Through the Looking Glass Children's Book Reviews
A Boy and His Bot
Fiction
For ages 8 to 10
Unabridged audiobook (CD)
Performed/read by: David Ackroyd
Listening Library (Audio), 2011 ISBN: 978-0307915238
As far as Code is concerned, the way to get through life is to keep your head down and avoid trouble; he chooses keeps to himself, and he takes refuge in his books. One day Code and his class goes to visit a ancient Native American mound site. Code wanders off on his own and he a meets a small metallic bee-like robot. For some reason, Code feels that he has a connection with the little robot, and when she flies off, Code follows her.
The little robot, whom Code names Peep, leads the boy to another world through a portal under the mound. The world is called Mekhos, and it is inhabited by robots of all kinds. Code meets an extraordinary array of robot insects and animals, and he is even present when a new robot called Gary – a slaughterbot – is created and brought to life. Gary becomes Code’s best friend, and soon Gary, Code, and Peep are traveling across Mekhos together.
Code learns that his grandfather, who disappeared a year ago, is the king of Mekhos, and he is being controlled by a rogue robot called Immortalis. Immortalis is hungry for power, and one way to get what he wants is to literally wipe the slate clean in Mekhos. Immortalis is going to have all the robots on Mekhos disassembled into their component parts. When he is the only robot left, the portals to the human world will open and he will be able to escape Mekhos. Desperate to save his grandfather, the robots of Mekhos, and his own world, Code travels across the strange land with Gary and Peep. The only way to stop the disassembly is to find the Robonomicon, an object that contains every scrap of information that pertains to Mekhos. If the Robonomicon falls into Immortalis’ hands, both Mekhos and the human world will be in grave danger.
Code has just a few days to find his grandfather and save Mekhos. For the first time in his life, the boy realizes that retreat is not always the best policy. He is going to have to fight to save the things he cares about.
This gripping story will soon have listeners hoping that Code will be able to complete his important mission, and David Ackroyd’s narration of this story is compelling and exciting.
