What a nasty book.
This book is more about Podkayne’s little brother Clark, and a more vicious, anti-social eleven-year-old then him is hard to find.
Poddy is basically there to show that women should not be spaceship captains, and to be killed by her brother.
If you want a more enjoyable read with a heroine called Podkayne, of Mars, try [b:Rolling Thunder|1343076|Rolling Thunder (Thunder and Lightning, #3)|John Varley|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1435905015s/1343076.jpg|1332669]. (The name is a clear shout-out to Heinlein, and Varley’s book is part of a series. You may just as well read them all.)