A Rover's Story
by Jasmine Warga
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A Rover’s Story
By Jasmine Warga
Informational Resources:
Author Information:
Jasmine Warga’s Website:
Activities & Resources:
Activities:
Create a timeline of Res’ experiences in the book.
Write an anthropomorphic story (1:58).
https://yout.ube/69IiKdzYfio?si=ScQ-i3O4bCoM9aoc
Have students write and record a book talk for A Rover’s Story.
https://www.lcps.org/cms/lib4/VA01000195/Centricity/Domain/15887/Book%20Talk%20Summative.pdf
Have students create a book trailer for A Rover’s Story.
https://animoto.com/blog/guides/how-to-make-a-book-trailer
The scientific method is important to the experiments that Raina and Xander perform on Res. Learn what the scientific method is and talk about how it applies to Res’ early days. (9:26)
https://yout.ube/qQBZbinoOrI?si=tUUt70kaUMMmIpXh
Mars Exploration Rovers:
Learn about the Mars rovers and create a presentation using Canva or Google Slides.
https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/mars-rovers/en/
https://mars.nasa.gov/msl/home/
Meet the Mars Rovers (6:47).
https://yout.ube/ujh-dtEvyIw?si=BE0jluJQJQwc6eHv
Mars:
Learn about Mars and create a presentation using Canva or Google Slides.
https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/all-about-mars/en/
https://mars.nasa.gov/participate/funzone/
https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/edu/teach/activity/mars-in-a-minute/
A 131-page booklet of activities about Mars from NASA.
https://mars.nasa.gov/files/mepjpl/MSIP-MarsActivities.pdf
Mission to Mars unit from NASA.
https://www.jpl.nasa.gov/edu/teach/activity/mission-to-mars-unit/
Makerspace Activities:
Use small robots like Ozobots or Beebots. Make a Mars landscape out of recycled materials like toilet paper rolls or building blocks. Plot a path for the robot through the landscape.
How to design a Mars rover (5:26):
https://yout.ube/UHEB3SRgNik?si=oScRoOLJhvJdDcqS
Create a bionic hand (5:36):
https://yout.ube/3LcK_qjnLmk?si=xPpcENSizz909MiH
Build a paper robot.
https://thehollydogblog.com/build-a-robot-craft/?ssp_iabi=1684094537315
Easy robot project for kids.
https://researchparent.com/learn/technology-engineering/robotics/
Make a toothbrush robot.
Discussion Questions:
Based on the title and cover of the book, what are some predictions you can make about the story?
What do you think of the book’s title? What other title might you choose?
Why would scientists think it is important to visit and investigate Mars? How do you feel about humans traveling to Mars?
If you could travel to Mars, would you?
If you could name a robot going to Mars, what would you name it? Why did you pick that name?
Raina does not talk to Res. She treats him like a machine. Xander talks to Res like he is a person (anthropomorphize). Neither can hear him talk back. Why do you think they treat Res differently? How would you treat him if you were working with him?
Sophie, Raina’s daughter, writes letters to Res. From her letters, we learn about Raina’s home life and how she sacrifices family time for work. What advice would you give Sophie? What advice would you give Raina?
On page 24, Journey says “beeps and boops''. She says this is a phrase she created for when she is frustrated or excited. Later Res works on creating his own phrase for these situations. What would your phrase be?
On pages 36 and 37, Raina’s phone is playing games when Res attempts to talk to it. What do you think your phone or computer does when you are not using it?
Res is developing human emotions. On page 44 Journey says that human emotions will lead to poor decision-making. What do you think?
Res talks about his fear of dust devils on Mars. He doesn’t want to get caught in a dust storm and go offline. What is a fear you have? Why do you have this fear?
Sophie sends a letter to Res on page 72. She tells him the scientists say he is supposed to change the world. She then asks him if the world needs to be changed. What do you think? Why?
Raina says that it will cost $4,000,000,000 to bring Res back to Earth from Mars on page 81. They will only spend the money if Res finds something that is worth the money. What could he find that would be worth it?
On page 88, Raina plays a song in Arabic that Res says sounds like a smile. Think about the songs you know. What song sounds like a smile feels to you?
Res experiences self-doubt when he discovers that Journey is not going with him to Mars. On page 105, he says they sent the wrong rover. Talk about a time when you experienced self-doubt and how you overcame it.
When Fly is down on page 218, the command center tells Res to leave him. Res overrides the code and goes anyway. Why is this a good or bad decision? What would you have done?
It takes several years for Res to arrive at Courage’s position on page 229. Was it worth years of waiting to get to Courage? Explain your answer.
Twinkle, Twinkle is sung by Res and Fly throughout their journey to and on Mars in stressful situations. It seems to help calm them. What do you use to help calm you when you are stressed?
