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10,989 ratings
This #1 New York Times bestselling illustrated middle grade novel from a Caldecott Honor winner tells an extraordinary story full of action and thought-provoking questions as a robot learns to survive—and live—in the wilderness. Includes 8 pages of full color stills from the DreamWorks movie!
Can a robot survive in the wilderness?
When robot Roz opens her eyes for the first time, she discovers that she is all 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 violent 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.
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ISBN-10
0316581097
ISBN-13
978-0316581097
Print length
320 pages
Language
English
Publisher
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date
April 18, 2016
Dimensions
5.25 x 0.81 x 7.6 inches
Item weight
9.6 ounces
The island was teeming with life. And now it had a new kind of life. A strange kind of life. Artificial life.
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Like a hatchling breaking from a shell, Roz climbed out into the world.
Highlighted by 592 Kindle readers
Roz knew that some animals had to die for others to live. That was how the wilderness worked.
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ASIN :
B013CATYHY
File size :
39175 KB
Text-to-speech :
Enabled
Screen reader :
Supported
Enhanced typesetting :
Enabled
X-Ray :
Enabled
Word wise :
Enabled
Praise for The Wild Robot:
A New York Times Bestseller
An Entertainment Weekly Best Middle Grade Book of the Year
An Amazon Best Book of the Year Top Pick
An IndieBound Bestseller
ALA Notable Book for Children
New York Public Library Best Books for Kids Pick
Kirkus Best Children's of the Year Pick
School Library Journal Best of the Year Pick
Bank Street College of Education 2017 Best Children's Book of the Year
2018 Sunshine State Young Readers Award List Pick
"Brown has written a lively tale that is sure to engage young readers."―The New York Times
"Roz may not feel emotions, but young readers certainly will as this tender, captivating tale unfolds."―The Washington Post
"[Peter] Brown's picture books are consistent bestsellers and critically acclaimed. Expect readers to go wild for his robot-themed novel."―Booklist, starred review
"While the end to Roz's benign and wildlife is startling and violent, Brown leaves Roz and her companions--and readers--with hope. Thought-provoking and charming."―Kirkus Reviews, starred review
"This strong debut middle grade novel by the acclaimed picture book author/illustrator is a first purchase for most middle grade collections."―School Library Journal, starred review
"Brown's middle-grade debut, an uplifting story about an unexpected visitor whose arrival disrupts the animal inhabitants of a rocky island, has a contemporary twist...Brown wisely eschews a happy ending in favor of an open-ended one that supports the tone of a story that's simultaneously unsentimental and saturated with feeling."―Publishers Weekly, starred review
"Roz is not easy to forget."―The Horn Book
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CHAPTER 1
THE OCEAN
Our story begins on the ocean, with wind and rain and thunder and lightning and waves. A hurricane roared and raged through the night. And in the middle of the chaos, a cargo ship was sinking
down
down
down
to the ocean floor.
The ship left hundreds of crates floating on the surface. But as the hurricane thrashed and swirled and knocked them around, the crates also began sinking into the depths. One after another, they were swallowed up by the waves, until only five crates remained.
By morning the hurricane was gone. There were no clouds, no ships, no land in sight. There was only calm water and clear skies and those five crates lazily bobbing along an ocean current. Days passed. And then a smudge of green appeared on the horizon. As the crates drifted closer, the soft green shapes slowly sharpened into the hard edges of a wild, rocky island.
The first crate rode to shore on a tumbling, rumbling wave and then crashed against the rocks with such force that the whole thing burst apart.
Now, reader, what I haven’t mentioned is that tightly packed inside each crate was a brand-new robot. The cargo ship had been transporting hundreds of them before it was swept up in the storm. Now only five robots were left. Actually, only four were left, because when that first crate crashed against the rocks, the robot inside shattered to pieces.
The same thing happened to the next crate. It crashed against the rocks, and robot parts flew everywhere. Then it happened to the next crate. And the next. Robot limbs and torsos were flung onto ledges. A robot head splashed into a tide pool. A robot foot skittered into the waves.
And then came the last crate. It followed the same path as the others, but instead of crashing against the rocks, it sloshed against the remains of the first four crates. Soon, more waves were heaving it up out of the water. It soared through the air, spinning and glistening until it slammed down onto a tall shelf of rock. The crate was cracked and crumpled, but the robot inside was safe.
CHAPTER 2
THE OTTERS
The island’s northern shore had become something of a robot gravesite. Scattered across the rocks were the broken bodies of four dead robots. They sparkled in the early-morning light. And their sparkles caught the attention of some very curious creatures.
