Life on Mars

May 19, 2014
In Brown’s first middle-grade novel, 12-year-old Arcturus “Arty” Chambers, named for the star by his space-obsessed family, has big plans to find life on Mars. He’s built a communication device and has two best friends who monitor his progress. When Arty’s father lands a job in Las Vegas, it will mean moving to a place with so much light, there won’t be any way to see the stars. Additionally, a sinister-seeming man has moved in next door, and when Arty’s parents go house-hunting in Nevada, Arty ends up staying with him. Soon, Arty discovers that his crusty neighbor is actually a former astronaut, Cash Maddux, who also dedicated himself to finding life on Mars. The bond between the two becomes the heart of this cheerful story about family and growing up. While Cash’s impending death introduces an overly familiar plot thread, Brown (The Hate List) conveys Arty’s observations and growth with wit, insight, and emotional honesty, and the numerous factoids about the cosmos should entice budding astronomers and neophytes alike. Ages 8–12. Agent: Cori Deyoe, 3 Seas Literary Agency.

June 1, 2014
In a tale built on well-worn tropes and characters, Brown twists together an impending cross-country move, a budding friendship with a crusty old neighbor and some basic astronomy.As part of a family that looks to the stars for its names, seventh-grader Arcturus Betelgeuse Chambers-Arty-knows his constellations but also believes that he can contact Martians with a contraption cobbled together from mirrors and a flashlight. His settled world is knocked askew first by the arrival of a secretive new neighbor with a spooky habit of sneaking off into the woods at night and then by the revelation that his father's new job will require that the family move far away. The neighbor turns out to be, excitingly, Cash Maddux, an embittered ex-astronaut who never flew but still goes out to gaze at the heavens. Their shared interest brings the two together. The author outfits Arty with a comically inept friend (who learns grace at ballet school), a mom who copes with stress by baking and two stereotypical sisters with equally typecast friends to ridicule.It may be formulaic, but the comic byplay is often nicely gross, and the science talk dovetails with current pedagogical fads. (appendix of Mars facts) (Fiction. 10-12)

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July 1, 2014

Gr 3-6-Everyone in Arcturus Betelgeuse Chamber's family is named for an astronomical object. His younger sister, Cassiopeia, is busy with cheerleading; his older sister, Vega, seems glued to her empty-headed boyfriend; and his dog, Comet, enjoys eating the occasional shoe. Meanwhile, Arty dreams of discovering life on Mars. Together with his best friends Priya and Tripp, whose nickname echoes his perpetual clumsiness, the 12-year-old beams light across the sky at night in hopes of receiving an answer from space-a project for which he can never seem to come up with a good acronym. But big changes are coming for Arty: his family is moving from Missouri to Las Vegas, and his new neighbor turns out to be neither a zombie nor a criminal-as he and his friends speculate-but rather a retired astronaut whose knowledge of the search for extraterrestrial life is matched only by his wisdom about life on Earth. Brown's middle-grade debut combines humor, facts about a high-interest science topic, and the serious issue of the death of an older adult friend. Amusingly titled chapters, some of which end in cliffhangers, keep the pace quick, and a "Fun Facts About Mars" section brings together and expands upon the information scattered throughout the book. The ending, which seems to catapult the story from realistic fiction to fantastical, is puzzling, but overall the story will please middle graders seeking a funny story about a kid who loves outer space.-Jill Ratzan, I. L. Peretz Community Jewish School, Somerset, NJ

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