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Mars Patel #2
The Interplanetary Expedition of Mars Patel
Mars is on Mars! But as techie colonists and scrappy rebels clash, can Mars and his friends survive long enough to discover the planet's dark secrets? Based on Season 2 of the Peabody Award-winning podcast.
Six months ago, Mars Patel boarded a spaceship to travel to Oliver Pruitt's colony on the planet Mars, and now he's finally there. The journey gave Mars lots of time to bond with his copilots, but Mars and his new friends soon discover that Pruitt's colonists aren't the only people living on the inhospitable planet. A splinter group, led by the mysterious Fang, are desperate to go back to Earth--and they don't care who they hurt in the process. Amid the slick subterranean colony filled with rules and giant, terrifying tardigrades who poop a lot, Mars searches for answers about Oliver Pruitt's supposed plans--and the real reason the eccentric billionaire has been so invested in him all this time. Featuring thrilling technology, a diverse cast, and a gripping plot, this extraterrestrial adventure, a follow-up to The Unexplainable Disappearance of Mars Patel, is also based on the popular and award-winning podcast.
Six months ago, Mars Patel boarded a spaceship to travel to Oliver Pruitt's colony on the planet Mars, and now he's finally there. The journey gave Mars lots of time to bond with his copilots, but Mars and his new friends soon discover that Pruitt's colonists aren't the only people living on the inhospitable planet. A splinter group, led by the mysterious Fang, are desperate to go back to Earth--and they don't care who they hurt in the process. Amid the slick subterranean colony filled with rules and giant, terrifying tardigrades who poop a lot, Mars searches for answers about Oliver Pruitt's supposed plans--and the real reason the eccentric billionaire has been so invested in him all this time. Featuring thrilling technology, a diverse cast, and a gripping plot, this extraterrestrial adventure, a follow-up to The Unexplainable Disappearance of Mars Patel, is also based on the popular and award-winning podcast.
304 pages, Hardcover
Published October 12, 2021
22 people are currently reading
92 people want to read
About the author
Sheela Chari
10 books114 followersI'm the author of VANISHED (Disney Hyperion) and FINDING MIGHTY (Abrams) and THE UNEXPLAINABLE DISAPPEARANCE OF MAFS PATEL series (Walker US), based on the award-winning hit podcast. My upcoming tween novel, KARTHIK DELIVERS (Abrams), will be available spring 2022.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
August 18, 2021
I think I loved this one even more than the first! This was so good y’all! I am absolutely in love with these characters, the story, the alternate world, the mixed format, & this amazing writing! I literally can’t say anything about hardly anything without spoiling book 1, lol..but so much going on! In the 1st book there was a character we don’t even meet, who annoyed me-great writing-& boy was I right to feel that! Lol Mars needs to move on, & focus on what’s right in front of him-the AMAZING person right in front of him. My heart belongs to Helga in this. That scene with the splinter comment had me laughing so hard, as did most of their dialogue! So good. Old favorite characters, along with some new ones who became favorites-LOVED Julia, & Daisy! Great themes in here as well, like you can’t run from your problems. No matter where you go they’re going to be there, & you have to deal with them, not run away. And when you consider how vast the universe is, you feel so small in comparison-which is a good way to look at petty problems on the grand scale of things. Such great characters, adventure, suspense, friendships, technology, humor, & writing. Such a fast paced engrossing story, & so atmospheric. Loving this series. It ended like it will continue, & I really hope there’s many more to come. This comes out October 12th! Highly recommend! Another beautiful cover by Yuta Onoda too!💜
May 9, 2022
I didn’t realize that this is book 2 in a series. So I need to go back and read book 1. I like the characters and the setting and the storyline is different. I am not at all familiar with the podcast so I want to check on that, too. Worth reading.
December 25, 2021
Disappointing.
What is the point of setting a book on Mars if you are not going to use that setting to do something interesting. There was so little description of the environment that it was hard to picture, and what description did come, oddly, was near the end of the book. At one point, close to the very end, the main character, Mars, goes outside the habitat on Mars (yes, the planet and the character have the same name; it's confusing) with another character, newly arrived. That character pauses to admire the surroundings, and Mars reacts like a seasoned veteran, waiting for that other character to take in the view and reflecting on his own early days on the planet and how much he had marveled at its beauty. Which is all well and good, except we saw no similar moment of awe with Mars early on. And that would have been a great time, ya know... early in the book, to show the reader the natural environment and the characters reacting to it, except it didn't happen. It was just... weird.