A gang of sea otters was romping through the shallows when one of them noticed the sparkling objects. The otters all froze. They raised their noses to the wind. But they smelled only the sea. So they cautiously crept over the rocks to take a closer look.
The gang slowly approached a robot torso. The biggest otter stuck out his paw, swatted the heavy thing, and quickly jumped back. But nothing happened. So they wriggled over to a robot hand. Another brave otter stuck out her paw and flipped the hand over. It made a lovely clinking sound on the rocks, and the otters squeaked with delight.
They spread out and played with robot arms and legs and feet. More hands were flipped. One of the otters discovered a robot head in a tide pool, and they all dove in and took turns rolling it along the bottom.
And then they spotted something else. Overlooking the gravesite was the one surviving crate. Its sides were scraped and dented, and a wide gash ran across its top. The otters scampered up the rocks and climbed onto the big box. Ten furry faces poked through the gash, eager to see what was inside. What they saw was another brand-new robot. But this robot was different from the others. It was still in one piece. And it was surrounded by spongy packing foam.
The otters reached through the gash and tore at the foam. It was so soft and squishy! They squeaked as they snatched at the fluffy stuff. Shreds of it floated away on the sea breeze. And in all the excitement, one of their paws accidentally slapped an important little button on the back of the robot’s head.
Click.
It took a while for the otters to realize that something was happening inside the crate. But a moment later, they heard it. A low whirring sound. Everyone stopped and stared. And then the robot opened her eyes.
CHAPTER 3
THE ROBOT
The robot’s computer brain booted up. Her programs began coming online. And then, still packed in her crate, she automatically started to speak.
“Hello, I am ROZZUM unit 7134, but you may call me Roz. While my robotic systems are activating, I will tell you about myself.
“Once fully activated, I will be able to move and communicate and learn. Simply give me a task and I will complete it. Over time, I will find better ways of completing my tasks. I will become a better robot. When I am not needed, I will stay out of the way and keep myself in good working order.
“Thank you for your time.
“I am now fully activated.”
CHAPTER 4
THE ROBOT HATCHES
As you might know, robots don’t really feel emotions. Not the way animals do. And yet, as she sat in her crumpled crate, Roz felt something like curiosity. She was curious about the warm ball of light shining down from above. So her computer brain went to work, and she identified the light. It was the sun.
The robot felt her body absorbing the sun’s energy. With each passing minute she felt more awake. When her battery was good and full, Roz looked around and realized that she was packed inside a crate. She tried to move her arms, but they were restrained by cords. So she applied more force, the motors in her arms hummed a little louder, and the cords snapped. Then she lifted her hands and pulled apart the crate. Like a hatchling breaking from a shell, Roz climbed out into the world.
CHAPTER 5
THE ROBOT GRAVESITE
Those otters were now hiding behind a rock. Their round heads nervously poked up, and they watched as a sparkling monster emerged from the crate. The monster slowly turned her head as she scanned the coastline. Her head turned and turned, all the way around, and it didn’t stop turning until she was looking right at the otters.
“Hello, otters, my name is Roz.”
The robot’s voice was simply too much for the skittish creatures. The biggest otter squeaked, and the whole gang suddenly took off. They galloped back across the robot gravesite, flopped into the ocean, and raced through the waves just as fast as they could.
Roz watched the otters go, but her eyes lingered on the sparkling objects that littered the shore. The objects looked strangely familiar. The robot swung her left leg forward, then her right, and just like that she was taking her very first steps. She stomped away from her crate and over the rocks and through the gravesite until she was standing above a broken robot body. She leaned in and noticed the word ROZZUM lightly etched on the torso. She noticed the same word on all the torsos, including her own.
Roz continued exploring the gravesite until a playful little ocean wave washed over the rocks. She automatically stepped away from it. Then a bigger wave sloshed toward her, and she stepped away again. And then a gigantic wave crashed over the rocks and engulfed the entire gravesite. Heavy water pounded against her body and knocked her to the ground, and her Damage Sensors flared for the first time. A moment later, the wave was gone, and Roz lay there, dripping and dented and surrounded by dead robots.
Roz could feel her Survival Instincts—the part of her computer brain that made her want to avoid danger and take care of herself so she could continue functioning properly. Her instincts were urging her to move away from the ocean. She carefully got to her feet and saw that high above the shore, the land was bursting with trees and grasses and flowers. It looked lush and safe up there. It looked like a much better place for our robot. She had just one problem. To get up there, she would have to climb the sea cliffs.
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Peter Brown
Peter has always loved telling stories. Growing up in New Jersey, he told stories by drawing whimsical characters and scenes from his imagination. As a teenager, he fell in love with writing and began telling his tales with words. While studying illustration at Art Center College of Design, Peter’s love of both words and pictures led him to take several courses on children’s books, and before long he knew he’d found his calling.
