WEIRD LITTLE ROBOTS, by Carolyn Crimi and Corinna Luyken, Candlewick, Oct. 1, 2019, Hardcover, $16.99 (ages 8-12)
Friendships come about in many ways. In Weird Little Robots, written by Carolyn Crimi and illustrated by Corinna Luyken, friendship is forged through robots, and a little magic.
Penny Rose is the new girl in town. Sometimes it’s hard making friends, so the 11-year-old turns to the thing she likes best for companionship. Penny Rose has a knack for building robots. Not just any robots from a kit, either. Penny Rose builds hers from found items. When Penny Rose realizes her neighbor, Lark, also has a knack for “finding” things, she thinks she may have found a kindred spirit.
Together, the new friends create roboTown — a perfect little city for the robots — and something magical happens. The robots come to life.
Penny Rose is content with her new life and friends when secret science club and a sour classmate threaten to upend everything.
Weird Little Robots is anything but weird — it’s delightful. The fact that the robots come to life makes perfect sense in Penny Rose’s world. Why wouldn’t they. This magical element helps highlight and balance the real-world problems kids deal with every day.
Carolyn Crimi’s prose is crisp and inviting. Believable dialogue helps move the story forward as does the overall paragraph/chapter structure. Corinna Luyeken’s sweet illustration have an earnestness to them that adds emotion and light throughout.
The suggested age range is 8-12, but I can see 7-year-olds enjoying Weird Little Ones as a read-aloud.
