Informational Resources:

Author Information:

Author Website: https://www.jenniferholm.com/

Activities & Resources:

Activities:

Mars

NASA’s Mars Exploration: https://mars.nasa.gov/

Explore the Martian surface with the Curiosity rover: https://mars.nasa.gov/msl/surface-experience/?drive=2176&site=82

How is the weather on Mars?: https://mars.nasa.gov/resources/26353/mars-report-hows-the-weather-on-mars/?site=msl

Biology

Lions - National Geographic Kids: https://kids.nationalgeographic.com/animals/mammals/facts/lion

Algae: http://allaboutalgae.com/algae-basics

Get Sushi seaweed sheets for students to sample.

International

United Nations - Explained l CBC Kids News (2:30): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SaAmfiJtV4I

MUN Made Easy: How to Get Started with Model United Nations: https://bestdelegate.com/mun-made-easy-how-to-get-started-with-model-united-nations/

Simple and Free Model UN Classroom Activities: https://www.wisemee.com/mun-classroom-exercises/

Table Tennis (ping-pong) between nations

https://www.britannica.com/sports/table-tennis

Easy French Food Recipes for Kids:

https://www.kidspot.com.au/kitchen/recipes/collections/french-recipes

MakerSpace Activities:

Make a three-word story with a partner or group. Make up a story with each person only saying three words at a time. For example, Person 1: “Once upon a…”, Person 2: “...time, an alien…”, Person 3: “...crashed on Mars”.

International Cuisine

Let students choose and research a country. Have them make one kid-friendly dish from that country and present their new found knowledge. https://www.bonvoyagewithkids.com/kid-friendly-recipes-around-the-world/

Create a daily report of your imaginary life on Mars like “The Daily Baby”. Keep at least a week’s worth of reports in a notebook.

Make your own Mars rover out of recycled materials. Get a 3D look at the Mars Perseverance rover: https://mars.nasa.gov/mars2020/spacecraft/rover/

Draw your interpretation of the Martian landscape on a large piece of paper. Code a robot (Ozobot, Sphero, Bee-bot, etc.) to navigate across the landscape on a mission. Look at Curiosity’s path for inspiration: https://mars.nasa.gov/msl/mission/where-is-the-rover/

Coding without Computers: Mars Edition - Write an algorithm to navigate the "surface" of Mars. Share with a partner to see if they can follow your code. Lion of Mars Coding without Computers

Discussion Questions:

Why do you think Trey switched rooms? Have you ever had to share a room with a sibling? If so, what was it like?

Why do you think Trey wanted to be Sai’s apprentice? Have you ever wanted more responsibility?

Command says that the French settlement is the enemy. Would you make sure they were alright after the crash or stay away? Why?

A metaphor is a figure of speech that tries to explain something by referring to another thing, showing its similarities or differences. What message was Phinneus trying to explain to Bell about Earth weeds and taking care of your garden?

What did Meems mean by Sai not being good at “human-ing”?

Why do you think Sai increased the crew’s emergency drills?

In real life, why is practicing for emergencies important?

If you lived on Mars, what is one food you’d request from the supply ship? What is one food you would rather live without?

Bell was raised on Mars from a very young age. If you grew up on Mars, what would you miss about Earth?

When the kids watch Earth digi-reels, they ask a lot about simple Earth places like a restaurant and basic Earth foods. How do you think they would react if they were transplanted to your hometown today? What basic things would you teach them?

Flossy loves fashion from different time periods. What era’s clothes do you love? Today’s fashion or the past? If the past, when? Why?

If there was a colony on Mars, what would you make to send up to the children of Mars on a supply shipment?

How does hostility among nations on Earth affect international relations on Mars?

If you could keep one pet on Mars, what would it be and why? How would you take care of it?

Think of one happy or funny memory you have of a loved one, friend, or pet that has passed away. How does sharing happy memories help when you’re sad?

Do you remember a time when you were sick and a parent or another adult took care of you? What do you think it would be like if the roles were reversed and you had to take care of your parent? How would you feel? Would you know what to do?

Earth Command states that the mice are “disease vectors” and should be exterminated. What do they mean by “disease vectors”? How else can germs spread? Even though the kids are resistant to the virus, how do they try to prevent getting sick?

How were the other settlements different from what the kids first believed? Discuss and give examples.

Commander Sai admits to Commander Laurent and Petyr that he ignored and deleted all attempts at communication after the accident. How would the story have changed if Sai had stayed in communication with the French settlement? How do you resolve misunderstandings among your friends or peers?

What did Sai mean when he said, “Something doesn’t need to be big to have an impact”? Was he only talking about the meteorite?

Book Talk Teasers:

Read the Reader’s Theater for The Lion of Mars.

Watch the embedded book trailer for The Lion of Mars below.

Read Alikes:

Middle Grade Space Adventures

Anderson, John David. Stowaway. To save his father, a Coalition scientist protecting a precious resource, after their ship is attacked, Leo stows away on a strange ship of mercenary space pirates and must decide who to trust— human or alien—to stay alive. (Novelist Plus)

Emerson, Kevin. Last Day on Mars. While waiting to leave Mars before it burns up just like the Earth before it, Liam and his friend Phoebe discover some facts about time and space and realize that the human race is just one of the races trying to survive in space. (Novelist Plus)

Gibbs, Stuart. Space Case. Life among the colonists on Moon Base Alpha is surprisingly dull and predictable...until the base's doctor is found dead. Though it looks like an accident, Dash Gibson has reason to believe that Dr. Holtz may have been murdered. There's no shortage of suspects, so Dash recruits two tech-savvy new friends to help with his investigation, never forgetting that they might be trapped in space with a killer. (Novelist Plus)

McDougall, Sophia. Mars Evacuees. Alice Dare is twelve-year-old and she is evacuated to Mars to attend school and be trained as soldier, but when all the adults disappear, Alice and her friends must survive on their own. (Novelist Plus)

Swiedler, Christopher. In the Red. Stranded hours from their home on Mars with an already limited supply of food, water, and air, Michael and Lilith must risk everything if they're to get back to the colony alive. (Novelist Plus)

Reviews:

Holm, Jennifer L. The Lion of Mars. Random House, an imprint of Penguin Random House Publishers, 2021.

Booklist (Starred)

The Lion of Mars.

By Jennifer L. Holm.

Jan. 2021. 272p. Random, $16.99 (9780593121818). Grades 3-6.

REVIEW. First published January 1, 2021 (Booklist).

In the year 2091, 11-year-old Bell leads a mundane life in America’s small, underground settlement on Mars, along with a handful of adults and other orphaned children. He knows little of Earth and its various life-forms and cultures, a fact not helped by his home’s self-imposed isolation from the nearby settlements of other nations, sparked by a mysterious incident, years before, that resulted in an American’s death. Holm moves slowly in the first half, exploring Bell’s quiet, day-to-day existence on the red planet as he worries over friendships, does chores, and begins to ask questions about his expanding awareness of the universe he inhabits. The excitement ratchets up when the children make an unauthorized excursion in a rover, curiosity driving them to peek in on neighboring settlements and voice growing doubts about their separation. The point comes to a

head when a virus infects all of the American adults, forcing the kids to seek aid from their neighbors. The plot and setting are elegantly simple, yet the story proves completely engaging, driven by a charming cast of gentle characters and, more so, by Holm’s lean, measured prose, which moves briskly and seems to strike a resonant note on every page. An unexpectedly cozy work of sf—celebrating science, community, and cooperation—that will have readers feeling right at home on Mars. —Ronny Khuri

Used with the permission of Booklist https://www.booklistonline.com/