Also, I just spent one minute Googling the atmosphere and gravity of Mars, something it seems the author never did. How do I know? Well, Mars has 38% of the gravity Earth has, so walking on Mars would feel different than walking on Earth. Do the characters in this book ever notice that fact, when walking around on Mars? No. Everyone appears to just walk around as normal. Sigh. What about the atmosphere? Well, there's no oxygen on Mars, so the characters on the planet walking around in space suits would be fine. Except of course when they're running through depressurized tunnels which have been bombarded with volcanic ash and rock, causing them to partially collapse. Then the characters who are not suited up will just hold their breath. Sure, that's how lack of atmosphere works. Why didn't we travel to space sooner? We could all have just held our breath.
Also, near the end, a How would that look different, in 38% the gravity of Earth? I don't know. Because none of the character observing it note any differences. In fact, there's very little description of it in general. In fact, when the characters we don't actually see the tide turning at all. We learn that their hairbrained and entirely implausible solution worked simply through the dialogue. "Look, it's working!" Like, seriously, you're not even going to describe what's happening?
The whole book is just rife with lazy world-building and writing. And I really hate to see it in children's books. Write whatever you want for adults. I don't care. But don't cut corners with children's books. Kids learn things from books. And they don't always know enough to questions shoddy science, which it feels like this author was counting on.
And then there are the paper thin characters, with motivations which seem to come out of thin air and change with no explanation. Honestly, I hated most of the characters. There was the chirpy ten-year-old whose entire character was that she was super-organized and wore colorful clothes, who spoke like a 40-year-old woman. There was the jerky pilot dude who refused to call the main character by his name, instead giving him a rude nickname. A total bully. Then there were the mostly interchangeable friends, none of whom had a real personality. And let's not forget the disabled character who spent a bunch of time reflecting on her disability and educating people about disability in a way that none of the real disabled people I know talk. Disabled people are actually just people with rich, varied inner lives. They don't actually spend all their time thinking and talking about their disability. Ugh. Oh, and then for no apparent reason, there's the cloyingly sweet character who's telepathic. I'm sorry, what?
And then we can't forget the mastermind of this whole Mars experiment, the only adult in the book, really, who apparently spent a bunch of time and money getting his to this planet, but when some unnamed threat is posed against his experiment, (A character even mentions the children resorting to cannibalism to survive.) It just makes NO SENSE! Also, cannibalism?!? What the hell!
What is the point of setting a book on Mars if you are not going to use that setting to do something interesting. There was so little description of the environment that it was hard to picture, and what description did come, oddly, was near the end of the book. At one point, close to the very end, the main character, Mars, goes outside the habitat on Mars (yes, the planet and the character have the same name; it's confusing) with another character, newly arrived. That character pauses to admire the surroundings, and Mars reacts like a seasoned veteran, waiting for that other character to take in the view and reflecting on his own early days on the planet and how much he had marveled at its beauty. Which is all well and good, except we saw no similar moment of awe with Mars early on. And that would have been a great time, ya know... early in the book, to show the reader the natural environment and the characters reacting to it, except it didn't happen. It was just... weird.
Also, I just spent one minute Googling the atmosphere and gravity of Mars, something it seems the author never did. How do I know? Well, Mars has 38% of the gravity Earth has, so walking on Mars would feel different than walking on Earth. Do the characters in this book ever notice that fact, when walking around on Mars? No. Everyone appears to just walk around as normal. Sigh. What about the atmosphere? Well, there's no oxygen on Mars, so the characters on the planet walking around in space suits would be fine. Except of course when they're running through depressurized tunnels which have been bombarded with volcanic ash and rock, causing them to partially collapse. Then the characters who are not suited up will just hold their breath. Sure, that's how lack of atmosphere works. Why didn't we travel to space sooner? We could all have just held our breath.
Also, near the end, a How would that look different, in 38% the gravity of Earth? I don't know. Because none of the character observing it note any differences. In fact, there's very little description of it in general. In fact, when the characters we don't actually see the tide turning at all. We learn that their hairbrained and entirely implausible solution worked simply through the dialogue. "Look, it's working!" Like, seriously, you're not even going to describe what's happening?
The whole book is just rife with lazy world-building and writing. And I really hate to see it in children's books. Write whatever you want for adults. I don't care. But don't cut corners with children's books. Kids learn things from books. And they don't always know enough to questions shoddy science, which it feels like this author was counting on.
