Mars Evacuees by Sophia McDougall

Mars Evacuees by Sophia McDougall

Release Date: March 27, 2014
Publisher: Egmont
Series: Mars Evacuees, Book 1
Rated: MG/YA 12+
Format: ARC
Source: Pansing
Buy: Available at all good bookstores!
Goodreads ● Website

The fact that someone had decided I would be safer on Mars, where you could still only SORT OF breathe the air and SORT OF not get sunburned to death, was a sign that the war with the aliens was not going fantastically well.

I’d been worried I was about to be told that my mother’s spacefighter had been shot down, so when I found out that I was being evacuated to Mars, I was pretty calm.

And despite everything that happened to me and my friends afterwards, I’d do it all again. because until you’ve been shot at, pursued by terrifying aliens, taught maths by a laser-shooting robot goldfish and tried to save the galaxy, I don’t think you can say that you’ve really lived.

If the same thing happens to you, this is my advice: ALWAYS CARRY DUCT TAPE.

I received Mars Evacuees around a year ago, but since I’d never really heard of it, I put off reading it–until now. This book was so much fun! Although it’s aimed at a younger audience, I ended up loving this space adventure. It was really easy to get onboard with the setting, the characters, and the conflict at hand. The concept was so original as well. I don’t read much science-fiction, which is unfortunate, but this one seemed to stand apart from the ones that I have read.

It was sometimes difficult to believe that these kids were twelve years old (or even younger!). They seemed so much more mature than the children I know, which is probably why, I guess, I didn’t feel too different from the characters despite the age gap. Alice was such an awesome character–she would be the type of girl I would have loved to hang out with when I was in middle school. Josephine was a great character too, and I loved Carl and his younger brother Noel, who was super adorable. Even Goldfish–literally a teaching robot goldfish–was a fantastic addition to the cast. They obviously end up meeting more characters along the way, and all in all, while this story was more plot-driven than character-driven, it was an enjoyable journey of four friends and a robot insistent on teaching them algebra on the way. The characters were also pretty diverse as well! We’ve got a black character, Australian characters...however, I wish it could have been even more so. This evacuation to Mars involved children from around the world, but they weren’t even part of the book–I just think that this was a little bit of a missed opportunity.

I really liked this story, which is why when I found out that there would be a sequel, I was ecstatic! Mars Evacuees was a fun and action-packed story that readers of all ages will enjoy. Sophia McDougall definitely knows how to tell an epic story. I can’t wait for Space Hostages as I’m sure it will be as good–or even better–than the first in the series. Looking forward to it!

▪ ▪ ▪ Thank you so much to Sasha at Pansing for sending me a copy for review! ▪ ▪ ▪

If you like this, try...

• Across the Universe by Beth Revis ● Goodreads
• Fleeced! by Julia Wills ● Goodreads
• Alienated by Melissa Landers ● Goodreads