Countdown Conspiracy

 

Six pre-teens from around the world are selected for a multiyear mission to land the first humans on Mars.   The training facility for the astronauts is in Antarctica, a neutral location that will supposedly limit international rivalries.  However, trouble begins almost immediately.  The ship carrying two of the trainees, including Miranda from the United States, our narrator, is attacked by unknown forces and barely  limps into port.  And as more attacks follow, it becomes clear that some very powerful people don’t want the mission to succeed. 

 

With plausible situations, spellbinding action, and well-drawn characters (the young astronauts are all geniuses but they sometimes show a very relatable lack of emotional maturity), this is a good book for fans of either sci-fi or realistic fiction.

  

And there’s a cool mini-robot named Ruby we’d all like to have for a friend.