Thursday, July 6, 2017

Audiobook Review: The Wild Robot by Peter Brown

Title: The Wild Robot
Series: The Wild Robot #1
Author: Peter Brown
Narrator: Kate Atwater
Publisher: Little, Brown Young Readers
Publication Date: April 5, 2016
Genre: Children's / Middle Grade, Science Fiction
Format: Audiobook
Source: Overdrive


Literary Awards: 
Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award Nominee (2018)
Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Middle Grade & Children's (2016)
The Magnolia Award Nominee for 3-5 (2018)

Synopsis: 
Can a robot survive in the wilderness? 

When robot Roz opens her eyes for the first time, she discovers that she is 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 fierce 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. 

My Thoughts: 
This was my first foray into audiobooks in almost 5 years and I don't think I could have picked a better book to start with. It helps that I love children's books in general but the prose and the story itself did wonders for my attention span. Actually concentrating on someone else reading was not entirely easy for me but this story had my attention from the beginning. 

Our main character, Roz, is a robot that is washed up on an island after a storm and activated by a group of otters, who then scatter as Roz comes alive and starts talking. Alone and unsure of her purpose and function on this island, Roz explores and tries to talk to the locals. Soon, thanks to her advanced computers, she can speak the language of the only other inhabitants of the island; the wildlife. 

Despite that Roz is a robot, there is some major character growth in this story. Roz takes on the role of mother to an orphaned gosling and helps so many other animals as well. 'She' becomes a friend to so many. Friendship is a huge theme in this story. Roz has always been kind to the wildlife and when the time comes that she needs help, her friends flock to her rescue, just as she did for them. 

Overall, this was a simple but fun 'read' with great themes for a young reader. It's simple and engaging and easy to empathize with a robot that ends up on her own in the wild and must learn to survive. 

My Rating: 4 stars

2 comments:

  1. Great audiobook review! I've read his picture books, but never his middle grade stuff.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks! I didn't know he had picture books! I'll keep an eye for them for my toddler. :)

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