A ROVER’S STORY, by Jasmine Warga, Balzer + Bray, Oct. 4, 2022, Hardcover, $17.99 (ages 8-12)
Journey to the red planet with a fictional Mars rover in Jasmine Warga’s excellent new middle-grade novel, A Rover’s Story.
Meet Resilience, a Mars rover determined to live up to his name.
Res was built to explore Mars. He was not built to have human emotions. But as he learns new things from the NASA scientists who assemble him, he begins to develop human-like feelings. Maybe there’s a problem with his programming….
Human emotions or not, launch day comes, and Res blasts off to Mars, accompanied by a friendly drone helicopter named Fly. But Res quickly discovers that Mars is a dangerous place filled with dust storms and giant cliffs. As he navigates Mars’s difficult landscape, Res is tested in ways that go beyond space exploration.
As millions of people back on Earth follow his progress, will Res have the determination, courage — and resilience — to succeed… and survive? —Synopsis provided by Balzer + Bray
Going into A Rover’s Story, I wasn’t sure what to expect. What I found, however, was a moving middle-grade novel that I couldn’t stop thinking about.
A Rover’s Story begins at the beginning, with the creation and testing of the Mars rover that later becomes known as Res. At first, Res is straight code. But over time, he begins to adopt the human behaviors he’s observed. It starts small and grows from there.
Author Jasmine Warga’s ability to not only show readers Earth, Mars and beyond from a rover’s point of view but to make that view compelling and exciting is truly impressive. She masterfully mixes science and imagination. Her little rover has heart.
A Rover’s Story is so good that after reading a digital advanced copy, I went ahead and preordered a physical copy for my 8-year-old. It is an excellent option for future engineers, explorers and lovers of space.
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