You Are the First Kid on Mars

May 11, 2009
O'Brien (Captain Raptor and the Moon Mystery
) takes an inventive leap into the future, bringing readers on a journey to Mars. Made captivatingly real by stunning, photographlike digital art, the adventure begins as a child boards an “elevator car” that ascends along cables to reach an elaborate space station. A “Nuclear Thermal Rocket” docked there then embarks on a four-month journey to a space station orbiting Mars, from which a “lander” ship delivers the crew and young passenger to the planet's surface. The thrilled kid finally gets to explore the planet (“Gravity on Mars is less than half as strong as on Earth, so you take big, bouncing steps”), making his way to a habitat that houses scientists. O'Brien generates dramatic graphic particulars: sophisticated robotic machines perform various tasks and a sleek “MarsPlane” flies over the breathtaking Valles Marineris canyon. Though the second-person narrative makes the action feel immediate, when coupled with O'Brien's depiction of the protagonist as a Caucasian boy, it may leave non-white, non-male readers unable to connect. Still, this intriguing vision of space exploration should set imaginations soaring. Ages 5–up.

July 1, 2009
Gr 2-6-What would it be like to travel to Mars, explore the red planet, and return to Earth? OBrien has created a realistic account of such a journey with informative text and polished digital art that sparks the imagination. Adults take a backseat in this adventure, as the narrator speaks directly to readers about what they could expect to see and do. Rich illustrations depict a young boy as the traveler, space vehicles, and rusty red landscapes with depth and detail. Following a four-month trip on a Nuclear Thermal Rocket, the boy joins scientists, engineers, and pilots living in a habitat on Mars complete with a greenhouse. As for finding life on Mars, it is explained that microscopic organisms are more likely than little green men. But who needs aliens when you have robots watering the plants and roving the surface? Additional facts are listed at the end of the book."Lisa Glasscock, Columbine Public Library, Littleton, CO"

Copyright 2009 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from May 1, 2009
Grades K-3 *Starred Review* Answering the questions on many kids minds when imagining life in space, this book will tell you what would happen, and what you would do, if you were the first kid on Mars. Using the second person, OBrien then takes readers through every step of the four-month trip from Earth to Mars: aboard space elevators, orbital stations, transport rockets, landing modules, and more. These descriptions help give a speculatively scientific feel to the proceedings, full of technology that isnt that far off. Indeed, by involving the reader directly in the story, OBrien helps ensure that they wont even realize theyre learning all sorts of wonderful things about gravity, distance, geology, and life along the way. As strong as the narrative can be, though, its really the visuals that will drop the most jaws. The nearly photorealistic scenes of space travel and planetary exploration are a rare example of warm and immediate digital rendering, although admittedly the faces can look a little creepy here and there. But its easy to look past that and get lost imagining oneself exploring the pristinely serene scenery of the Red Planet. Until such a thing is possible, this is as close as a child will getand even in this guise, its a pretty neat experience.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2009, American Library Association.)

July 1, 2009
"The rocket that will take you to Mars is docked at the space station." With its second-person text, this book takes readers to a colonized Mars and back, relating the preparations, journey, and habitat of the destination. O'Brien's realistic depiction of this futuristic fantasy will leave readers feeling that a six-month stay on our neighboring planet is a not-too-distant possibility.

(Copyright 2009 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)