Runaway robot

Twelve-year-old Alfie's decision to "swerve" both regular school and the Limb Lab where he's learning to use Lefty, his new bionic right hand, leads to a string of "controversial" incidents (as he puts it) after he meets a large but partially dismantled robot in an airport's cavernous Lost Property department. Eric, the robot, is more manservant than menace, and no sooner do the two escape than Alfie suddenly finds himself fighting to keep the peaceable but scary hulk from being captured and crushed in the name of public safety. Alfie gets unexpected help from fellow Limb Lab patients: notably, fierce and hostile Shatila "Shatter" Mars, a young Bosnian whose foot was blown off by a mine. As it turns out, Eric has a tragic past--but then, so does Alfie, and as his traumatic amnesia begins to fade in fits and starts, readers will realize that Cottrell-Boyce has been telling two stories all along: one a boy-meets-robot romp, the other a wrenching tale involving an accident that left a big brother with both physical and psychological injuries. With exquisite legerdemain, the author brings plots and themes together in a suspenseful, buoyant climax that leaves the siblings reunited and Eric reassembled. Lenton's sparse but expressive illustrations capture the warm bond that develops between the dark-skinned narrator and his well-armored mechanical friend.

A boy and a robot bond. Alfie is missing a hand. Eric is missing a leg. Alfie's a 12-year-old kid; Eric's an enormous robot. Alfie, looking for his misplaced bionic hand in the lost-property office at the airport, encounters Eric, who declares that he desires nothing more than to serve him as part butler, part questing knight ("WE RIDE AT DAWN!" "STAND ASIDE, VARLET!"). This leads to a series of adventures during which Alfie helps Eric escape from authorities who are bent on turning him into scrap metal. Set in a near-future world that is full of robots--chatty, mood-reading doors ("Come in, Alfie… I'll put the kettle on. Why not sit down and stabilize your metabolism?"), self-driving buses, and highly sophisticated prosthetics--this novel is an imaginative reflection on the ethical neutrality of automation. In this world, technology is only as helpful or harmful as humans allow it to be. A parallel plot thread centers the kids at the Limb Lab, where Alfie comes to terms with the accident that cost him his hand. Other kids there include Shatila, a sardonic hijabi girl from Bosnia, who lost her foot to a land mine. An emotional revelation late in the second act shifts the story's momentum into high gear as it nears an emotional conclusion. Humorous illustrations throughout add to the sense of adventure. Alfie is depicted with brown skin and black hair. Wit and teamwork win the day in this android adventure. (author's note) (Adventure. 9-12) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.