After graduating from Art Center Peter moved to New York City to be closer to the publishing industry. He was working on animated TV shows when he signed a book deal to write and illustrate his first picture book, Flight of the Dodo. Peter quickly signed up his second and third books, and his career as an author and illustrator of children’s books was under way.
Since then Peter has written and illustrated many books for children and earned numerous honors, including a Caldecott Honor, a Horn Book Award, two E.B. White Awards, two E.B. White Honors, a Children’s Choice Award for Illustrator of the Year, two Irma Black Honors, a Golden Kite Award, a New York Times Best Illustrated Book Award and multiple New York Times bestsellers.
Peter lives in Maine with his wife, Susan, and their dog, Pam.
You can find out more about Peter and his books at peterbrownstudio.com
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Customer reviews
4.8 out of 5
10,989 global ratings
C.
5
Enthusiastically Recommend.
Reviewed in the United States on June 26, 2024
Verified Purchase
I was inspired to read this book after my children enthusiastically devoured it in school, eager for the upcoming movie adaptation. I found it to be a masterpiece tailored perfectly for its intended age range. The narrative is engaging and uniquely told from the perspective of a robot and narrator, sparking fascinating discussions about anthropomorphism. While, as an adult reader, I encountered some pacing issues that caused me to stall halfway through, I recognize that this book is not intended for my demographic. My initial assessment remains unchanged: this is an excellent book for young readers, encouraging critical thinking and conversation. I highly recommend it for its ability to captivate and inspire kids! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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4 people found this helpful
Casey Dué
5
An incredibly moving story, we can't wait for a sequel!
Reviewed in the United States on August 4, 2016
Verified Purchase
A review from my 10 year old: This book is about a robot named Roz, short for Rozzum, a robot that was supposed to be transported to a factory but the ship was sadly sunken and she was washed up on a island. She had to learn to survive in a place that a robot would never be in. And she finds many different techniques to do so. The robot goes on many exciting adventures and gets lots of friends that you might not expect including her own adopted son who happens to be a duck named Brightbill whose family was crushed by an avalanche. She was living a happy life until her creators find out where she is and don't like that she is living in the forest. I think this book is about the interaction between nature and technology. On his blog Peter Brown wrote, “Back in 2008, while working on a picture book called The Curious Garden… I loved imagining scenes of nature living in surprising places. And that got me thinking about scenes of unnatural things living in surprising places” ([...]). The robot is a piece of technology but she can learn to live in the wild which makes me think that one of the meanings of this book is that people today can still stop pollution and destruction of the natural world. I also think that the author was trying to tell the readers that no matter who you are you can do anything. The robot was having trouble in the forest at first but she started to learn and get better by watching animals. I also think that the book is about not giving up. Even after all the animals were scared of her Roz kept trying to be friendly and finally became friends with all the animals. One amazing thing about this book is the artwork witch makes sense because Peter Brown was an artist before he was a writer. Another thing that I liked about this book is that it makes me feel sad but gave me hope that things will get better. The third thing that makes this book unique is that it has very creative ideas. In one of the scenes in the book Roz loses her foot to a bear and then cant walk. And then she asked the beavers to make her a new one out of wood. That is one of the many creative scenes in the book. This book was very good in my opinion. It was one of my favorite books I've ever read and i would very much recommend it. This book is creative, well written, and interesting. I think that it is a great book and think its definitely worth reading. I don't want to give away the ending but is very dramatic and emotional. Roz has to draw on all of her friendships and skills she has learned from them to survive.
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20 people found this helpful
Hannah
5
Wonderful family read aloud / audio book!
Reviewed in the United States on July 25, 2024
Verified Purchase
Our family LOVED this book on audio and had to purchase a physical copy too! I recommend this as a read aloud, audio book, or elementary/middle grade chapter book for both boys and girls. The story is fun, heartwarming, fresh, educational and unpredictable — all in one!
5 people found this helpful
K. Andersen
5
Pleasantly Surprised
Reviewed in the United States on June 20, 2024
Verified Purchase
I read this book to my 4th grade class because the movie is coming out in the fall, and I wanted them exposed to the book first. I wasn't that excited to read it to them, but I was pleasantly surprised. This is a delightful story with many great points of conversation for kids. I highly recommend.
8 people found this helpful
brenda r.
5
Great book for young teen.
Reviewed in the United States on July 20, 2024
Verified Purchase
Quick chapters chock full of meaning and adventure. Thought provoking.
2 people found this helpful
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