Earth is dying, and a spaceship full of people is sent to a distant planet that may be able to support life. They are sent with seeds, some equipment, and the smallest assortment of personal belongings. But when the ship lands on the new planet, their only hope is that it can sustain life - because there is no fuel for the spaceship to take off again and go elsewhere. For a book that is clearly science fiction, this oddly never really felt like it belonged in that genre. As the people struggle to try to grow food on the new planet, it felt more like reading about the various disasters that Larua Ingalls Wilder's family dealt with in the Little House series. A very short book, and a good read; though the supposed surprise of the last page is a bit predictable. ( )

A very quick read. Interesting story of pioneers on a new planet. I was surprised that there was no escape hatch should things go wrong and delighted by the role of the title character. Would be a good book for class discussion, I think. ( )

The Green Book was the perfect story at the perfect time for our family. Our daughter was a very early reader, and good chapter books that she could read that don't get into overly adult material - yet did not insult her intelligence - were hard to find. (if your impulse is to start listing them - we are avid readers, have no fear - we never ran out)

The child protagonists of this book were a great entry point for her - their intelligence was also something she appreciated. The Green Book was her gateway into reading longer form science fiction, of which she's become a fan.

Some reviews point out the fact that there are scientific inconsistencies... well, yeah - comics can be a good read, too, and getting hung up over where Spider-man's web is connecting and why Batman travels by rooftop doesn't seem to give anyone pause. Doctor Who, Star Wars, Star Trek, anyone? As for boring? Never. Sadly - this is likely the effect of assigned reading in school, which does kill many a good book for many a reluctant student. Ironically - the fact that it is assigned at times, speaks well for it's quality.

Another aspect that we liked was the fact that the society facing peril were not reaching for supernatural reassurances as they coped with their problems. The secular nature of their worldview was one we appreciate, and made the story feel like it was grounded. ( )

It's a children's book that would be just about perfect for 3 or 4th grade. It was also a book that allowed me to fill in a category for a challenge...so it served a duel purpose. It's an interesting story about modern pioneering with some really cool illustrations. To an adult reader it's a reminder that children can and do make some of the biggest contributions to family and society. ( )

I first read this in grade school when I was first getting into fantasy/sci-fi and the story always stuck with me though I could not remember the title. I somehow tracked it down and was quite glad I did. The story follows a family who travels to a distant planet fleeing a dying Earth. This particular family and their compatriots were not well off so they are sent with limited resources on a ship not designed for colonization. The planet is one of crystalline structure - rocks, trees, plants all appear glass-like. It was this aspect of the world building that so caught my imagination as a child. Overall not a groundbreaking or amazing book, but it was nice to revisit it. ( )