Tag Archives: robotics

Review: The Trouble with Robots by Michelle Mohrweiss

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The Trouble with Robots by Michelle Mohrweis

The Trouble with Robots
Michelle Mohrweiss
Peachtree
Published September 27, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About The Trouble with Robots

Evelyn strives for excellence. Allie couldn’t care less. Together, these polar opposites must work together if they have any hope of saving their school’s robotics program.

Eighth-graders Evelyn and Allie are in trouble. Evelyn’s constant need for perfection has blown some fuses among her robotics teammates, and she’s worried nobody’s taking the upcoming competition seriously. Allie is new to school, and she’s had a history of short-circuiting on teachers and other kids.

So when Allie is assigned to the robotics team as a last resort, all Evelyn can see is just another wrench in the works! But as Allie confronts a past stricken with grief and learns to open up, the gears click into place as she discovers that Evelyn’s teammates have a lot to offer—if only Evelyn allowed them to participate in a role that plays to their strengths.

Can Evelyn learn to let go and listen to what Allie has to say? Or will their spot in the competition go up in smoke along with their school’s robotics program and Allie’s only chance at redemption?

An excellent pick for STEAM enthusiasts, this earnestly told narrative features a dual point of view and casually explores Autistic and LGBTQ+ identities.

My Review

What a fantastic, fun book! I’ve never been part of a robotics team, but this book makes the experience very accessible and highlights the fun as well. I really liked the characters and their individual personalities. It wasn’t hard to keep track of who was who once I got a few chapters into the story, because each one was so different than the others.

I really liked both Allie and Evelyn’s characters. They both wrestled with some heavy issues, but they had good support. As they took the risks of opening up, they were surprised by the way their friends came alongside them and accepted them as they were, while still asking for healthy boundaries and accountability.

The scenes showing the team working together were a really bright spot in the book. Once they all figured out how to come together, the whole story seemed to kick up a notch or two. I loved the way the stakes kept getting higher, and I was definitely on pins and needles as they went to that last competition. I loved how the lessons they’d learned about working together and supporting one another became even more critically important in those final scenes, too.

All in all, THE TROUBLE WITH ROBOTS was such a fun book to read. I enjoyed it a lot, and I’m really glad I had a chance to read it.

Content Notes for The Trouble with Robots

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Representation
Allie’s parents were killed in a car crash, and she’s being raised by her grandmother. She doesn’t feel attracted to anyone romantically. Evelyn is autistic and raised by her two moms. She also is attracted to both boys and girls. Other members of the robotics team identify as LGBTQIA+.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Two boys on the robotics team are dating.

Spiritual Content
Allie has conversations in her mind with her parents when she misses them most.

Violent Content
A boy at school picks on other kids, calling them names and threatening to beat them up.

Drug Content
None.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of THE TROUBLE WITH ROBOTS in exchange for my honest review.

Review: My Mechanical Romance by Alexene Farol Follmuth

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My Mechanical Romance
Alexene Farol Follmuth
Holiday House
Published May 31, 2022

Amazon | Bookshop | Goodreads

About My Mechanical Romance

Opposites attract in this battle-robot-building YA romance from the NYT best-selling author of THE ATLAS SIX.

Bel would rather die than think about the future. College apps? You’re funny. Extracurriculars? Not a chance. But when she accidentally reveals a talent for engineering at school, she’s basically forced into joining the robotics club. Even worse? All the boys ignore Bel—and Neelam, the only other girl on the team, doesn’t seem to like her either.

Enter Mateo Luna, captain of the club, who recognizes Bel as a potential asset—until they start butting heads. Bel doesn’t care about Nationals, while Teo cares too much. But as the nights of after-school work grow longer and longer, Bel and Teo realize they’ve made more than just a combat-ready robot for the championship: they’ve made each other and the team better. Because girls do belong in STEM.

In her YA debut, Alexene Farol Follmuth, author of THE ATLAS SIX (under the penname Olivie Blake), explores both the challenges girls of color face in STEM and the vulnerability of first love with unfailing wit and honesty. With an adorable, opposites-attract romance at its center and lines that beg to be read aloud, MY MECHANICAL ROMANCE is swoon-worthy perfection.

