Christmas is coming to the Crater School, so the girls must celebrate. So says the Earth calendar. But Mars does not respect school rules. Nor does the Red Planet have much respect for Earth weather. Why bother with a white Christmas when Martian weather can be far more dangerous?

 

Then again, perhaps this is for the best. The people most likely to arrive at the Crater School with snow on their boots are Russian spies.

Another enjoyable romp from the talented pen of Chaz Brenchley, this is the second book in his Crater School series, in which an Imperial Mars ruled by Queen Victoria (from a Martian cocoon, no less) meets British boarding school girls. Stalwart. Determined. Mostly Martian. And just a little bit wicked.

What do you do at Christmas time on a planet with a 687 day year? In this installment, the familiar faces of Rowany, the twinses, and Pete — and let’s not forget Miss Leven, Sister Anthony, and the staff — meet two more new girls in unprecedented situations, and it’s up to all the grown ups to get them sorted by Christmas. They don’t make it easy. Ellen-Stephanie, a girl raised as a boy who comes to the Crater School to learn how to be a girl, can’t get along with Pete, a girl who couldn’t care less about her boyish ways and doesn’t want to be there. And is Catherine a Russian spy?

Not to mention, is Rowany a spy?

This one will keep you turning the pages. Recommended.