Lion of Mars By Jennifer Holm

Lion of Mars by Jennifer Holm 259 pages Bell is a kid raised on Mars who learns that he can't be held back by the fears of the grown-ups around him. 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 they 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." -- ‡cProvided by publisher. I am not a fan of science fiction, but this book kept me intrigued and wanting to read more. The tie to a pandemic, truly made an impression. It was a very good fit for 4-6 graders.

The Rise of Magicks by Nora Roberts

The Rise of Magicks by Nora Roberts - 454 pages
Chronicles of The One - Book Three

Fallon has been preparing her whole life to battle the evil that was unleashed with the Doom.  As The One, she is going to lead the Light against the Dark and it's now time to bring the battle to them.  With her friends, family, and lover Duncan, Fallon is going to end the Dark or die trying.

This is the final book in the Chronicles of The One by Nora Roberts.  I usually like all of Nora Roberts writings.  This series was unusual in that I hated the first book, loved the second book, and the final book was okay.  It was a little hard to read this book as it hit a little too close to home right now as it is apocalyptic fiction started by a worldwide pandemic.  

Station Eleven - Emily St. John Mandel

Station Eleven - Emily St. John Mandel - 352 pages

Arthur Leander is an actor literally dying for his craft on the stage during King Lear, and then the world ends.  Georgia Flu sweeps across the world and wipes out 99% of humanity, leaving the rest scrambling to survive.

The real heart of this book is its cast of characters, all revolving in some way around Arthur.  One man tries to resuscitate him on the stage.  One man is his lifelong friend.  His three ex-wives, his son...all of them connected in some way to Arthur and in smaller ways, to each other.  The most fascinating of these is the girl who was on stage with him for King Lear; in the aftermath of the flu, she joins a travelling symphony and makes her way around the barren Midwest, acting out Shakespeare for the people left along the way.

If you're looking for something heavy on plot, you won't find it here, but what you will find is a deeply engaging, melancholy, regretful, and thoroughly destroyed (in some cases) cast of characters who manage to keep each other alive in memory and deed.