Reviews

The Truth about Martians by Melissa Savage

hannahswells09's review against another edition

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes

5.0

I went into this book not expecting to like it as much as I did. I really enjoyed this book, especially the second half. Melissa Savage does a wonderful job tackling some very difficult subjects, while using kid friendly language. People often forget that kids go through Greif just as adults do, but need books like this one to express their feelings. I would recommend this to anyone, but especially a child who has been through a difficult loss like losing a sibling. I loved the moment they fully considered Moon Shadow a friend, that was very touching. Mylo consistently refers to Obie as being the brave one, but I really think Dibs shows the biggest piece of bravery. When Dibs said “when someone needs help, you help ‘em” simple as that. Savage also does a great job referring the overwhelming feeling you get when you’re upset as “the grey” it’s so relatable for children and everyone really! Another quote I really enjoyed was from Mylo’s mother “no one is all good or all bad. We have some of both in us. We just have to remember to make the right choices even when they are harder to make than the wrong ones.” It reminded my of the quote Sirius Black tells to Harry Potter about have light and dark in us. Very profound. I’ve read Savage’s other books and I’m sad this is the last of her books for me. I’ll be sure to read more from her if they come out.

ljrinaldi's review against another edition

3.0

I had problems with this book.

I wanted to believe.

And I was supposed to believe that there was extraterrestrial life.

But, my gosh, it was like pulling teeth.

On one hand we had Mylo mourning his brother's death. Then we had his friends, hanging around with him, quoting comic books, and the token smart girl.

Once we finally established that there was indeed a spaceship and an alien, we had had to go back and forth, and argue, and discuss.

I thought, perhaps, martians might parallel his love for his dead older brother, and the story hinted at that, then turned, and left us in the desert.

Too much talking, too little action.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

jamie29's review against another edition

5.0

I hands down love this book so much. I can't wait for my son too read this book. It was so good and so interesting.


I love that Melissa did her research like she should have. And the author notes at the end was really good too. And I normally don't read those. Well she did talk about things inside this book that happened. And I was so happy that she said what she said in the book.

I have read so much on the Rosewell crash and seen so many things on it also. And I have read and watched so much on UFO's also. And I am so glad that she did write some of what did happen. And I do believe that they crashed in Rosewell and it wasnt a weather bollon.

I love that she also put her own twist inside the book. And that she teaches you grief and loss and adventure. So many emotions at the end of the book. And so thoughtful.

5 out of 5 starts. This is going to be a reread for sure and I can't wait. Loved it so much. My favorite book of the year so far.

the_fabric_of_words's review against another edition

5.0

Mylo's best friend Dibs is a Martian fanatic -- every unexplained phenomena could be explained by Martians, if he listened to Dibs. Mylo doesn't. He's more of a Superman kinda guy.

Dibs spends the night a lot, especially after Obie, Mylo's brother, dies. The boys are spending the night at Mylo's house, when there's a storm and something crashes in a blaze of light near his parents' Roswell, NM ranch. Dibs misses it (!) but Mylo hears a call for help in his head.

The boys and friend Gracie are warned away from the crash site, but you know what kids do when they're warned NOT to do something -- they have to investigate it.

Mylo finds a real Martian and he's a she, and she's not from Mars, she's from Europa and on a field trip, and the Army has her brother captive on base.

I won't spoil the ending! Enjoy the read.

Visit my blog for more great middle grade book recommendations, free teaching materials and fiction writing tips: http://amb.mystrikingly.com/

jillcd's review against another edition

3.0

Set in the 1950’s, this is an interesting book that left me with mixed feelings. The main character, Mylo, is dealing with grief and has a strong bond with his friends. When an alien space ship crashes in their town, Mylo and friends go investigate. The alien aspect, seemed a bit drawn out and left me wanting more excitement earlier in the book. However, I am sure kids who enjoy sci-fi will like this.

jilljemmett's review against another edition

5.0

I really enjoyed this story!

At first, I didn’t realize it was about the famous Roswell spaceship. This is a cool way to teach kids history, though it is a fictional story. The historical elements of the story were great, especially the way that the kids rode horses around town.

This story was also an emotional rollercoaster. The main character lost his brother a year before, and he keeps revisiting his grave. He misses him tremendously. Though he’s excited about the alien discovery, he wishes his brother was there with him to experience it too.

This story was fast paced and exciting! I loved it!

I received a copy of this book from Penguin Random House Canada in exchange for an honest review.

bethmitcham's review against another edition

4.0

This is a book about first encounters, about people meeting each other with love and trust and friendship while pushing back against governments concerned with defense and destruction and war. It's also a book about grieving, about what it means to have an ending to a loved one. The two books mostly work together but sometimes pull apart.

I did notice that the blurb only mentions the first kind of book.