And then there are the paper thin characters, with motivations which seem to come out of thin air and change with no explanation. Honestly, I hated most of the characters. There was the chirpy ten-year-old whose entire character was that she was super-organized and wore colorful clothes, who spoke like a 40-year-old woman. There was the jerky pilot dude who refused to call the main character by his name, instead giving him a rude nickname. A total bully. Then there were the mostly interchangeable friends, none of whom had a real personality. And let's not forget the disabled character who spent a bunch of time reflecting on her disability and educating people about disability in a way that none of the real disabled people I know talk. Disabled people are actually just people with rich, varied inner lives. They don't actually spend all their time thinking and talking about their disability. Ugh. Oh, and then for no apparent reason, there's the cloyingly sweet character who's telepathic. I'm sorry, what?
And then we can't forget the mastermind of this whole Mars experiment, the only adult in the book, really, who apparently spent a bunch of time and money getting his to this planet, but when some unnamed threat is posed against his experiment, (A character even mentions the children resorting to cannibalism to survive.) It just makes NO SENSE! Also, cannibalism?!? What the hell!
July 6, 2021
The sequel is just as good as book one. A fast paced story about an eccentric billionaire colonizing Mars with middle school students-- for better or worse. This series is just plain FUN.
Want to read
July 21, 2021This better not forget about Toothpick, Caddie, and JP. I swear they're just replaced...
***Notice: this is marked TO READ. I have not read it yet***
***Notice: this is marked TO READ. I have not read it yet***
February 1, 2022
Quick Summary: A fast-paced action adventure with diverse characters, strangely intriguing plot twists, and an unexpected "Luke-I-am-your-father" moment.
Notable: I didn't realize that this was the second book in the series. Nevertheless, it was relatively easy to understand what was happening in the story. Some peculiar occurrences took place; they seemed as if they were not fully flushed out, which made me question why they were present. For example, who was chasing Mars' mother? Why was she even on the run? She only appeared briefly, and in those instances, she was suddenly and mysteriously disconnected. Hmm...I'm still trying to figure her purpose out, really.
The Protagonist: Mars was a likable character. He seemed loyal, brave, compassionate, concerned (about the welfare of others), and driven (to do the right thing, even at the cost of his own life). Selflessness comes to mind when I think of him. He appeared to be utterly fascinated with three characters, primarily - Aurora, Oliver Pruitt, and Caddie.
The Antagonist: He had a strange way of thinking. In a sense, he wanted to do the right thing, but instead, he was on the cuckoo train. He was savagely narcissistic. He was easy to dislike. For all his vision and wisdom, he was unstable and clueless on matters of the heart.
Mars, the planet: Writing about Mars was sheer genius! I was able to use my imagination to fill in the blanks where questionable science came into play. Since this story presented as a more story-driven, character-driven fantasy, I didn't feel it was too technical. Temperature changes, rocks and terrain, air and atmosphere, it was enough.
Rating: 4/5
Recommend: Yes
Audience: YA
Notable: I didn't realize that this was the second book in the series. Nevertheless, it was relatively easy to understand what was happening in the story. Some peculiar occurrences took place; they seemed as if they were not fully flushed out, which made me question why they were present. For example, who was chasing Mars' mother? Why was she even on the run? She only appeared briefly, and in those instances, she was suddenly and mysteriously disconnected. Hmm...I'm still trying to figure her purpose out, really.
The Protagonist: Mars was a likable character. He seemed loyal, brave, compassionate, concerned (about the welfare of others), and driven (to do the right thing, even at the cost of his own life). Selflessness comes to mind when I think of him. He appeared to be utterly fascinated with three characters, primarily - Aurora, Oliver Pruitt, and Caddie.
The Antagonist: He had a strange way of thinking. In a sense, he wanted to do the right thing, but instead, he was on the cuckoo train. He was savagely narcissistic. He was easy to dislike. For all his vision and wisdom, he was unstable and clueless on matters of the heart.
Mars, the planet: Writing about Mars was sheer genius! I was able to use my imagination to fill in the blanks where questionable science came into play. Since this story presented as a more story-driven, character-driven fantasy, I didn't feel it was too technical. Temperature changes, rocks and terrain, air and atmosphere, it was enough.
Rating: 4/5
Recommend: Yes
Audience: YA
October 5, 2021
🪐Mars goes to Mars🪐
It's so hard to sometimes top the first book in a series, but this book took it out of the water! Or out of space! It had everything and more my expectations had predicted.
