The Wild Robot Escapes

February 15, 2018
Roz, a robot who learned to adapt to life among wild creatures in her first outing, seeks to return to the island she calls home.Brown's sequel to The Wild Robot (2016) continues an intriguing premise: What would happen to a robot after challenges in an unexpected environment cause it to evolve in unusual ways? As this book opens, Roz is delivered to a farm where she helps a widower with two young children run a dairy operation that has been in his family for generations. Roz reveals her backstory to the cows, who are supportive of the robot's determination to return to the island and to her adopted son, the goose Brightbill. The cows, the children, and finally Brightbill himself come to Roz's aid. The focus on Roz's escape from human control results in a somewhat solemn and episodic narrative, with an extended journey and chase after Roz leaves the farm. Dr. Molovo, a literal deus ex machina, appears near the end of the story to provide a means of rescue. She is Roz's designer/creator, and, intrigued by the robot's adaptation and evolution but cognizant of the threat that those achievements might represent to humans, she assists Roz and Brightbill in their quest. The satisfactory (if inevitable-feeling) conclusion may prompt discussion about individual agency and determination, whether for robots or people.If not as effervescent as Roz's first outing, it is still a provocatively contemplative one. (Fiction. 8-11)

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March 12, 2018
In the thought-provoking sequel to Brown's middle-grade debut, The Wild Robot, the adventure picks up as the resilient Roz (short for ROZZUM unit 7134) is repaired and shipped off to Hilltop Farm. With its domesticated animals and whirring machines, the dairy farm is a far cry from the remote island that the robot has come to call home. Though her owner, Mr. Shareef, and his two children come to embrace Roz as part of the family, she is desperate to make her way back to the island and her adopted gosling son, Brightbill. Seeking their help, Roz confides in the Shareef children that she is not like other robots and asks them, "Is being different the same as being defective?" The robot's odysseyâwhich brings her from the countryside to the big city, where she comes face-to-face with her designerâraises poignant quandaries about the nature of love and selfhood. While such questions remain unresolved, Roz emerges as a striking symbol of humanity for the very reason that she poses and ponders them. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 8-12. Agent: Paul Rodeen, Rodeen Literary Management

Starred review from January 1, 2018
Grades 3-6 *Starred Review* Brown merely whetted readers' appetites for adventure with the exploits of kind, brave Roz in The Wild Robot (2016), particularly given the robot's dramatic departure from her island home. In this stellar sequel, Roz powers up, repaired and with memories intact, on a family farm, which she has been purchased to run. While she gives every appearance of being a normal robot, Roz constantly dreams of returning home. By speaking with animals, Roz gets word of her plight to a young goose named Brightbill, her adoptive son, and he flies to her rescue. With the help of the farmer's children, Roz and Brightbill flee, but their success is far from assured. Wolves, watery expanses, bustling cities, and old enemiesthe RECO robotsall stand in their way, and Brown's protagonists confront each in exhilarating and heart-stopping ways. Warmth and gentleness course through the novel, even as dangers emerge. Roz isn't programmed for violence, and the narrator acts as an honest and reassuring friend who periodically breaks from storytelling to explain difficult truths to young readers. The novel's near-future setting gives rise to questions pertaining to the division between humans and machines as well as the idea that different isn't the same as defective. Though illustrations were unavailable for review, Brown's artistic talents should only elevate his exceptional conclusion to Roz's saga. HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: The Wild Robot was a runaway success, so expect nothing less of its sequel.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)

January 1, 2019
Roz (The Wild Robot) has a new life as a farm robot, but nice as everyone is there, she longs to return to her island and her goose-son, Brightbill. With obstacles predictably paced and easily overcome, this sequel lacks tension, but gentle Rozs fans will be happy to see that she gets home. Spot and full-page grayscale illustrations once again add to the story's atmosphere.

(Copyright 2019 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

Starred review from March 1, 2018

Gr 3-6-The lovable robot, Roz (The Wild Robot), was last seen being ripped away from her goose son, Brightbill, and hauled unwillingly back to the factory for the Makers to repair and reassign her. She is reactivated on Hilltop Farm, where Mr. Shareef expects her to tend to farm duties, including caring for the many cows and making repairs around the farm. She is programmed to obey orders, including those from Mr. Shareef's children, Jaya and Jad. Roz is homesick for her prior life on the remote island with her goose son, and all of her other animal friends, but she feels trapped, and fears Mr. Shareef will find out her secret-that she is "defective" and able to think, plan, and speak the languages of the animals. Roz is torn: while she enjoys helping on the farm and spending time with the children, she desires a reunion with her son even more. With the children's help and blessing, and the cows' assistance, Roz develops an escape plan. Readers need not have read the first installment to enjoy this sequel, though fans will root for Roz and Brightbill's reunion. Brown's illustrative talent is featured in black-and-white drawings throughout. VERDICT Science fiction meets fantasy in this delightful sequel that gives readers a unique look into what technology could someday have in store. A must-buy for any middle grade collection.-Michele Shaw, Quail Run Elementary School, San Ramon, CA

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