The Wild Robot (Volume 1)

I've heard a lot about this book. And buzz can either be accurate or not. I'm thankful to report in this case, The Wild Robot was worth the read. This was such a cute little read, and now I'd like to see the movie to see if it's as good as they say! I picked this one up as part of my middle grade market research. Several booksellers said kids were eating this one up and they were flying off the shelves. After pulling it out and setting it on my nightstand, I figured I'd just see how many pages and chapters there were - give the book my standard once-over before I dive into it the next day. Lo and behold, I read the first chapter and then looked up and realized I was 50 pages in. Not only is the story engaging and the setting a fun mismash of nature and technology, but the short, focused chapters kept me turning pages. I think I read the book in three sittings - and honestly may have read it in one if I didn't really need to go to bed like an adult. This would be good for reluctant readers or bedtime stories for your kids. Each chapter is bite-sized and leaves you wanting more. There's a great sense of momentum as you read. And the illustrations are just as quaint as the story itself. I found myself incredibly invested in this little island of animals and delighted by a few twists and turns in the story, too. I am definitely really glad I read this one and now very curious about the second one. I would certainly recommend this one. It's a heartfelt, adventurous, quick and quirky little read. And its themes of understanding, compassion, survival, persistence, forgiveness, the cycle of nature, and service to others could foster some cool conversations with kiddos. This one's done right. Middle grade, so no swearing, no romance, a little bit of nature violence and a little bit of robot violence. I'd feel comfortable giving this to most kids. There are a few deaths as a natural part of the cycle of life, so if you have a kid very sensitive to that, it may be worth reading first to judge for yourself if your kid is ready for this (which should always be the default case anyway). But nothing here was near as traumatic as Charlotte's Web or Old Yellar, so I would consider it pretty mild personally.

Let my kiddo 6 pick this as his summer reading book. He’s a strong reader but with many books he reads a page then asks me to read. He LOVES this book and not once asked me to read a single sentence. The story is such a sweet story and he’s completely zoned in. I definitely recommend this book to anyone of any age honestly it’s definitely a lifetime must read.

The Wild Robot is a thoughtful story that kept my child engaged from the very first chapter. The short chapters make it easy to read a little each night, and the mix of adventure, animals, and gentle emotions works beautifully for young readers. I also appreciate that there is a movie adaptation. Reading the book first and then watching the movie made the experience even more fun, my child loved seeing the characters come to life and comparing the two versions. I purchased the hardcover edition, and it’s very well made. It feels sturdy, looks nice, and is definitely the version I would choose if giving this book as a gift.

I watched the movie first and wasn’t sure if it was worth reading the book, but it definitely was! There are new twist and turns but the same wholesomeness is there. It’s also crazy this was written much before AI and seeing the possibilities now. I’d recommend this to anyone of any age, regardless if you’ve seen the movie or not. Great easy read.

We purchased this book as part of the series for our son’s summer reading program. We also purchased the reading workbook that goes with it to help with fluency and understanding. He is a 3rd grader and the book is on the harder side for him but a good book and keeps him engaged and interested in conversations about the book. The chapters are short and easy to get through when setting chapter goals. Some chapters are only a page long making it obtainable for him to read multiple at one time without being overwhelmed. We look forward to the other books in this series.

Such a cute book. My 3rd grade class loved this book as a read aloud for class discussions. My students loved the illustrations throughout the book.

I loved reading this book out loud to my kiddos, three and six. We definitely watched the movie first. But this was great as we could do some “compare and contrast” between the book and movie. My children stayed engaged and listened well throughout the book which I found impressive. But the story really is just that good! The boys loved the book so much, we’ve also already read the second book! We will be buying the third one soon! These books are too good to simply rent from the library! I’m happy to have them in our collection!

I’m a sucker for robots and nature, so I loved it. Ends on a cliffhanger so be prepared to keep going. The illustrations are perfect.

Great story, as are accompanying books including picture book. Now a film. Covers so many layers: adjusting to different worlds, growing up, accepting each other. V positive.

My 12 years old son liked it 👍

my class and i loved this book. it had a great story line and very descriptive language. thank a lot

Wonderful book with a great story line for our grandson. He enjoys reading it to his family and looks forward to reading other Robot books in the series.

Superbe livre.On collectionne.