The Extradimensional Reappearance of Mars Patel

Mars Patel #3

by Sheela Chari

Mars and his friends have escaped the Martian colony and returned to Earth, to find that all the adults have vanished! A thrilling sci-fi adventure based on Season 3 of the Peabody Award–winning podcast.

After Mars Patel fled the Martian colony and its erupting volcano, he headed for Earth with JP, Toothpick, Aurora, Cupcake (everyone’s favorite two-hundred-pound tardigrade), and genius billionaire Oliver Pruitt. But when they finally arrive, Mars is shocked to find that all the adults on Earth have mysteriously vanished. Aurora, the popular new principal of Pruitt Prep, thinks Earth is better off without the adults, while Mars, who’s now a celebrity, is desperate to find his mom. As tensions rise and new mysteries are revealed—including a secret lab, an impending election, and a wild new discovery on Mars—will Mars and his friends manage to unravel the truth? Or is Oliver Pruitt outplaying them all? A vibrant cast brings to life this tech-rich page-turner, based on the award-winning podcast.

Genres: Science Fiction, Childrens

352 pages, Hardcover

Published October 11, 2022

About the author

I'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.

Reviews

[Jada · Rating 2 out of 5]

The podcast sucked enough—these books are just climate change propaganda with tons of plot holes, underdeveloped characters, and unimaginative writing. I think these could've worked if another author had written them.

[Choco · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a really good book, an amazing grand finally in which I have never expected that the tardigrades were light years ahead of human kind technology. I loved how this book refers to a lot about climate change and a world for the better in the future. What might the world be if there weren't any adults, and vice versa, not to mention it lands around the time of when I am learning about climate change in biology right now!

[Mark Buxton · Rating 4 out of 5]

What worked:
The most unique aspect of the book is that all of the characters are kids, except for the rogue Oliver Pruitt. Although there are too many characters to develop fully, their personalities are quite entertaining. Mars is the main character even though it’s unclear to him why he’s so popular among the kids on Earth. His life is complicated by the knowledge that Pruitt, the most hated man in the solar system, is his father. Caddie has telepathic abilities and is able to sense things others cannot. Toothpick is the brains of Mars’s group and he’s reprogrammed a drone they call Droney. Droney is an intelligent, talking drone programmed to interact socially, act as a scout and source of information, and a moving light. A tardegarde from Mars acts as a loyal, protective pet for Mars the character and Cupcake often behaves as though she can read his mind.
The story is told from various points of view that reflect events from a wide range of settings. Mars is reunited with his two friends back on Earth but all of the adults have disappeared. Aurora is now principal of the Pruitt Prep but she has bigger aspirations and is willing to use shady tactics to achieve her goals. A major conflict on the planet surrounds the question of whether the kids should make any attempt to locate the missing adults. As the story moves along, it becomes apparent that something above Oliver Pruitt is happening. Caddie and Julia have managed to survive on Mars by organizing the young colonists to develop a sustainable colony. However, strange clouds are spotted in the North and there’s an unexplainable surprise waiting for the characters.
The overall story reads like a mystery as readers will try to figure out how all of the events fit together. Most novels settle into a predictable format but this book keeps readers off balance the whole way through. The absence of any adults takes some getting used to as the possibility of their return is always on the edge of readers’ minds. A quick jump to another dimension early in the book makes a future connection always possible. The Mars colony seems to be doing well until their tardegardes abandon the settlement and issues with the power supply is upset. The kids left on Earth are also having problems even though they’ve reversed some of the effects of global warming. Again, readers will wonder how Mars, Earth, Pruitt, and the other dimension are connected, if at all, and the answers won’t be revealed until the book nears its extraordinary climax.
What didn’t work as well:
The early pages of the book are confusing so you’ll want to read the previous book before this one. Readers are dropped right into the middle of the action as the characters mention names of friends abandoned on another planet after Mars, his father, and others flee the destruction of an erupting volcano on the planet Mars. Mars is sucked into a wormhole that presents an alternate reality but those moments seem to be forgotten in the story almost as soon as they happen.
The Final Verdict:
The plot will challenge readers’ minds but it’s worth the effort. The author creatively crafts an imaginative world with children leading their peers on Earth and on Mars. It shares an underlying message of conservation and cooperation that can be applied to life in our real world. It feels like this book ends the series but who knows besides the author and the publisher? I recommend you give this book a shot.

[Ramona · Rating 4 out of 5]

The start of the tale was a bit obscure, and confusing - a young person may not understand what is going on. Thankfully, the rest of the tale was engaging and had a great storyline. Mars Patel is an interesting person and I believe there is more to discover about him, and the rest of the main characters. The Mars creatures, the mode of intergalactic travel, and the possibility of other worlds being explored is another plus for the continuation of the story. I do have one issue - all the adults disappearing on Earth - it didn't seem realistic to believe that that many people could disappear and not cause more ripples, problems, etc., and then having them return. Did I miss something - the total population of Earth - he ratio of adults to children - at the time? I would definitely look for more of this story, if it were to become a series.

[Mayumi Shimose Poe · Rating 3 out of 5]

THE EXTRADIMENSIONAL REAPPEARANCE OF MARS PATEL by Sheela Chari (2022): As in Cixin Liu’s The Supernova Era (2004), which I read recently, this middle-grade novel imagines a world without adults—the ways in which it could be better, the ways in which it could be worse. It is the final book in the Mars Patel trilogy and a satisfying, if a bit bright-eyed/bushy-tailed/earnest* conclusion to the series. (*It is for young readers, gr. roughly 4-8, so that tracks.) Great characters, vocabulary-building, solid intro to the scientific thinking, world-building, philosophical questions, and moral quandaries of science-fiction (may this series create many a devotee!)

[Pumpkin Spice Retrograde · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn’t look closely when selecting books and didn’t realize this was the third book in the series!

I like the characters and plot. The plot was a little cliche, but the science fiction adds some cool elements to it.

[lydia {67} ୨ৎ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nope.

The podcast was better. :/

[Aaliyah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this story the storyline was great just some features that I didn’t like.

[Colleen · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, it was not a plot from Doctor Who per se. More like something out of DC Comics. With that said, I was annoyed by the end. I still gave it 4 stars, due to how this series is like train wreck in the way you don't know what is happening and you can't but watch it. First, why do as a whole do adults put so much stock into kids doing the right thing? Kids are still human, which means they can still make mistakes. Yet, at the same time, they can be not as jaded as adults and hence be more open to possibilities. Also, the solution that was come up about energy may not necessarily be as simple as they presented it, due to the brown-outs that are happening in California, I think. Second, I think this is the first time we got a description of tardigrade and I got super annoyed. They, I repeat, they do not look like wolf-spider hybrids! There are real animals that are called tardigrades that look like multi-legged cute squishy things. They are also originally microscopic. So, up until now, I was imagining the real animal, but the size of an elephant. We also got a twist with the tardigrade, which increase the train wreck aspect.

Verdict: Still exciting, but I was a bit disappointed to unsatisfied by the end, especially with the tardigrades. That plot point came out of left field with a lot of hand waving.