Weird Little Robots Paperback – April 13, 2021

As an adult, I enjoyed the book and the story. One of the 4th graders I am tutoring read it in one day -- she said she couldn't put it down. Nice story of friendship and challenges even us adults face, like making friends and fitting in.

My daughter LOVED this book. She used to be obsessed with the Junie B Jones series and seemed to get the same thrill from this book. Depending on your child’s reading level, I’d guess this would be a solid chapter book for 3-5 grade readers.

Thank you @kidlitexchange and @candlewickpress for the review copy of this book. All opinions are my own.This was a wonderful middle grade story. I really enjoyed all of the characters, especially the girls who love different forms of science. Penny Rose enjoys making robots out of discarded treasures she randomly stumbles upon. She’s new to town and hasn’t made any friends yet, until she observes the peculiar girl across the street. Lark is fascinated with Ornithology, the study of birds. She keeps journals about them, builds magnificent houses and even has crows who drop off lost objects as a sign of their gratitude.Penny Rose and Lark hit it off pretty quickly and enjoy working on building a town for the robots together. They are startled to find that one day the robots have come alive and can interact with the girls. They agree to keep them safe and never show anyone, but then an unexpected invitation arrives in Penny Rose’s locker. She has been invited to join the Secret Science Society. The problem is Lark didn’t get asked and the members are requesting to see the unique robots to gain entry. Penny Rose finds out the hard way that friendships and promises are meant to be cherished.Goodness, as a shy, science kid myself, I would have loved this book in elementary school. Not only was the story captivating and full of great lessons, but I also enjoyed the added mysteries surrounding the robots and the members of the club. Young readers will love Chimney, the pet squirrel too!! Loved the bit of girl power at the end.The chapters were short and quick to read. I adored the lovely illustrations by @corinnaluyken that helped bring the adventure to life!!

I bought this for my 8 year old daughter and she absolutely loved it !! After a night of reading under the covers after bed time, she simply couldn't stop talking about it !! Illustrations are beautiful and the book quality is very high. If you liked this one, be sure to check out LITTLE ENGINEERS too - it's a bit more grounded bu also features some imaginative scenes of engineering brainstorming...

I loved this story with its cute, quirky characters and a little bit of magic. The two little fifth-grade scientists are charming, Penny Rose who builds robots with salvaged parts, and Lark who builds birdhouses that also use salvaged parts. When they find each other and finally have the friendship they each longed for, it isn't long before complications arise in the form of an opportunity for Penny to join the Secret Science Club. The choices she makes almost destroy her friendship and her robots forever, but in the end, friendship saves the day. I had originally checked this book out at my local library but liked it so much that I bought a copy to give as a birthday gift for a 9-year-old.

FYI...BTW...LOL (this will make sense when you read the book!) Weird Little Robots is an incredible book that has charmed our entire family! The story of a creative and inventive girl, Penny Rose, Weird Little Robots checks all of the boxes we look for in a good book - funny, relatable, engaging and endearing. The magic of Penny Rose’s robots coming to life is well-balanced with real-world issues like anxiety, bullying and being the new kid in town. My daughter and I initially read it together as a bedtime book some months ago, and she hasn’t been able to stop talking about it since. It even inspired her to start her own collection of homemade robots, something that proved to be a very worthwhile project during the pandemic lockdown. Words and phrases from the book have found their way into our family vocabulary, and it’s one of those books we will be reading again and again. I would highly recommend Weird Little Robots to anyone who loves a truly good story that is sure to stay with you for some time to come.

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.*My review is based on an advanced reader copy provided by the publisher in exchange for my honest opinion.