Weird Little Robots

Illustrations by Luyken add to the guileless sensibility. A contemplation on the magic of friendship told with sweetness, simplicity, and science.

This quirkily inventive middle grade debut by Crimi (I Am the Boss of This Chair) introduces Penny Rose, a shy 11-year-old who has made no friends in her new town. She spends most of her time alone in the backyard shed creating miniature robots out of "odd items that pleased her," including a meat thermometer, a cellphone, and a marble. Spying on Lark, an eccentric classmate and neighbor, Penny Rose discovers the girl's collection of handmade birdhouses, decorated with objects that birds drop in her yard, and recognizes a kindred spirit who "couldn't resist making something from nothing, either." At Lark's suggestion, the two repurpose items to build the robots a town in the shed, after which Penny Rose's robotic creations spring to life. Into this magical plot strand Crimi capably weaves a real-life quandary that jeopardizes the girls' friendship: when Penny Rose is invited to try out for the Secret Science Society, she breaks her vow of secrecy with Lark and shares her robots with the members--the popular kids at school--to prove her scientific acumen. In affecting illustrations, Luyken (The Book of Mistakes) successfully captures the heroines' likable sincerity, ingenuity, and mutual affection, as well as the robots' spunky personalities. Ages 8-12. Author's agent: Danielle Smith, Red Fox Literary. Illustrator's agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. (Oct.)

Gr 3-5--Eleven-year-old Penny Rose's new home is a bit lonely. She appreciates her kind and loving parents, but she doesn't have any friends yet. She makes a wish while she's working on building robots out of recycled materials and meets the girl who lives closest to her, Lark. Lark is kind of strange, but it turns out they have a lot more in common than Penny Rose thought. Lark likes to find materials and build birdhouses. When Lark sees Penny Rose's robots, they decide to build a Robotown for the robots. Then the robots come to life. The girls agree that no one else should know about this, but when Penny Rose gets an invitation to join a secret science club, she's intrigued enough to show the club members the robots. When Lark realizes what Penny Rose has done, she feels betrayed. This book is an unusual combination of modern technology and fairy tales. The language feels old-fashioned even though the subject matter is current. The friendship theme and connections to technology, persistence, and problem-solving will appeal to a variety of students, though the artwork depicts all characters as white. VERDICT This would be a solid addition to an elementary library that wants to add books about STEAM or friendship.--Debbie Tanner, S D Spady Montessori Elementary, FL