I like the idea this book presents. That maybe sitting still and not wondering what’s around the river bend isn’t any greater a plan than jumping head first into adventure. I feel like this this story could have been strengthen by removing the secondary romance completely. Maybe it’s because of when this was written but Mel’s almost single minded focus on what constitutes “dating” takes away from the meaning of the story. So many times she’s so worried about if being friends with a boy means they’re dating, but oh they haven’t kissed. And to that point I hate how every choice she makes is a result of people bullying her into things “because she’s so shy” it really takes away from the message of you should learn about other perspectives before you judge them when the first reaction to someone not agreeing with you is animosity.
Good bones but really falls short where it matters

Wonderful Book of Dreams and Ideas

I like this book and the author’s other books because it is about how the protagonist faced change. It seem like she was going to do what she did all along. I enjoyed reading this book.

In Which Some Books Are Not Bad, But Also Not That Good:

http://thebookfix.wordpress.com/2013/...

Well that was kind of terrible. And as a fan of Heinlein juveniles, it didn't have to be. Sure it was apparently written originally before 1969 and only marginally updated. But the action of the main character, a young lady who really lived to attach herself to some guy, was just plain annoying. Which was too bad because the back text of the rest of the book, dealing with the motivations behind colonizing Mars were almost as good as I would have expected from Engdahl. Though to be fair some of the technology missteps were jarring as well.

Bought this because I met the author on MySpace and liked the cover. Yes, they say never judge a book by a cover, but there you go.

I started reading this but only got to chapter 5 or so before putting it down. While it was well-written and fun, I didn't really like the anachronistic attitude the narrator's love interest had towards women in general and her in particular. I felt this dated the book, even though I read the author's note which said the book had been re-edited to make it more current.

when I was young, I was obsessed about Space! - I found it in my middle school library and I fell in love. This is a great read :)

Fun read, sweet YA novel. The author is a bit didactic, but it's an engaging read and has good values and heart.

This takes place in a future where Earth has started colonizing Mars. It's still experimental, so most people on Earth don't ever expect, or want, to travel to Mars, and future funding is tenuous. Melinda has always planned to marry her high school boyfriend and live on the Oregon coast. But her father is going to Mars for several months, and he wants her to go with him, so she puts her plans on hold.

There have been people on Mars long enough that children born to the first homesteaders are now grown, but Melinda doesn't see that the Martians might consider Mars their home as much as she feels Earth is hers. She assumes that while Martians might like Mars, they would of course prefer to live on Earth. For most of the book, her paternalistic attitude doesn't change much, despite the best efforts of a really nice 2nd-generation Martian named Alex (I liked him), but in the end her world (planet) view alters drastically.

Sylvia Engdahl brings up interesting issues about the importance of investing in science, and she wants the reader to think about them. I've been a fan of funding NASA for a while, so I had no arguments. She also draws an intriguing picture of what a Martian colony might be like, complete with a trip to Phobos that all kids can take in the 8th grade.

I've read Science Fiction for a long time but haven't encountered much YA SF until recently. This book is now one of my favorites. It does explain some science: gravity, spaceflight, Mars conditions etc. But it mostly deals with how people live, act and react in these different future conditions and locations. I loved how the story showed that our point of view and preferences are largely based on what we've been exposed to so far in our life. Melinda has to deal with new things, ideas, people and places that are different and hard for her. As she comes to understand, accept and even like the alien things and people of Mars we also are taught to be more open minded. Melinda is a great character. It was good to read a Martian novel again - it seems like there has not been many recently.

The original hardcover edition of this book was published by Atheneum in 1970. An updated hardcover edition was published by Putnam in 2006, and was reprinted in paperback by Firebird in 2007. Some of the reviews here commenting on outdated technology and/or old-fashioned attitudes of the heroine evidently refer to the 1970 edition, which is still in some libraries and used book stores. Please read only the later editions!

There were two or three ebook editions issued by Firebird/Penguin in 2007 with the same text as the paperback. These are no longer available since Penguin no longer has the rights. New Kindle and epub editions with a different cover were published by me in October 2015. These new ebook editions contain additional minor updating of references to computer technology and the use of mobile devices.

Not bad, not amazing. Worth reading. The character development was good.

2-2013 From the author who wrote, "This Star Shall Abide" – a sci-fi classic full of deep philosophy and psychology, comes this trite YA romance novel. It looks to be one of the author’s earliest books (written in the mid 60’s and published in 1970). If the reader is expecting a YA romance, it is a decent read. The author argues for space exploration being humanity’s salvation as the backdrop to the story.