Booktalks Quick and Simple

	Emerson, Kevin. LAST DAY ON MARS Walden Pond, 2017 IL 5-8, RL 5.2 ISBN: 978-0062306715 (3 booktalks)
Click on the book to read Amazon reviews	Booktalk #1 The remains of the Earth fell into the sun years ago, and ever since human beings have lived on Mars. Now Mars is about to suffer the same fate, so its millions of inhabitants are being evacuated in giant starliners, heading for a distant Earth-like planet, Aaru-5. Liam, his friend Phoebe, and their parents have stayed behind until the last minute, the parents completing terraforming trials for their new planet, when a deadly explosion destroys the research station. The starliner departs without them, leaving Liam, Phoebe, their unconscious parents, and a panda-like robot named JEFF behind. Liam, Phoebe, and JEFF set off to attempt a rendezvous with the starliner – but in the meantime, they’ve discovered a dead blue alien with a time-travel watch and met an intimidating representative of the mysterious Drove, whose aim seems to be to destroy all of humanity. An action-packed and exciting first book of a trilogy. (Vermont DCF Award nominee, 2018-2019) Booktalk #2 Action! Adventure! Mystery! Aliens! You will find all of these and more in Kevin Emerson’s Last Day on Mars: Chronicle of the Dark Star . Thirteen-year-old Liam and his friends, Phoebe and Shawn, were born on Mars and now have only 24 hours to board the starliner Scorpius to leave their home planet and solar system forever before the sun goes supernova. However, things do not go as planned, as Liam and his friends discover sabotage, aliens, and a time-travel watch. Liam and Phoebe miss boarding the starliner in time and must try to catch up with the Scorpius in an alien spacecraft without getting killed in the process. Will the Scorpius make it to Aaru? Will Liam and Phoebe make it to the Scorpius? Read Kevin Emerson’s Last Day on Mars: Chronicle of the Dark Star to find out! (Prepared by: Angela Thoele, Chapin Middle, athoele@lexrich5.org for South Carolina Book Award) Booktalk #3 It is 2213 and the Earth has been burnt to a cinder. The Sun will go supernova soon. Humanity is living on Mars building spacecrafts to leave the solar system. Liam and Phoebe, both 13, are scheduled to leave in less than 24 hours with their families on the last ship. But their parents’ vitally important research on Olympus Mons has been sabotaged by aliens who seek the extinction of humans. Liam has found an alien watch that shifts time. But there are no wizards or magic here. If you are looking for a survival story and pure science fiction based on fact, this first book of the Chronicle of the Dark Star trilogy is for you. (Garden State Children's Book Awards nominee, 2020)
	SUBJECTS: Life on other planets -- Fiction. Mars (Planet) -- Fiction. Science fiction. Stars -- Fiction. Survival -- Fiction.

Emerson, Kevin.
LAST DAY ON MARS
Walden Pond, 2017
IL 5-8, RL 5.2
ISBN: 978-0062306715

(3 booktalks)

Click on the book to read Amazon reviews

Booktalk #1

The remains of the Earth fell into the sun years ago, and ever since human beings have lived on Mars. Now Mars is about to suffer the same fate, so its millions of inhabitants are being evacuated in giant starliners, heading for a distant Earth-like planet, Aaru-5. Liam, his friend Phoebe, and their parents have stayed behind until the last minute, the parents completing terraforming trials for their new planet, when a deadly explosion destroys the research station. The starliner departs without them, leaving Liam, Phoebe, their unconscious parents, and a panda-like robot named JEFF behind. Liam, Phoebe, and JEFF set off to attempt a rendezvous with the starliner – but in the meantime, they’ve discovered a dead blue alien with a time-travel watch and met an intimidating representative of the mysterious Drove, whose aim seems to be to destroy all of humanity. An action-packed and exciting first book of a trilogy. (Vermont DCF Award nominee, 2018-2019)

Booktalk #2

Action! Adventure! Mystery! Aliens! You will find all of these and more in Kevin Emerson’s Last Day on Mars: Chronicle of the Dark Star . Thirteen-year-old Liam and his friends, Phoebe and Shawn, were born on Mars and now have only 24 hours to board the starliner Scorpius to leave their home planet and solar system forever before the sun goes supernova. However, things do not go as planned, as Liam and his friends discover sabotage, aliens, and a time-travel watch. Liam and Phoebe miss boarding the starliner in time and must try to catch up with the Scorpius in an alien spacecraft without getting killed in the process. Will the Scorpius make it to Aaru? Will Liam and Phoebe make it to the Scorpius? Read Kevin Emerson’s Last Day on Mars: Chronicle of the Dark Star to find out! (Prepared by: Angela Thoele, Chapin Middle, athoele@lexrich5.org for South Carolina Book Award)

Booktalk #3

It is 2213 and the Earth has been burnt to a cinder. The Sun will go supernova soon. Humanity is living on Mars building spacecrafts to leave the solar system. Liam and Phoebe, both 13, are scheduled to leave in less than 24 hours with their families on the last ship. But their parents’ vitally important research on Olympus Mons has been sabotaged by aliens who seek the extinction of humans. Liam has found an alien watch that shifts time. But there are no wizards or magic here. If you are looking for a survival story and pure science fiction based on fact, this first book of the Chronicle of the Dark Star trilogy is for you.
(Garden State Children's Book Awards nominee, 2020)

SUBJECTS:      Life on other planets -- Fiction.
                        Mars (Planet) -- Fiction.
                        Science fiction.
                        Stars -- Fiction.
                        Survival -- Fiction.