MARS GIRL EARTH BOY
A NOVEL BY MARION HUNT & JAMES CIMENT
About the book
Mars Girl Earth Boy tells the story of the first human settlers on Mars, not all that far in our future. Among them is Marietta, the first known child to be born on another planet. Logical, whip smart, inherently cautious, and a bit of a nerd (what else when you grow up among a bunch of scientists!), she meets her match in Ernie, a wisecracking and dare-seeking kid from New York City.
Ernie comes to Mars as part of a new expedition along with his scientist parents sent to assess where the colony remains viable. The problem is water; there’s not enough of it on the Red Planet. But Ernie’s got a plan to save the colony and make himself a hero.
Ernie recruits Marietta into his crazy scheme to discover a lost civilization on Mars, disobeying every rule of space travel (including sneaking “Ratty” his pet rat along for the ride). Their adventures take an unexpected turn, but in the end could their findings be exactly what is needed to save Mars Base I? Told as a series of dueling diary entries from Marietta and Ernie, Mars Girl Earth Boy melds the compelling science of terraforming (making Mars habitable for humans) with a good old-fashioned futuristic Mars yarn.
THE CHARACTERS
Meet Our Main Characters
Ernie
I’m Ernie, or Ernesto Munoz-Cardenas as my father addresses me when I’ve gotten into trouble, which seems to be often enough. I’m really your average boy from Earth. I live to explore and like to do things rather than sit and think about them, unlike some of those scientists. After landing on Mars with my family, my pet Ratty and I try to teach the strange but cute Martian Marietta all about earthly humor while encouraging her to "boldly go where no man has gone before." Although Marietta’s and my parents don’t know it, I may know a secret that could save the Mars colony and make history.
Marietta
I was born on Mars Base I, how cool is that! Along with my parents and the other inhabitants of the base, I work to prove that life on Mars is possible. Beyond a doubt, I’m a real life Martian, even though I have blonde hair and green eyes instead of being green with antennae. I got my first taste of Earth when an Earthling family came to visit. What a surprise when I saw this family included a boy my own age! Although at first Ernie appeared to be just a mischievous
troublemaker, we quickly became friends and partners in some pretty wild adventures.
RATTY
I’m Ernie's friend and pet who refused to be left behind on Earth. On the Mars Base, I’ve discovered a love for tofu cheese while also earning Marietta's admiration. Not only am I clean, obedient, and smart, but Marietta outfits me with my own rebreather and suit so I can join in on the fun outside the colony proper. My powerful sense of smell has a lot to do with what ultimately saves the colony on Mars.
Author Bios
Meet Our Team
MARION HUNT
Coauthor
Marion Hunt spent a decade in film and television in Los Angeles producing features and award-winning documentaries. She coproduced Voice of the Planet, a series for Turner Broadcasting and PBS, starring William Shatner and Faye Dunaway in the early 80s. She got interested in Mars when she filmed Mars scientists at NASA and Star City in Moscow for this project. She later optioned the book The Greening of Mars and developed it as a teleplay. After moving to Big Sur in 1990, Marion changed careers to work with non-profits and to write. She wrote a book for middle graders with Mars as its central theme. Intrigued by the idea that CFCs, which are harmful on Earth, could actually create life on another planet, she did extensive research by staying current on Mars activity, following scientific developments and hiring experts as consultants.
For thirty years Marion has worked with non-profits and foundations focusing on environmental issues. She is a trustee and environmental program officer of the Roy A Hunt Foundation. She is a protégé of thought leader William McDonough, termed the "mastermind of sustainable design” by Al Gore, and has been on the board of Cradle to Cradle since 2013. Marion also serves as a board member of Upstream Policy Institute, dedicated to creating a healthy, sustainable, and equitable society by addressing the root causes of environmental harm.
She wrote Mars Girl Earth Boy to encourage curious, young minds to think deeply about planetary life on Earth and on Mars. Although the book is a story of friendship and adventure, she challenges readers’ ways of thinking about their current lifestyles and the ecological possibilities for the future. Her aim is to empower them to think outside the box, and to look more closely into their everyday habits as necessities for saving our planet.
Marion lives in New York City. The main focus of her work is environmental health, clean energy, and the circular economy, so that all creatures and all children will be safe for all time.
In October 2016, Marion and her brother will receive the Spirit of Esalen award at the Esalen Institute, the oldest human potential center in the world.
James Ciment
Coauthor
James Ciment is a widely published historian and writer who currently teaches at Cal Poly Pomona. He has edited numerous encyclopedias on a number of topics and is the author of Another America: The Story of Liberia and the Former Slaves Who Ruled It. The Daily Beast’s review asserts: “That few Americans today seem aware of Liberia's story, and their own country's essential role in it, gives this book a place in the lexicon that exceeds the mere quality of its research or readability of its text, both of which are considerable.” To research Another America, Dr. Ciment traveled extensively in Liberia and worked as a political monitor there after the first civil war of the 1990s.