My Review

My favorite part of MY MECHANICAL ROMANCE is how unapologetically weird Bel is. I loved her sense of humor and the funny way she would put things. I also liked that she keeps that same off-beat weirdness through the whole story– it’s just who she is, and not something she ever really tones down to try to fit in.

Teo had to grow on me. At the beginning, he’s kind of a jerk. Really focused in on himself and not very able to see things from anyone else’s perspective. I liked the way he began to see things in a new way and that his journey had a lot of layers. It was important for him to recognize Bel’s giftedness and expertise, but I feel like if the story had stopped there, he would still have been a pretty shallow guy. Instead, he has to go a lot further to think about how his behavior and views impact the rest of the team and when those things, even if they’re well-intentioned, cause harm to the rest of his team.

I really enjoyed the team and competition aspects of the story, too, which surprised me. Robotics isn’t something I’ve ever been personally interested in, but I loved reading how Bel and Teo worked together to problem-solve different parts of their designs. And I had a great time reading the scenes describing the competitions. I felt like those really put me on the edge of my seat. They were so great!

All in all, this one was a big win for me. I love that it celebrates women in STEM and romance at the same time. Both those elements worked well together and made the story twice as enjoyable.

I think fans of TODAY TONIGHT TOMORROW by Rachel Lynn Solomon will enjoy this smart, funny book.

Content Notes for My Mechanical Romance

Recommended for Ages 12 up.

Representation
Bel is Filipino American. Teo is Mexican American and Jewish.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
Kissing between boy and girl.

Spiritual Content
References to praying before dinner.

Violent Content
Robots battle each other in competition.

Drug Content
Teens drink alcohol at a party at Teo’s house.

Note: This post contains affiliate links, which do not cost you anything to use, but which help support this blog. I received a free copy of MY MECHANICAL ROMANCE in exchange for my honest review.

Review: Ungifted by Gordon Korman

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Ungifted
Gordon Korman
Balzer + Bray
Published on August 21, 2012

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Goodreads

About Ungifted
The word gifted has never been applied to a kid like Donovan Curtis. It’s usually more like Don’t try this at home. So when the troublemaker pulls a major prank at his middle school, he thinks he’s finally gone too far. But thanks to a mix-up by one of the administrators, instead of getting in trouble, Donovan is sent to the Academy of Scholastic Distinction (ASD), a special program for gifted and talented students.

It wasn’t exactly what Donovan had intended, but there couldn’t be a more perfect hideout for someone like him. That is, if he can manage to fool people whose IQs are above genius level. And that becomes harder and harder as the students and teachers of ASD grow to realize that Donovan may not be good at math or science (or just about anything). But after an ongoing experiment with a live human (sister), an unforgettably dramatic middle-school dance, and the most astonishing come-from-behind robot victory ever, Donovan shows that his gifts might be exactly what the ASD students never knew they needed.

My Review
The opening chapter of Ungifted was one of the funniest things I’ve read in a while. I was immediately drawn in to Donovan’s frank humor and way of viewing the world around him (despite its sometimes disastrous consequences!). I’m not a huge fan of adult point-of-view scenes in children’s literature. Ungifted contains a few of those, but not too many. I still kind of wish they’d been left out. I found the kids’ viewpoints much more interesting and entertaining.

I liked how each character had a distinct voice and a story which contributed to the overall whole. I thought the positive view of science was great and the parts about the robotics competition were super cool. The tone and quick pacing make this book a great choice for reluctant readers as well as those interested in science and robotics. Highly recommended.

Recommended for Ages 8 to 12.

Cultural Elements
Main characters appear to be white. I think some other races are represented in minor characters.

Profanity/Crude Language Content
None.

Romance/Sexual Content
None.

Spiritual Content
None.

Violent Content
One of the boys uses a wrestling move he learned on YouTube to attack a couple of bullies trying to break the gifted students’ robot.

Drug Content
None.