The Lion of Mars

5

(This is chapters 20-29! And spoiler warning-) The children of the American colony discover that the adults have fallen seriously ill due to a mysterious virus. As panic sets in, Bell and the other kids realize that they need help from the other international colonies on Mars—despite being forbidden to interact with them. Bell shows leadership by coordinating an effort to seek outside aid. Eventually, the children are able to reach out and are met with compassion and assistance from the French and other colonies. This leads to the revelation that the decades-old ban on inter-colony cooperation was based on a misunderstanding and fear. By the end, the adults begin to recover, and a new era of collaboration and openness between colonies begins, largely thanks to the bravery and initiative of the children. (Shoutout to Brandon Breckenridge on YouTube for making a playlist of all of the chapters!) (The characters are: Sai, Phinneus [died in chapter 13], Meems, Salty Bill, Vera, Flossy, Bell [the book is in first person and he is the narrator], Trey, and the other settlements.)