Jennifer L. Holm's The Lion of Mars, which was published in early 2021, aims to tackle what life on Mars would be like for those that eventually come to live on the planet. The Lion of Mars is a work of fiction; it tells the story of a young man named Bell, who has spent all his eleven years on Mars. Despite being so far away from Earth and all of its luxuries, Bell is a remarkably normal kid who lives things that most kids like animals and sweets. Bell lives with many others in the United States colony on Mars. The U.S. colony on Mars, in stark contrast to the colonies of other countries, is isolated, something which confounds Bell.
Eventually, a virus breaks out in the colony and the adults in the colony are hopeless to do anything about it. As a result, Bell and the other children in the colony are forced to uncover why the virus is hitting the colony. Bell and the other children are also forced to save their family — and potentially Mars as a whole.
Like all of her previous novels, The Lions of Mars was very well-received by critics. The Lion of Mars was a New York Times bestseller. Kirkus Reviews called the novel "A delightful space adventure." Common Sense Media similarly called the novel "engaging" and "funny."
