Halt Shutdown

In a not-too-distant future, where household robots are stationed on every corner to help humans, an automated assistant takes over the home of an innocent family—just one more chapter in the man-versus-machine saga.

But after one enemy has been defeated, a new threat emerges. Upon returning from vacation, Lior discovers that a new discipline officer has been installed at his school. It stands three feet tall, with spider legs, cameras, and microphones. Its name is DST-1780.

The merciless robot roams the yard, hallways, and classrooms, relentlessly hunting students and reporting their every move to the administration. Parents’ protests fall on deaf ears; the principal refuses to listen, and the electronic guard tightens its grip on the school. Then, just as all hope seems lost, the war council of Class 7 comes together and hatches a daring plan.

The battle begins once more: man versus machine. Or perhaps — those with sharper eyes might suspect — perhaps the real battle is actually people versus people?

David Epstein teaches literature, history, carpentry and imaginative play. He published three books. This is his first book to be translated into English.