Bell is an eleven-year-old boy who has never seen a cat. Or a tree. Or even a cloud that wasn't just a simulated projection on a bulkhead. He’s spent his entire life in a small, underground settlement on the Red Planet, tucked away from the dust storms and the freezing radiation of the surface. This is the world of The Lion of Mars by Jennifer L. Holm, and honestly, if you haven't picked it up yet, you're missing out on one of the most grounded depictions of space colonization ever written for kids.
It's not about laser guns. There are no green aliens trying to blow up Earth. Instead, it’s about the crushing weight of isolation and what happens when the adults in charge decide that being "safe" is more important than being a community.
Bell is observant. He’s curious. He’s also incredibly lonely, though he might not use that word himself. He lives with a handful of adults and a few other kids in the US settlement, and for reasons he doesn't fully understand, they aren't allowed to talk to the other countries' settlements. No contact with the French. No talking to the Russians. It’s a policy of total silence. But when a mysterious virus starts wiping out the adults, Bell and the other kids are the only ones left to figure out how to bridge the gap before everyone dies.
What Jennifer L. Holm Gets Right About Mars
Most sci-fi treats Mars like a playground. In The Lion of Mars, it’s a character. It's dangerous, sure, but it's also incredibly boring in a way that feels deeply realistic. Holm, who is a Newbery Honor winner for books like Our Only May Amelia and Penny from Heaven, clearly did her homework here. She doesn't lean on "magic" tech. The characters eat algae. A lot of it. They wear recycled clothes. They deal with the psychological toll of never seeing a horizon that isn't red and rocky.
The "Lion" in the title isn't a literal animal. It’s a reference to a story, a memory of Earth, and a symbol of the courage Bell has to find when the structured world of the settlement falls apart.
The Politics of a Red Planet
One of the most interesting layers of the book is the tension between the settlements. Why are they isolated? It turns out it's all based on old-world grudges and a tragic accident from years prior. The adults are literally carrying Earth's baggage to a brand new planet. They brought their borders with them.
Bell doesn't care about borders. He just sees people.
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When the "settlement sickness" hits, the book shifts from a slice-of-life story about a boy on Mars into a quiet, high-stakes survival drama. The virus is a great narrative device because it forces the children—who haven't been indoctrinated into the old prejudices as deeply as the adults—to make a choice. Do they follow the rules and stay isolated, or do they risk everything to ask for help from the people they've been told to fear?
Breaking Down the "Settlement Sickness" Mystery
The sickness isn't some space plague from a meteor. Without spoiling the specifics, Holm handles the medical crisis with a lot of nuance. It’s a reminder that in a closed system like a Mars base, the smallest variable can become a catastrophe. Bell's journey to the other settlements—specifically the French base—is where the book really finds its heart.
He discovers that while the US settlement is clinical and rigid, the French settlement has... well, they have better food. They have a different way of living. They aren't the monsters the "Commandant" made them out to be.
- The US Settlement: Functional, gray, obsessed with rules and "the schedule."
- The French Settlement: Warm, communal, and full of life (and better snacks).
- The Finnish Settlement: Small but essential.
This contrast is a brilliant way to teach kids about perspective. Just because someone tells you another group is "dangerous" doesn't make it true. Sometimes, the danger is actually the silence itself.
Why This Book Ranks So High for Educators and Parents
If you look at reviews on Goodreads or Common Sense Media, you'll see a recurring theme: this book is "gentle." That might sound like a weird word for a story set on a hostile planet, but it fits. Even when things are dire, Holm focuses on the emotional connections between characters.
Bell’s relationship with Leo, the older "brother" figure, and Phineas, the grumpy but lovable mechanic, feels authentic. These aren't archetypes; they're people trying to survive in a place that wants to kill them every single day.
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There's also the cat. There is a cat named Leo. Well, there's a story about a cat. The longing for animals and nature is a constant heartbeat throughout the prose. It makes the reader appreciate the small things—like a piece of real chocolate or the sound of rain—that we take for granted on Earth.
Comparisons to Other Sci-Fi
Is it The Martian for kids? Sorta. It has that "science-is-cool" vibe, but it's much more focused on sociology than botany. If The Martian is about how one guy survives with math, The Lion of Mars is about how a society survives with empathy.
It’s also been compared to The Giver by Lois Lowry, mostly because of the "controlled society" element. However, Holm’s world doesn't feel like a dystopia. It feels like a misguided attempt at safety that went too far. That's a much more relatable "villain" for most people.
The Reality of Life on Mars (Real Science)
While the book is fiction, it touches on real challenges NASA and SpaceX are currently debating.
1. Radiation Protection: The characters live underground. This is a real-world proposal for Mars colonies because the atmosphere is too thin to block solar radiation. Using lava tubes or digging deep into the regolith is the most likely way we’d actually live there.
2. Resource Scarcity: The "algae everything" diet isn't just a joke. Algae is incredibly efficient at producing oxygen and calories in small spaces. It’s a staple of real-world space food research.
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3. Communication Lag: Holm addresses the reality that you can't just "Zoom" someone on Earth. The delay makes the settlers feel even more disconnected from their home planet.
Addressing the Critics: Is It Too Simple?
Some older readers find the resolution a bit too "neat." In the real world, international incidents on Mars would probably involve lawyers, treaties, and massive bureaucratic headaches. In Bell's world, it’s resolved through the simple act of sharing.
But you've got to remember the audience. For a 10-year-old, the idea that adults are making things harder than they need to be is a universal truth. The "simplicity" of the ending isn't a flaw; it's the point. It’s an argument for a simpler, more compassionate way of looking at global (or interplanetary) relations.
The writing style is punchy. Short chapters. Bell’s voice is clear. He doesn't sound like a 40-year-old author trying to sound like a kid; he sounds like a kid who has grown up in a very small box and is finally looking out the window.
How to Get the Most Out of The Lion of Mars
If you're a teacher or a parent using this for a book club, don't just talk about the plot. Talk about the "What Ifs."
- What would you miss most about Earth? (Most kids say "pizza" or "dogs").
- Why do you think the adults were so afraid of the other settlements?
- If you had to build a new society from scratch, what's the first rule you'd make?
The Lion of Mars isn't just a space story. It’s a book about the "invisible walls" we build between ourselves and others. It’s about the fact that curiosity is often more important than caution. And it's a reminder that even on a cold, dead planet, humans have a way of bringing the warmth with them.
Actionable Takeaways for Readers
If you've finished the book and want to dive deeper into the world of Mars and middle-grade sci-fi, here is what you should do next:
- Check out the NASA Mars Exploration Program website: They have a section on "Humans on Mars" that explains the real-life versions of the technology Bell uses in the book.
- Read Holm’s other work: If you liked the "found family" aspect, The Fourteenth Goldfish is another fantastic entry that blends science with heart.
- Track the real Mars rovers: Follow accounts like @NASAPersevere on social media to see actual photos of the landscape Bell describes. It helps ground the fiction in reality.
- Start a "Mars Diary": Try to describe your daily life as if you were explaining it to someone who has never been to Earth. It’s a great exercise in gratitude and descriptive writing.
The Red Planet is closer than we think, but as Bell shows us, it doesn't matter how far we go if we don't know how to be neighbors.