The Wild Robot

I picked up a copy of this book at a local independent bookstore based solely on the popularity of the animated movie that's been getting rave reviews (two of which were from my kids).

This is a sweet story about family and community with a distinct 'fish out of water' vibe. It's got good lessons for young readers and interesting illustrations. I'm unsure of what age this book is aimed at though. It has a hearty page count, a larger vocabulary and with the tense action scenes (some which include death), I can see why it is touted as a middle grade book. But the illustrations and simple story which was made up of a hodgepodge of situations made it seem like it was more suited to readers slightly younger than middle grade.

Overall, I enjoyed the themes of family, community and helping others. And I realize I'm not in the demographic for this story, but I found it to be a less engaging story than I expected. I plan to watch the movie based on this book and based on the rave reviews; I expect to love it more than this book it's based on.

My Rating: 3.5 stars

Author: Peter Brown

Genre: Children, Fantasy, SciFi

Series: 1st in The Wild Robot series

Type and Source: Trade paperback, personal copy

Publisher: Little Brown Books for Young Readers

First Published: April 5, 2016

Book Description from GoodReads: Wall-E meets Hatchet in this #1  New York Times bestselling illustrated middle grade novel from Caldecott Honor winner Peter Brown

Can a robot survive in the wilderness?

When robot Roz opens her eyes for the first time, she discovers that she is all alone on a remote, wild island. She has no idea how she got there or what her purpose is--but she knows she needs to survive. After battling a violent storm and escaping a vicious bear attack, she realizes that her only hope for survival is to adapt to her surroundings and learn from the island's unwelcoming animal inhabitants.

As Roz slowly befriends the animals, the island starts to feel like home--until, one day, the robot's mysterious past comes back to haunt her.

From bestselling and award-winning author and illustrator Peter Brown comes a heartwarming and action-packed novel about what happens when nature and technology collide.