The Junkyard Bot

Gr 3–5—George Gearing is an 11-year-old orphan with a knack for robotics. He is unique; in a town maintained by laboring robots, George keeps a robot as his friend (even if he is a little glitchy). When George's beloved Jackbot is hit by a car, the boy is presented with an opportunity to fix him with the best parts robotics has to offer. These updates provide Jackbot with something unprecedented: Artificial Intelligence! When Jackbot's intelligence catches the eye of the wrong people, George encounters a plot to destroy his town of Terabyte Heights. This is a humorous, fast-paced, action-packed science fiction novel. George Gearing, Jackbot, and their comical antics will win the attention of readers. Fujita's appropriately placed illustrations bring the story to life. The conclusion wraps up enough loose ends to be satisfying but leaves a few questions to be answered in a future installment.—Tiffany Davis, Mount Saint Mary College, Newburgh, NY