This tremendously addictive book for YA readers reminds me of Little
House On The Prairie, only set on Mars. Yes, if you have ever wondered
how the Ingalls family would have survived if their small, thirsty farm
was transported to another planet, REDWORLD: YEAR ONE is your likely answer.
Belle Song didn't really want to leave overcrowded Earth, but she kept
quiet. Nobody expected her father to be made redundant before they'd
even settled into the Martian city. Farming seems like a good option to
Belle's parents, out in the open terraformed land near Mount Olympus.
But the isolation and dust may be more than poor Belle can bear. Not to
mention the two species of civilised aliens who also live here, the
annoying boy at the nearest farmstead, and the occasional threat from
hybrid wolves or organised water raiders.
Saying too much would ruin the excitement but suffice to add that Belle
has a household robot Melody to follow her instead of siblings, and she
still has to go to school, though she thinks the farming community
emphasis is a real drag. Each chapter ends with a page from Belle's
diary as she summarises her thoughts about the day, which is good for
a class or a family read. More than one disaster or danger gets
chronicled and some other issues we face today are brought to the fore
in a different way, such as discrimination and pollution.
Young readers can learn a tremendous amount and the youngest can
skip over the astronomy or desalination details and just follow the
action. With this in mind, I would recommend REDWORLD: YEAR ONE for anyone who loves reading
young adult literature, even young advanced readers. I like that Belle
and a classmate are expected to give a presentation on a screen, just
as young adults will be expected to learn for college or work.
Each chapter begins with a little illustration of red rugged land to
remind the reader of the exotic location. The book is divided into
several parts and before each one is a full page illustration. Tomislav
Tikulin from Croatia is the creative artist who brings these adventures
to life. The author, A.L. Collins clearly has an appreciation for science
fiction. I recommend this read to anyone who wants to learn as they
find adventure and make friends. In fact, I am looking forward to
reading the next in the new Redworld series.
Belle Song and her family are aliens on a new world.The
Songs came to Mars to seek a new life, but living on the red
planet isn't easy. The land is rough. The people are
strange. The weather is unpredictable, and water is always
in short supply. However, adventure is never far away. Belle
adapts to her new life on Mars, faces dangerous Water
Raiders, explores wondrous ancient sites, and has other
amazing adventures on Redworld.From the rich imagination of
author A.J. Collins comes a fantastic sci-fi western story
of growing up on the Martian plains.