The Martian by Andy Weir

1. BIBLIOGRAPHIC DATA

Weir, Andy. The Martian: a Novel. New York: Broadway , 2016. Print.


2. PLOT SUMMARY

Mark Watney has been abandoned on Mars and must learn to survive to be rescued.

3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS

Mark Watney is an engineer and botanist on a mission on Mars. The character has a sense of humor, despite being in constant danger of dying from everything. Watney has many things to worry about. Does he proper pressure? Does he have air to breathe? Is he breathing too much CO2? Does he have enough water? How long will his food last? Unlike other disaster books, there is not a chance of being saved any time soon. It would take a minimum of four years for him to be rescued. Come on, it's Mars, people! Despite all of this, Watney will keep you laughing with each page turning.
You do not need to be a science expert to enjoy the book. The book is so well written that I think I am significantly more intelligent now than I was before I started reading. Andy Weir explains everything very clearly. Young adults will have no issues understanding the book and its concepts. There is not one negative thing to say about this book. It was so engrossing that I did not put it down once I started. I read the entire book in one glorious day. I had seen the movie first, but like always - The book is always better! ; )
There is a bit of language in the book, but it is used in a respectable amount. The words are used to explain the circumstances, like "I'm going to science the **** out of this."
This book is a must read for anyone who likes disaster stories. This quickly became one of my favorite books.


4. CREATIVE ACTIVITY

The National Educational Association gives detailed lesson plans for teachers of any age group. I love websites that are very clear and well organized. The ages for each of the lesson plans are in bold next to each lesson so you know which is more appropriate for you. Find it here.

•  Nast, Phil. "The Martian." NEA. National Educational Association, n.d. Web. 11 July 2017. <http://www.nea.org/tools/lessons/63667.htm>.

5. RELATED RESOURCES

I am a huge fan of  Neil DeGrasse Tyson. Anyone else in love with Cosmos??? This is a live interview with Andy Weir on the show Star Talk. They really talk about the science of the book. This is an audio podcast that has been uploaded to youtube.com. Don't miss this great interview!

• "Startalk Radio - Surviving on Mars, with Andy Weir - Neil deGrasse Tyson talk." YouTube. YouTube, 05 Dec. 2016. Web. 11 July 2017. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydJPlKpxMgA>.

If you have been living under a rock, then you might not know that this award winning book has been made into an award winning movie!

• "The Martian | Official Trailer [HD] | 20th Century FOX." YouTube. N.p., 19 Aug. 2015. Web. 11 July 2017. <https://youtu.be/ej3ioOneTy8>.

The author, Andy Weir, explains his next book.

• "Andy Weir (THE MARTIAN) talks about his new book ARTEMIS." YouTube. N.p., 08 May 2017. Web. 11 July 2017. <https://youtu.be/Jf0-zPMhDA4>.

6. PUBLISHED REVIEW

This is a Kirkus Review over The Martian. Find it here.

• "THE MARTIAN by Andy Weir." Kirkus Reviews. N.p., 8 Dec. 2013. Web. 10 July 2017. <https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/andy-weir/the-martian/>.