In the Red

Written by Christopher Swiedler

Narrated by Josh Hurley

A harrowing, pulse-pounding race for survival that New York Times bestselling author D. J. MacHale says “will leave you breathless.”

Michael Prasad knows he shouldn’t go out on the Mars surface alone. It’s dangerous. His parents have forbidden it. And the anxiety he feels almost every time he puts on a spacesuit makes it nearly impossible for him to leave the safety of the colony.

But when his best friend, Lilith, suggests they sneak out one night, he can’t resist the chance to prove everyone—including himself—wrong.

As the two ride along the Mars surface in a stolen rover, miles from the colony, a massive solar flare hits the planet, knocking out power, communication, and navigation systems, and the magnetic field that protects the planet from the sun’s deadly radiation.

Stranded hours from home with an already limited supply of food, water, and air, Michael and Lilith must risk everything if they’re to get back to the colony alive.

• Language: English
• Publisher: HarperCollins
• Release date: Mar 24, 2020
• ISBN: 9780062994585

Christopher Swiedler

Christopher Swiedler is an author and software engineer who lives with his wife and three children in California, where they’re under constant threat from earthquakes, tsunamis, and the occasional Martian dust storm. His goal in life is to win the Newbery Honor (not the medal itself) because he believes being a runner-up builds good character. In the Red is his debut novel. You can visit him at https://christopherswiedler.com.

Reviews for In the Red

[Becky Baumgartner · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

It's time for some middle graders to shoe they have what it takes to survive when disasters happen on Mars, even if anxiety threatens to cripple them. An exciting and smart scifi survival story! The narrator did a superb job with the voices too.