In the sequel we are transported six months after the events of the first book. Our group of brave friends are faced with even more intrigue, danger, adventure and they'll have to take decisions that will change the course of their lives forever. We meet new and old friends alike and the unraveling of the story's plot will leave you screaming, even if no one can hear you scream in space.
By any means this book is scary in terms of horror, it's full of intrigue, secrets and plot twists that you will want to finish this book in one sitting like I did. Absolutely love the premise of what if... we can conquer the planet Mars, what would we do, how would we do it, what obstacles are people willing to destroy in order to pursuit this seemingly not so far away idea. What I absolutely loved about the book, is our protagonist Mars's love for his mother and friends and the lengths he's willing to go in order to make everything right again.
It's so hard to sometimes top the first book in a series, but this book took it out of the water! Or out of space! It had everything and more my expectations had predicted.
In the sequel we are transported six months after the events of the first book. Our group of brave friends are faced with even more intrigue, danger, adventure and they'll have to take decisions that will change the course of their lives forever. We meet new and old friends alike and the unraveling of the story's plot will leave you screaming, even if no one can hear you scream in space.
By any means this book is scary in terms of horror, it's full of intrigue, secrets and plot twists that you will want to finish this book in one sitting like I did. Absolutely love the premise of what if... we can conquer the planet Mars, what would we do, how would we do it, what obstacles are people willing to destroy in order to pursuit this seemingly not so far away idea. What I absolutely loved about the book, is our protagonist Mars's love for his mother and friends and the lengths he's willing to go in order to make everything right again.
January 20, 2022
I didn't realize this was not the first book in the series. Maybe had I read that one first, this would have worked better for me. I didn't connect with the characters, and had trouble with the shifting points of view, trying to determine who was narrating (sometimes it shifted within a chapter). It was good that the story had diverse characters, but did the author have to hit us over the head with explanations about their differences? And I didn't get Mars' (the character, not the planet) obsession with Aurora and needing to always find her.
There was nothing particularly interesting about the setting--I mean, it's a colony on Mars! How is this different than living on Earth? Aside from knowing that people needed space suits to go outside, we didn't really get much description of what it looked like out there.
I'm sure the intended audience won't care about any of this, but it's too bad the author didn't use the opportunity to portray a realistic setting so kids could really understand how hard it would be to actually live on Mars.
There was nothing particularly interesting about the setting--I mean, it's a colony on Mars! How is this different than living on Earth? Aside from knowing that people needed space suits to go outside, we didn't really get much description of what it looked like out there.
I'm sure the intended audience won't care about any of this, but it's too bad the author didn't use the opportunity to portray a realistic setting so kids could really understand how hard it would be to actually live on Mars.
November 5, 2021
What in the world?! What the tarnation?! Did we end up in episode of Doctor Who at the end? Who is Oliver Pruitt? No, this is not Atlas Shrugged, but we got the answer. I called it. I had a feeling that is who Oliver Pruitt is and why he wanted Mars. Also I had suspicions that what happened with Aurora was one of the possibilities. This is just a bag of crazy, but it is entertaining. It is hard to look away from it.
Verdict: It's aliens. Maybe Daleks? I mean what else could it be. EMP? Not likely due to phrases used. I have no idea what the point of this series or where it is leading. I will say when we hear Oliver Pruitt speak near the end it was something similar to what I think John Galt said in Atlas Shrugged Part 3. While I think this series is crazy, I am intrigue and interested to see what happens next! On that front, Sheela Chari is doing a VERY good job on writing this series.
Verdict: It's aliens. Maybe Daleks? I mean what else could it be. EMP? Not likely due to phrases used. I have no idea what the point of this series or where it is leading. I will say when we hear Oliver Pruitt speak near the end it was something similar to what I think John Galt said in Atlas Shrugged Part 3. While I think this series is crazy, I am intrigue and interested to see what happens next! On that front, Sheela Chari is doing a VERY good job on writing this series.
December 15, 2021
Mars is on his way to Mars and hopefully to find his best friend Aurora. In book 1, Mars was investigating the missing children, but now he knows that the missing children are on the planet Mars. And luckily Oliver Pruitt is bringing him on an interplanetary trip (although it will take 6 months). Mars has new problems, however. He’s worried about his mom and his friends back on planet Earth because of the torrential rains in California. He’s also getting strange messages from a splinter group on Mars known as the Martians and led by “Fang.” Can Mars solve the mysteries and keep everyone he cares about safe?
