Polly is part of the thriving Colony One on Mars. She dreams
of piloting a starship one day and has her internships lined up. But her mother
abruptly informs Polly and her twin brother Charles they are being sent to Earth
for their education.
To Earth? Earth is old, grubby, and stifling.
Shaken, Polly wants to stay on Mars and get back into her cancelled
internships. But their mother dangles in front of her the prospect of getting
into a piloting program upon graduation from the Earth academy. Besides, they
have no choice. They leave in two weeks.
Carrie Vaughn’s Martians
Abroad is an impressive story. Polly is not a whiny brat, neither is she a
superwoman, but she is smart and bold as she gets thrown into one challenge
after another. Look at the excellent cover above. Mars’ gravity is only one
third of ours, so Polly grew up tall and thin. Notice how slender her torso and
limbs are. As she approaches Earth, she knows she’ll have difficulty moving
around in a gravity three times what she’s used to.
Her brother Charles is a genius—not just in theoretical
matters, but in detecting plots against them. Yes, there are plots. Not just
physical difficulty, not just some semi-bullying by elite Earth students, but some
actual hostility—a rockslide here, a kidnapping there. What is going on?
Martians Abroad is
an enjoyable read for teens on up. For more on the author Carrie Vaughn, click here.
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