Brand New Boy
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- $12.99
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- $12.99
Publisher Description
An inventive tale by a beloved Hans Christian Andersen Award winner celebrates our differences—and the joys of inclusion—through the lens of artificial intelligence. From the boundless imagination of David Almond comes a thought-provoking question, packaged in a lively illustrated chapter book: what if a robot went to school? When a new boy joins their class, everyone thinks he’s . . . odd. George doesn’t behave like other kids. He doesn’t think like other kids. But he’s great at football and snacking, and that’s what matters to Dan and Maxie and friends, who resolve to make George feel welcome. Over time, they learn that he’s just like them, in most ways, except one: George is a robot, part of an ambitious new experiment, with sinister people bent on destroying him. When his lab pulls him out of school, can George’s new friends recover him—and set him free? Told in David Almond’s signature rollicking narrative style, this poignant tale about what it means to be human, paired with warm and funny black-and-white illustrations, will inspire children to think and giggle in equal measure.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
A child questions life's routines and predictabilities in Almond's (Annie Lumsden, the Girl from the Sea) gently existential telling. When new kid George shows up at Darwin Avenue Primary Academy in the last week of term, no one knows quite what to make of him. The 11-year-old is small, pale, emotionally distant, and when he speaks, barely moving his mouth, he either delivers dry facts ("Mam is the colloquial name for mother") or solves complex math; moreover, an adult called Miss Crystal seems always on hand, observing his every move. Nevertheless, George is soon accepted by his classmates, including white narrator Daniel, who yearns for the freedom of the outdoors and hopes to "discover brand-new worlds" like explorers discussed in class, and his exuberant Black best friend Maxie. Even while questioning George's true nature, they encourage him to join in their everyday activities, including lunchtime football. And when they learn that George is a prototype robot destined for replacement, they launch a plan to free their new friend. A wide-ranging narrative voice, by turns humorous, hopeful, and triumphant, traces the friends' attempts to help George transcend his own seemingly limited nature, while exploring impulses of imagination and creative freedom alongside classroom rigidity. Black-and-white illustrations from Altés (New in Town) portray the racially inclusive cast's interactions. Ages 8–12.