Ciment’s collaboration on Mars Girl Earth Boy originates from boyhood, a time when he wondered about civilizations in space. His dream has always been that we find evidence in our lifetime that proves someone is out there. Thus his interest comes out of the dream of a young boy who hoped to make that contact a reality, even if he allowed his imagination get ahead of that reality.
His attraction to coauthoring a book about a Mars girl and an Earth boy also stems from the fact that for over a century Mars has been the focus of more speculative fiction than any other celestial object, and he wished to contribute to this wonderful tradition in a way that would resonate and ring true with young 21st-century readers.
James is the author and editor of several other books for children and teenagers, including The Young People’s History of the United States. He lives with his wife and two children in Los Angeles.
Pamela Barcita
Illustrator
Pamela Barcita is a multiple award-winning children's book illustrator with over twenty-five books to her credit. She is a graduate of Maryville College in St. Louis and holds a master’s degree in illustration from Marywood University in Scranton, Pennsylvania. She teaches advanced illustration and design at Tidewater Community College in Portsmouth, Virginia. Her illustrations have been widely used in advertising, editorials, and collateral materials. She wrote text for the book titled African Wildlife: A Photographic Journal by nature photographer Ronn Maratea. Currently she is working on Just Elliot, a children’s book by Sue Baer. She and her husband, José, live in Chesapeake, Virginia.
Educational Resources
Extra Media and Teaching Guide
Click to Download The Teaching Guide
Video Series
Learn What Its Like to Live on Mars
Living in a Closed System
Growing Food on Mars
Meet the biospherians
How to grow sustainable food on mars
Mars on Earth
A Persons Gotta Breathe
Don't waste the waste
How do we breathe on mars
Precious Water
Power to the People
How important is water on mars
Where do we find energy on mars
Mars or Bust
Meeting the challenge of space exploration
Educational Resources
Extra Media and Activities Guide
Click to Download The Activities Guide
Video Series
Learn What Its Like to Live on Mars
The Biospherians:
In September of 1991 a group of eight people calling themselves the “Biospherians” were sealed into the largest closed system ever created for the duration of two years. Biosphere 2, located in Oracle, Arizona, is a 3.14 acre vivarium created to test the viability of living within an artificial and closed ecological system. The Biosphere is separated into five different sections based on biomes found on Earth. The facility has been utilized to explore the possibility of using closed biospheres in space colonization, much like that of Mars Base I where Marietta and her family live.
During the first mission within the Biosphere, the Biospherians relied on agriculture as their primary food supply and biomes were packed with different species to research how food webs and ecological function could be maintained within the structure. Issues such as fluctuating carbon dioxide and oxygen levels, changes to the biome systems, and interpersonal challenges, ended the project after two years. However, the mission provided important insight into the obstacles that could arise for future space colonists on Mars and beyond.
Living in a Closed System
Growing Food on Mars
Meet the biospherians
How to grow sustainable food on mars
Mars on Earth
A Persons Gotta Breathe
Don't waste the waste
How do we breathe on mars
Precious Water
Power to the People
How important is water on mars
Where do we find energy on mars
Mars or Bust
Meeting the challenge of space exploration
If you don't know our Space Biospheres site, please see:
http://biospherefoundation.org/current-space-biosphere-projects/
There you will find:
• Our Odyssey in 2 biospheres movie about living inside Biosphere 2
• Images and information and publications about our project called Mars on Earth - a system we want to build as a
prototype biosphere for a manned mission to Mars.
• Data and experiments we did inside a 'test chamber' called Laboratory Biosphere to advance this project.
Fun Facts About Mars
Tons of amazing facts and information
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Mars is home to the tallest mountain in the solar system. Olympus Mons, a shield volcano, is 21km high and 600km in diameter. Despite having formed over billions of years, evidence from volcanic lava flows is so recent many scientists believe it could still be active. (space-facts.com)
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Mars has the largest dust storms in the solar system. They can last for months and cover the entire planet. (space-facts.com)
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Pieces of Mars have fallen to Earth. Scientists have found tiny traces of Martian atmosphere within meteorites violently ejected from Mars, then orbiting the solar system amongst galactic debris for millions of years, before crash landing on Earth. This allowed scientists to begin studying Mars prior to launching space missions. (space-facts.com)
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Mars takes its name from the Roman god of war. The ancient Greeks called the planet Ares, after their god of war; the Romans then did likewise, associating the planet’s blood-red color with Mars, their own god of war. (space-facts.com)
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One day Mars will have a ring. In the next 20-40 million years Mars’ largest moon Phobos will be torn apart by gravitational forces leading to the creation of a ring that could last up to 100 million years. (space-facts.com)
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Mars is nicknamed the red planet because it is covered with rust-like dust. Even the atmosphere is a pinkish red, colored by tiny particles of dust thrown up from the surface. (sciencekids.co.nz)
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Mars has a very thin atmosphere made mostly of carbon dioxide. It is not thick enough to trap the sun's heat like Venus, so the planet is very cold. Temperatures range from -120 Degrees Celsius on winter nights to 25 Degrees Celsius in the summer. (sciencekids.co.nz)
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Mars has many channels, plains and canyons on the surface which could have been caused by water erosion in the past. (sciencekids.co.nz)
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Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and last of the terrestrial planets and is around 227,940,000 km from the Sun. (theplanets.org)
Follow the links below for more awesome information about the Red Planet.
