Sheela Chari

My library has this in the children's section, but I think it's more of a teen book. Karthik is a rising 9th grader with a lot of responsibilities and a big crush on a girl he keeps running into at the ice cream shop. I liked how Karthik connected to Leonard Berstein, but the plot was very slow-moving and so I didn't finish this. I have approximately 100 books I want to read this winter and this didn't grab me, but I may come back to it later. It's summer vibes books for sure.

Mars goes to, well, Mars! Full disclaimer, I didn't read book 1. But I could pick up the story pretty well. Mars is searching for his friend Aurora and connects with Julia and Orion on the way to the colony. He's worried about his friends left behind and his mom. When the group crass lands near the colony they find themselves in the middle of a struggle between the Martians (really separatist colonists) and the kids in the colony.

Mars Patel is a loyal friend and is completely obsessed with a famous scientist. Mars is so loyal that he puts his friends before his own well-being over and over again. I have mixed feelings about this science fiction adventure story. I loved getting to know the characters when the story began, but then the story started to feel too thin and hard to follow because there wasn't enough description. It felt rushed and incomplete.

I loved this mystery. It hooked me from the beginning with the plot, and then as I got to know the characters I was way more interested in them than the treasure hunt. Great for fans of When You Reach Me or All the Greys on Greene Street.