Space kids: Mars mission by Aleesah Darlison. Illus. by Nancy Bevington

This Sci-fi adventure for kids is set into the future when space investigation has reached another level – trying to find ways to populate and survive well in space. In the year 2088, Nash joins his father on Misty Space Station, but their stay is interrupted by a distress call from the colony of researchers on Mars who are facing extreme difficulties. 11-year-old Nash, plus the other two space kids, KC and Raj, join the small team that includes Nash’s father, all who will assist the Mars colonists, utilising advanced technology to enable transportation. The mission to assist does not go completely smoothly and lives are at risk in the hostile Martian environment.

This Sci-Fi space survival story for kids is exciting and literally ‘out-of-this-world’! Its science is simple for younger readers, but it does address some of the issues of space travel into the future. It also incorporates kid-focused drama in the complications of friendship, issues that are exacerbated by life in space while still being connected to normal life on earth. The children are also remarkably independent and resourceful. Comments are made about the wisdom of establishing a sustainable future for earth, especially in the light of the enormous difficulties of life on Mars. This is a relatively easy-to-read chapter book that could appeal to younger advanced readers with an interest in science, or for older readers up to the age of 12 that might not want to wade through dense text. Darlison is not ponderous about describing difficulties of life in space, and the survival threats and tension in the story are dealt with in a relatively swift manner that avoids alarming younger readers. The cover perhaps is a bit too cartoon-like to imply an older readership, but as the child characters are pre-teens, this would seem to be the target audience.

Themes: Space travel, Sci-fi, Futuristic fiction, Mars, Friendship, Sustainability.

Carolyn Hull