Google Mars allows you to explore the surface of Mars similarly to Google Earth. The site gives the option to focus in on specific Mars landmarks including mountains, craters, and spacecraft. All of the landmarks also provide links to relevant articles.
This website provides information about the Mars One project: a non-profit organization that aims to establish a permanent human settlement on Mars in the near future. The site includes links to news articles, information about the planned mission, and an extensive FAQ section that answers all possible questions concerning the project.
Space.com features up to date articles concerning space travel, astronomy, and technology. The site provides a weekly roundup of top articles about space each week.
http://www.virgingalactic.com/
Virgin Galactic is a program that aims to create a spaceline that will democratize space travel and allow everyday people to have the same experience as astronauts. Approximately 700 individuals from around the world have already signed up and paid for spots on SpaceShipTwo, set to launch in the near future. The website includes updates on the project and explanations as to why space travel is such an important endeavor to promote.
http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/k-4/stories/nasa-knows/what-is-mars-k4.html
NASA’s website has articles about what Mars is like as well as image galleries containing high quality pictures of Mars. The website also has information and updated pictures taken from the Mars Curiosity Rover as well as a list of all NASA space missions.
http://www.kidsastronomy.com/mars.htm
Kids Astronomy is an interactive website that provides children with games and facts about the planets. The site also offers fun graphics and animations that help kids learn about space travel and technology.
http://www.planetsforkids.org/planet-mars.html
Much like Kids Astronomy, Planets for Kids is a website that focuses on interactive methods of learning about the planets and space in general. The site features articles, a planets quiz, and coloring pages.
http://www.enchantedlearning.com/subjects/astronomy/planets/mars/
Enchanted Learning is a site that provides a more in-depth view of each of the planets full of facts and graphics.
Reading List
Mars Girl Earth Boy Recommended Reading List
The Martian by Andy Weir: An astronaut named Mark Watney becomes stranded alone on Mars and must adapt to survive within the limitations of a base outfitted for only temporary habitation and attempt to communicate with Earth. In 2013 the book was adapted into a novel starring Matt Damon.
Tin Star by Cecil Castellucci: Tula and her family board a ship headed to begin a colony on a planet across the galaxy. After being attacked en route at a remote space station, Tula is saved by an alien ally. After more humans crash onto the station, Tula attempts to escape with them and seek revenge.
Stone in the Sky (Tin Star #2) by Cecil Castellucci: The sequel to Tin Star. Years after the events of the first book, Tula has her own family and home on the space station she was once abandoned on. After it is discovered that the planet beneath the station rich with a valuable resource, aliens from around the galaxy descend on the planet to attempt to harvest the resource, bringing trouble.
Saving Mars by Cidney Swanson: As tensions abound between Earth and Mars, teenager and pilot Jessamyn Jaarda journeys to Earth to raid for food. During the raid, her brother is captured and Jessamyn makes a friend with an Earthling government official. Ultimately she must choose between loyalty to her planet or to her brother.
The Callahan Kids: Tales of Life on Mars (Various Authors): An anthology about life on Mars created by science fiction writers and engineers from 4Frontiers Corporation that follows life growing up on Bradbury Base, a fictional Mars settlement.
In the Shadow of Ares by Thomas James & Carl Carlsson: Amber Jacobsen is the “first kid on Mars” and lives in a growing human settlement on the planet. After an apparent accident forces the settlers to move to the largely unexplored canyon of Noctis Labyrinthus, Amber attempts to prove her worth by unravelling the conspiracy of the vanished members of the Ares II mission.
Greening of Mars by James Lovelock & Michael Allaby: Greening of Mars chronicles the fictional history of colonization of Mars began through the eyes of a second-generation colonist. The work explores how everyday life could occur on a planet transformed to be hospitable.
Packing for Mars: The Curious Science of Life in the Void by Mary Roach: Roach uses humor to explore questions about the mechanics of space travel, with topics ranging from bodily functions of astronauts in space to the psychological effects of space travel.
A Traveler’s Guide to Mars by William Hartmann: This guide treats the reader as though they are literally planning a trip to Mars and offers descriptions and photos of the planet’s must see landmarks as well as hazards to look out for such as unpredictable weather.
How to Live on Mars by Robert Zubrin: This guide outlines tips for physical, financial, and social survival on Mars from the point of view of a current resident.
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