Marooned on Mars, a 1952 juvenile novel by Lester del Rey

Marooned on Mars, a juvenile novel written by Lester del Rey (1952)

At left: Paperback (New York: Paperback Library, Inc., 1967), #52-415, 158 p., 50¢. Description from the back cover:

Determined to be on the first rocket flight from the moon to Mars, stowaway Chuck Svensen endangers the experiment by hiding on board the Eros. His worst fears are realized when he discovers that his presence means less food and fuel for the rest of the crew. And when the Eros crash-lands on the strange Red Planet, Chuck takes it upon himself to bring the ship safely back to the moon. From his first encounter with the menacing rodent-like Martian creatures, to the startling climax in the weird catacombs of a ruined civilization, here is science-fiction at its bizarre best!

Part of the Winston Science Fiction series, Marooned on Mars was reviewed briefly in the June 22, 1952, issue of The New York Times. More recently, fan Paul Camp posted a reader review on Amazon.

According to The Road to Science Fiction: From Wells to Heinlein (2002), by James Gunn, Marooned on Mars won the 1951 Boys' Award of Teen-Age Fiction.

Pictured: Cover of 1967 paperback depicts astronaut Chuck Svensen battling rodent-like creatures on the Red Planet.