means that its most up-to-date close-range information is from the Viking lander in the 70s and from the then recently discovered Martian meteorite, ALH 84001, or rather, found in 84, but discovered to be of Martian origin only in 95 or thereabouts.

It's a fun little book. The front cover makes it look like it must be large format, but it has roughly the same area, although not quite the same aspect ratio, as your average hardback novel. Suitable for older children or young adults, the 74 page book is divided into about 10 chapters. It is well bound, with glossy paper, and illustrated by original black-and-white photographs as well as soft black-and-white artists renditions by Peter McCarty. The narrative is partly in the second person, addressed to an imagined Martian astronaut, and partly in the third person. The sentences are short and use simple words; they employ effective metaphors for their discussions of the atmosphere on Mars and the dangers of space travel. Much better than many of its kind.

Interesting words and phrases: Hohmann transfer, launch window (generally known), entry-mass spectrometer (unknown), galactic rays (cosmic rays from outside the solar system), solar flares. ( )

Genre: Nonfiction - Informational
Reading Level: Intermediate

Summary: You are assigned to go on a special mission for a few years. You will be gone from your family and friends but you will be doing what no other person has done before… Prepare to go to Mars.

Evaluation: Life on Mars was a neat book to read. It was filled with so many facts and information about the Red Planet, but also made it feel like you were in the space shuttle throughout the story. It starts out, “Your commander turns down the lights in the cabin to cut the glare.” The imagery David Getz uses during the book is amazing. Every sentence he writes paints a picture in your head. That is one of the best parts about this short chapter book. In order to keep children intrigued, they need that element that will grab their attention from the first sentence and keep them entranced until the end. This story does just that. There are also photographs taken by NASA included on a few pages that add that extra curiosity to keep reading.

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