MARTians

Gr 5–8—In a dreary near future, big box retail companies own everything—schools, doctors, even people, if they're not careful. For Zoe Zindleman, this world has always been a well-oiled machine guiding her through life. But when Zoe's mom is forced to leave town seeking better work and Zoe's school hustles her into the workforce a year early, she is left rudderless in her decaying subdivision. When the buses stop running and the water is in danger of being shut off, a strange boy finds Zoe and makes it his job to guide her. Wary but with few options, Zoe follows him into the small and dirty world of people like her who've fallen through the cracks. Previous Morris winner Woolston's writing is smart and atmospheric, leaving readers to fill in many of the blanks about Zoe's world. The protagonist is an interestingly uncommon lead, slow to distrust the consumer-centric society she's grown up in. Many of the themes and moments can be thought provoking, even heartbreaking—especially set against such familiar territory as toy departments and food courts. Overall, though, many readers will feel slighted by the lack of narrative progress. Woolston picks up many interesting threads through the short book but sees few of them to clear or compelling conclusions.