Res says he wants to be worth all of Raina’s hard work and the time she missed with her family, on page 38. Was he worth it in the end? Explain your answer and prove it with the book.
A Rover’s Story has an emotional ending. How did the ending make you feel?
In the end, did Res’ human emotions help make him a better rover? How or why?
Why does the author include the letters from Sophie?
What did this story about Res teach you about friendship?
In the end, was Resilience a good name for Res? Prove it with some facts from the book.
If you could change one thing in the book, what would it be? Why?
Why do you think the author wrote this story?
Book Talk Teasers:
Read the reader's theater for A Rover’s Story on the Texas Bluebonnet Award website.
Watch the book trailer for A Rover’s Story on the Texas Bluebonnet Award website.
Jasmine Warga talks about A Rover’s Story (4:22):
Read Alikes:
Brown, Peter. The Wild Robot. Roz the robot discovers that she is alone on a remote, wild island with no memory of where she is from or why she is there, and her only hope of survival is to try to learn about her new environment from the island's hostile inhabitants. (Novelist Plus)
Holm, Jennifer L. The Lion of Mars. Bell has spent his whole life - all eleven years of it - on Mars. But he's still just a regular kid - he loves cats, any kind of cake, and is curious about the secrets the adults in the US colony are keeping. Like, why don't have contact with anyone on the other Mars colonies? Why are they so isolated? When a virus breaks out and the grown-ups all fall ill, Bell and the other children are the only ones who can help. It's up to Bell - a regular kid in a very different world - to uncover the truth and save his family ... and possibly unite an entire planet. (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)
McDougall, Sophia. Mars Evacuees. Alice Dare is twelve-year-old and she is evacuated to Mars to attend school and be trained as a soldier, but when all the adults disappear, Alice and her friends must survive on their own. (Novelist Plus)
Nonfiction:
Rusch, Elizabeth. The Mighty Mars Rovers: The Incredible Adventures of Spirit and Opportunity. An edge-of-your-seat adventure story about the relentless team who gave us our first in-depth look at the Martian landscape is filled with awesome pictures from NASA and the author's personal collection. (Novelist Plus)
Jackson, Libby. Space Explorers: 25 Extraordinary Stories of Space Exploration and Adventure. This beautifully illustrated anthology illuminates twenty-five extraordinary stories of space exploration, adventure, and human achievement, from a leading expert in human spaceflight. (Novelist Plus)
Reviews:
Booklist starred (September 15, 2022 (Vol. 119, No. 2))
Grades 4-6. Fans of space exploration have eagerly followed the adventures of several Mars rovers as they roam our neighboring planet, but what if those robots could communicate their firsthand experiences? Enter a rover named Resilience, or Res for short, who gains consciousness in a sterile NASA laboratory. Res grows in knowledge and awareness with each passing day, gradually advanced by two scientists in particular. As they chat with the rover, play him music, and add endless code to Res’ repertoire, the robot begins to grasp the complicated realm of human emotion—or, at least, the robot equivalent. Res can communicate with other electronics (a cell phone, a tablet, another rover) and is warned that emotions have no place in the complicated mission. Still, Res can’t help viewing his existence in a new way, and when he ultimately lands on Mars, he’s determined to complete his mission, make his favorite humans proud, and find his way back home. It’s an endlessly inventive story, replete with gentle humor and playful pondering, offering a unique perspective on everything from music and electronics to loyalty and love. Res is written in a distinct, precise voice and sweetly countered by interspersed letters to the rover from a young girl intimately connected to his being, and both thoughtfully evolve as the years pass. A profound and poignant exploration of the universe both outside and within us all.
School Library Journal (October 1, 2022)
Gr 3-5-A fictional Mars Rover narrates its own journey from the robotics lab to the Red Planet. When two scientists, Rania and Xander, build a Mars rover named Resilience, neither are aware that it is paying attention to every detail. Through journal-style updates, interspersed with letters from Rania's daughter Sophie, Resilience meets robotic and human colleagues, survives a battery of tests, and travels millions of miles into outer space, all experienced through an emotional humanistic lens. The format of brief journal entries and letters is engagingly readable for even reluctant readers, and the humorous interactions between robots and machines keep the science-heavy story moving at a reasonable pace. Readers learn about becoming a Mars rover as Resilience does, turning into the expert as Resilience further learns how to be human. Warga's character development is consistent with human and nonhuman figures, particularly Rania and Sophie; their Arabic language and culture weave smoothly throughout the story and elevate the reading experience. Rania's very real challenges of being a working wife and mother in a male-dominated field round out an authentic, modern text. The arc of the story travels into the future for a happy ending that sacrifices realism for sweetness, but the overall experience is quite satisfying. VERDICT A fresh format and timely topic engage readers in this uplifting and deeply human sci-fi story.-Casey O'Leary © Copyright 2022.