Mars rover Resilience (“Res”) is being built and tested, primarily by NASA scientists Xander and Rania. Res’s understanding of the world is limited to the details in his coding and his observations of the humans around him. Although Rania (who speaks English and Arabic) resists anthropomorphizing the rover, Xander addresses Res as though Res is alive. Over time, Res begins to develop an understanding of human emotions—and even to feel them himself, though he knows this will not serve him well on Mars. When he arrives on the red planet, Res is accompanied by an excitable drone named Fly and, distantly, a satellite named Guardian. His mission is twofold: to locate a rover that went offline years ago and to search for evidence of long-ago life on Mars. Being an emotional rover, Res wants desperately to succeed and collect samples that will warrant his return to Earth. He is also willing to ignore orders from NASA to protect Fly when Fly is in danger, despite the risk to himself. Res’s stint on Mars is a long one; the passage of time is delineated in letters that Rania’s daughter, Sophie, writes to Res over the years. While Res’s eventual return to Earth and reunion with Rania and now-adult Sophie may be far-fetched considering NASA’s current limitations, it provides a nonetheless satisfying ending to a tender, gently humorous story with a great amount of heart.   (Ages 8-12)

#1 New York Times bestseller * Best Book of the Year from The Washington Post, Publishers Weekly, New York Public Library, Chicago Public Library

The One and Only Ivan meets The Wild Robot in this unique and deeply moving middle grade novel about the journey of a fictional Mars rover, from the Newbery Honor–winning author of Other Words for Home.

Meet Resilience, a Mars rover determined to live up to his name.

Res was built to explore Mars. He was not built to have human emotions. But as he learns new things from the NASA scientists who assemble him, he begins to develop humanlike feelings. Maybe there’s a problem with his programming….

Human emotions or not, launch day comes, and Res blasts off to Mars, accompanied by a friendly drone helicopter named Fly. But Res quickly discovers that Mars is a dangerous place filled with dust storms and giant cliffs. As he navigates Mars’s difficult landscape, Res is tested in ways that go beyond space exploration.

As millions of people back on Earth follow his progress, will Res have the determination, courage, and resilience to succeed…and survive?