The Wild Robot by Peter Brown

Reviewed by Aline

What do you think it would feel like to be stranded on an island, all alone, knowing nothing of the world around you?   

When Roz the robot, in The Wild Robot by Peter Brown, opens her eyes for the first time, she discovers that she is stranded on a remote island, all alone. She is welcomed by a vicious bear attack, and has to learn about the nature around her and how to survive. After all of this, she still tries to befriend all the unwelcoming animals on the island. Right as everything seems perfect and the island is starting to feel like home to Roz, cruel robots hunt her down and try to forcefully take her off the island. Will they succeed? Will Roz be relocated? Read the book to find out!

One reason why I really enjoyed this book is because it is heartwarming. Roz is so kind that she goes out of her way to help and befriend the inhabitants of the island. For example, when Roz accidentally creates a mini-rockslide on a family of geese, she immediately climbs down to help them, finding them all dead. Under some rubble, she finds one surviving egg, just about ready to hatch. Without hesitating, she picks up the fragile egg and carries it away from the scene, trying to find a safe place to raise it. This scene shows how kind Roz is, because she could have left the orphan gosling there or given it to another goose, but instead decides to raise it herself.

I also really enjoyed The Wild Robot because the Peter Brown describes everything so well that you feel like you are the protagonist, Roz. As I read The Wild Robot I felt all the emotions that Roz felt. When she accidentally kills the geese, I was filled with dread; while when she raises the orphan goose, I felt uncertain of how it would turn out, but also confident that if anyone was to raise this gosling (besides other geese), the best person for the job would be Roz.

When I read this book I was sucked into it, finding myself in its setting and in the mind of Roz the robot. I really enjoyed this book and would rate it a 10 out of 10. Since this book does not contain high vocabulary and is not challenging in any way, it can appeal to readers of all ages. Though it is not challenging, it is thrilling and heartwarming. If you ever find yourself with nothing to read, unsure of what to do, check out this book and give it a try! I am sure you will not be able to put it down.

Little Brown Books for Young Readers, 279 pages