The Lion of Mars

【病毒肆虐Ｘ星球救援計畫】

十一歲的 Bell 自有記憶以來就一直住在火星的美國殖民區，他跟一般的小孩沒什麼不同，他喜歡貓咪、各種口味的蛋糕，並好奇著美國殖民區的大人隱瞞了什麼秘密計畫。例如，為什麼從不跟火星上其他殖民地區交流聯絡，為什麼他們要隔絕所有消息？

而當神秘病毒傳染開來，成人們一個個倒下，只剩下 Bell 和其他小孩可以幫忙。這全看 Bell 了，一個平凡的孩子面對完全無法想像的世界，除了找出真相拯救家人，甚至還得拯救整個火星！

這個故事背景設定在近未來的科幻小說，除了結合了太空科技與未來生活的想像，從地球移民到其他星球，也加入了現在最熱門也不可忽視的議題－病毒傳播，讀者與主角一同得面對疫情對生活的改變，不論是造成日常的不便或甚至帶走了親朋好友的生命。

Bell has spent his whole life - all eleven years of it - on Mars. But he's still just a regular kid - he loves cats, any kind of cake, and is curious about the secrets the adults in the US colony are keeping. Like, why don't have contact with anyone on the other Mars colonies? Why are they so isolated? When a virus breaks out and the grown-ups all fall ill, Bell and the other children are the only ones who can help. It's up to Bell - a regular kid in a very different world - to uncover the truth and save his family ... and possibly unite an entire planet.

Mars may be a world far, far away, but in the hands of Jennifer L. Holm, beloved and bestselling author of The Fourteenth Goldfish, it can't help but feel like home.