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by Sylvia Engdahl (Author)
Melinda Ashley has a plan for her life, and a trip to Mars isn't part of it. When she receives a spaceliner ticket as a high school graduation gift from her dad, she is dismayed, but reluctantly agrees to go with him--in part because she's infuriated by her fiance's high-handed declaration that she can't. Her outlook begins to change when she meets Alex Preston, a second-generation Martian colonist who is going home after college on Earth. Alex believes settling Mars is important. He's looking forward to the role he expects to play in the colony's future. Melinda finds this hard to understand, yet she is more and more drawn to him and, while on Mars, to his family. Torn between what she has always wanted and upsetting new feelings, she wonders if she can ever again be content. It takes tragedy and a terrifying experience on the Martian moon Phobos to make her aware of what really matters to her.
The National Space Society's book reviews called this novel "A must-read for all future space pioneers who wish to persuade their friends to join them in making that future journey between the worlds of the known and the unknown." The Wichita Falls Times described it as "absorbing science fiction ... Intensive first-person characterizations and a love story one can really care about." Although it's set on Mars, it's not about space technology or exotic adventure. It's centered on the experiences of ordinary people and is usually enjoyed more by readers who like romance than by avid science fiction fans. While intended for Young Adult readers, adults also enjoy it. A reviewer for Romance Junkies called it "captivating and thought provoking. There's much more to this book than romance or a coming of age type of story, but instead the concepts it holds are what make it appealing."
