As always, Vaughn delivers a solidly entertaining story with her trademark humor and wit. I enjoyed this one from cover to cover and hope we are gifted with another snapshot into the lives of Polly and Charles at some future point! ( )

Vaughn, Carrie. Martians Abroad. Tor, 2017.
The title of Martians Abroad might suggest that Carrie Vaughn is aiming a satire at terrestrial culture in a science fiction homage to Mark Twain’s The Innocents Abroad. But, as most reviewers have noticed, it is Robert Heinlein’s Podkayne of Mars that Vaughn really has in her sights. Martians Abroad is not so much an homage to Heinlein’s YA (then called juvenile) fiction as a rejoinder to its gender politics. In the Heinlein original, though Podkayne is the titular heroine and diarist, it is her self-absorbed genius brother Clark who undergoes a moral education when Podkayne sacrifices herself to save him and a sentient Venarian “fairy.” Clark does not seem deserving of this trope of motherly selflessness, of which Heinlein is cluelessly uncritical. In Vaughn, motherly figures appear as ruthless manipulators of their children. The siblings in Marians Abroad, Polly (who wants to pilot a starship) and her self-controlled brother Charles (who uses his hacking skills to protect them both), are sent against their will to a posh academy on Earth to have their manners polished and their social status enhanced. As they fight off bullies and overcome ethnic prejudices, they discover that the woman in charge of their education is arranging dangerous accidents for them. Along the way, Polly becomes more self-confident of her ability to step up in a crisis, and Charles learns to put his intellect in the service of others. In sum, Martians Abroad is a successful reformatting of Heinlein themes. 4 stars. ( )

Polly is surprised by her mother with a trip to an exclusive school on Earth. Her twin brother thinks this will be great but Polly doesn’t want to go and already has ideas about how her becoming a pilot are mapped out and this school wasn’t in her plans. Turns out the school can really help her out since the cream of political and money circles of Earth go to Galileo Academy. The off world students stick together for most part due to trying to get used to the gravity.
Polly has more issues fitting in then Charles but when things go wrong on an outing for her year mates she jumps in and does the right thing. This helps her out a bit socially but she still isn’t happy at school. More things happen during the school year as Polly and with some assistance from her twin get to the bottom of it.
Overall a good YA read and I’m glad to see more from Carrie Vaughn.


Digital review copy provided by the publisher through NetGalley
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This reader's personal opinion, ©2018, all rights reserved, not to be quoted, clipped or used in any way by goodreads, Google Play, amazon.com or other commercial booksellers*

I have no idea how to review this.

It's a reboot of a teenage favorite (Podkayne of Mars - Robert A. Heinlein) by a favorite author -- and I think that's colored both my expectations and my reading experience.

Overall, a well written book. Most sources say is a standalone. I doubt it. The ending was finally pretty decent but clearly there's a series there.

If a series, I may chance the next book because of potentially interesting plot/worldbuilding. I never warmed up to any of the characters -- a big issue for me. But, from the standpoint of good science fiction -- a lot of interest and very well done.

Some things I think were too much of a switch for me -- the mother being cold, uptight, unyielding, self-involved politician using the kids. The now-a-twin-aged brother acting so adult and authoritarian. Instead of curious explorer headed out with fave uncle to earth and stalling on Venus, the Martian kids sent straight to earth and into the special academy trope.

Most of the book was "special academy" with the formulaic mean girls, bullies, etc. Way, way too much of the book. Without it being a reboot, I'm not sure (despite decent writing) I would have been interested enough to finish.

Poddy ... er, now she's "Polly" ... came across as very TSTL and pretty much a juvenile delinquent always superciliously whining internally and verbally about how superior all things Martian were. Unlike original where she was a very compassionate, caring, eager person.

*©2018. All rights reserved except permission is granted to author or publisher (except Penumbra Publishing) to reprint/quote in whole or in part. I may also have cross-posted on Libib, LibraryThing, and other sites including retailers like kobo and Barnes and Noble. Posting on any site does not grant that site permission to share with any third parties or indicate release of copyright.

MARTIANS ABROAD was an interesting science fiction story story starring Polly Newton and her twin brother Charles. Polly and Charles were born on Mars which is being colonized by Earth. Their mother is the Director of the Mars Colony. Polly's only goal in life is to learn how to pilot a spaceship. She is extremely disappointed and angry when she finds out the her mother has enrolled her and Clark in the Galileo Academy on Earth. The Galileo Academy is the school where the movers and shakers of Earth and the other colonies send their kids so that they can form connections that will benefit them for the rest of their life.

Polly is not at all excited to go to Earth and go to that school. She has good reason. The kids from off planet are treated as a lower class minority. They also have to deal with being less able to survive on Earth because they aren't used to the gravity. To make it even worse it looks like someone is staging some dangerous situations for Polly to deal with. First, one of the Earth girls who has become her friend is knocked off a cliff while they are on a field trip to Yosemite. Polly manages to save her but at the cost of fractured ribs. The next situation occurs when they are touring Manhattan which is now one big museum.

Polly, Charles and their friends identify the person arranging the accidents but they really don't know why the accidents are being arranged. They are fearful when they learn that their next field trip will be to the Moon. Space is dangerous enough without having someone arranging accidents. Polly is a great character. She is curious and brave and quite a hero though she says what she does is just what anyone would do.

This science fiction book reminded my of an oldie by Robert A. Heinlein. PODKAYNE OF MARS (1963) also has a brother and sister who are on their way to Earth. The female lead tells the story in both books. In Heinlein's book, the brother is younger and a socially maladjusted genius. In this book, Charles is Polly's twin. The genius part is the same and so is the maladjustment.

Science fiction fans will enjoy this story. ( )