Bot Wars

Gr 5–7—The Robot Wars have been over for six months, and the former United States is divided into autonomous districts. "Bots" are banned, except in the Bot Territory. Twelve-year-old Trout lives with his older brother, Po, an injured war veteran, in the heavily militarized 5th District. Their father is missing. Hoping to prove that he's still alive, Trout posts a search appeal for him on the Net. Sure enough, his dad's ID thread comes back on, but the message attracts the attention of the authorities. After Po is arrested, Trout realizes that his father and brother are involved in the Meta-Rise pro-bot resistance movement-and now the police are after him as well. He needs to find his dad and rescue Po, a mission that takes him to resistance headquarters in Bot Territory, and, with secrets everywhere, he isn't sure whom he can trust. The dialogue occasionally struggles with dialect and accent, and the constant repetition of slang gets to be a bit much. Some of the most engaging characters are the robots Trout befriends-for example, steady, courageous LT and clumsy but clever mechanic Scissor. The rather complex story line includes a lot of background information about the wars and the resistance and leaves several plot threads open for potential sequels. Science-fiction fans will enjoy the action and subtle exploration of just what it means to be human.—Elaine E. Knight, Lincoln Elementary Schools, IL