The Wild Robot by Peter Brown

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

As I have been writing these reviews, I've realized I need to acknowledge the power of teachers and their potential to instill a love of reading in children. My daughter's third grade teacher read The Wild Robot to her class and my daughter was hooked from the beginning. She has since read both sequels: The Wild Robot Escapes and The Wild Robot Protects (as have I - reviews are forthcoming!). Had it not been for her teacher, she may have never discovered these books, and they have become some of her her favorites!

The Wild Robot is the story of Roz, a robot who finds herself in the wild on a secluded island. We soon discover that she's not like every other robot out there. She seems to actually become self-aware as she breaks down barriers between machine and animal and makes friends with the different species that surround her, including an orphaned goose whom she mothers and gives the name Brightbill.

This book is not only full of great lessons about empathy and acceptance, but is full of adventure and suspense, especially toward the end when Roz learns the truth about where she came from! It's no wonder my daughter was immediately ready to move on to Book number two because that ending just leaves you wanting more.

Just a warning though - if you have a child like mine who is always begging for one more chapter before bed, the chapters are bite-sized meaning that one, two, three, or more chapters will never feel like quite enough and they may end up staying up longer than expected!

Highly recommend this book to middle-graders, especially those just starting to dive into science fiction. It's a great introduction to the genre and may help them discover the joy that can be found in worlds we can only imagine.

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