Red Ribbon Winner from The Wishing Shelf Book Awards

There are four fundamental things humans require for survival: air to breathe, shelter to keep our bodies safe, water to drink, and food to eat. Take any of these away and we cannot survive for long. Shelter, water, and food, we must put in some effort to obtain. We take air for granted because it’s always there, wherever we go. But what if it wasn’t? What if we had to put effort into obtaining and managing the air we breathe, just as we do for everything else? Welcome to life on Mars.

The Generation Mars series is hard science fiction scaled for kids. Sisters Cas and Ori are among the first children born on Mars. The series follows their adventures as they grow up in an environment unlike any in which children have grown up before.

Each book in the series uses a fundamental element of survival as title and jumping off point: Air, Shelter, Water, Food.

In book one, Air, the sisters learn about the air they breathe and about what can happen when things go wrong.

Praise for Air and the Generation Mars series:

This next piece of the Generation Mars story, from the very beginning, combines a good storyline with a way to introduce kids to science and engineering concepts in a seamless way that is bound to hold their attention! It gives a very accurate idea of what it would be like for humans to live on Mars in the near future.
Dr. Tanya Harrison, Mars scientist, on Air: Generation Mars, Book One

A heart-pounding adventure combined with well-founded science for the aspiring space explorer who will one day take us to Mars. More than just exciting science-fiction, Generation Mars is also a science manual that will start interesting conversations between middle-graders and their peers. This is a book teachers and librarians will fight to have on their shelves.
Rae Knightly, author of The Alien Skill Series, on Air: Generation Mars, Book One

It's a genial story for readers new to chapter books about the first children on Mars... I'm looking forward to further installments in the series!
Emily Lakdawalla, Solar System Specialist, The Planetary Society, on Scratching the Surface: Generation Mars, Prelude

GENERATION MARS fills the “hard science fiction” hole in early middle grade bookshelves...I hope this book will hook some of our young readers (and parents) who aren’t as easily entertained by the silly stuff.
Vi Figueroa, teacher (Mrs. Fig’s Book Reviews), on Scratching the Surface: Generation Mars, Prelude

Every step in a new journey can be uncertain. But these first steps move us into the future we wish to create. Small steps by sisters Ori and Cas, part of the first cohort of children born and raised on Mars, are just what humanity needs to grow beyond Earth. Through their eyes, readers can feel that they, too, are Generation Mars.
Laura Forczyk, owner of Astralytical, on Scratching the Surface: Generation Mars, Prelude

From the author:

I am writing the Generation Mars series to give kids their first exposure to hard science fiction. Technically, that term simply means that the events of the stories are grounded in science. But, inevitably, it also means that the science can be hard. I’ve made an effort to ensure that the story is enjoyable even without a thorough understanding of the science involved. Terms are introduced in a way that should make their meaning obvious from context. The science section at the back is challenging, but I’ve made the important take-aways clear at the beginning of each section.

I also have not held back in terms of vocabulary and grammatical style throughout the book. It is my experience that kids are able to enjoy reading levels far beyond what we expect, as long as the story keeps them engaged. I think this one will.