Chari has written a fast-paced scifi series that has begun to delve into interesting territory that touches on the climate crisis (#thisishowitends) and the difficulty of managing a world of scarce resources. Fans of space adventures should definitely check out this series!
Chari has written a fast-paced scifi series that has begun to delve into interesting territory that touches on the climate crisis (#thisishowitends) and the difficulty of managing a world of scarce resources. Fans of space adventures should definitely check out this series!
January 22, 2022
There are some aspects of this middle grade SciFi that I love but it is lacking in some background to make the story gripping. The action begins right away. Mars is on a flight to Mars (I really wish the author had picked another name) and the flight is not going smoothly. He is going to Mars to find his missing friend, Aurora (I would have liked to know more about their Earth relationship). The colonizers are not helpful in Mars' quest. Some of the relationships could have been better developed (on the spaceship in particular). It would have improved the story. I enjoyed the character development of Oliver Pruitt. I believe we have a few Olivers here on Earth now. The book is action-packed and thought-provoking.
February 13, 2023
Sheela Chari’s THE INTERPLANETARY EXPEDITION OF MARS PATEL: kids saving the world(s); radical empathy valued as a superpower as much as brains or brawn; a diverse (incl. POC & non-binary) cast of characters; adventure! space!; such great world making that I sometimes now forget I haven’t been to Mars; humor; a charming non-binary robot; and even a Star Wars reference or two… this book checks a lot of boxes for our family, not least that it was so much fun to read aloud.
January 21, 2022
This is a good book for people who are just starting out in middle grade books so about 10-11 years old. Recommend it to kids 10-11 years old. Great book in all. Action adventure and cliffhanger. Can’t wait for the next book in October to come out!!!😁
April 12, 2022
Why did there have to be a cliffhanger at the end!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
June 9, 2023
As fast-paced as the first book! Looking forward to the 3rd book in the series
March 23, 2024
The science in this one is shaky. Especially in little details...like smelling a tradigrade fart through a spacesuit. But the characters are fun and the adventure is high stakes.
December 6, 2022
Mars has found the missing kids alright -- they're headed to Mars, to a colony set up by the (in)famous billionaire Oliver Pruitt. He's sold the genius teens a utopian bill of goods -- this is their chance to rebuild society, far away from the adults who messed up Earth. Just follow the rules, and all will be well.
There's only one catch -- the colony's still very dependent on Earth, for just about everything. And Pruitt has a totally different agenda for the colony in mind, one Aurora -- who's gone rogue against Pruitt, with teen followers she's poached from his colony -- can't wait to share with Mars.
A volcanic eruption from a long dead cone throws the teen colonists into danger and disarray, and Mars and his friends have to save Aurora and her followers. But the question remains -- how will they survive without help and resupplies from Earth? Even with a severely curtailed connection to Earth, once Pruitt abandons them on the planet, it's going to be hard-going. Will anyone want to stay behind and do the hard work of rebuilding?
This is an interesting story, based on a pod cast. Although I've never listened to it, you can feel the broadcast influence on things like chapter endings, jumps in time and action sequences and more. It's an excellent sci-fi / fantasy read and great for exploring how the medium of presentation affects the storytelling.
Enjoy!
Looking for more book suggestions for your 7th/8th grade classroom and students?
Visit my blog for more great middle grade book recommendations, free teaching materials and fiction writing tips: https://amb.mystrikingly.com/
There's only one catch -- the colony's still very dependent on Earth, for just about everything. And Pruitt has a totally different agenda for the colony in mind, one Aurora -- who's gone rogue against Pruitt, with teen followers she's poached from his colony -- can't wait to share with Mars.
A volcanic eruption from a long dead cone throws the teen colonists into danger and disarray, and Mars and his friends have to save Aurora and her followers. But the question remains -- how will they survive without help and resupplies from Earth? Even with a severely curtailed connection to Earth, once Pruitt abandons them on the planet, it's going to be hard-going. Will anyone want to stay behind and do the hard work of rebuilding?
This is an interesting story, based on a pod cast. Although I've never listened to it, you can feel the broadcast influence on things like chapter endings, jumps in time and action sequences and more. It's an excellent sci-fi / fantasy read and great for exploring how the medium of presentation affects the storytelling.
Enjoy!
Looking for more book suggestions for your 7th/8th grade classroom and students?
Visit my blog for more great middle grade book recommendations, free teaching materials and fiction writing tips: https://amb.mystrikingly.com/
August 19, 2022
Really look forward to the last novel adaptation of the podcast trilogy. ^^
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews