The Wild Robot
Can a robot survive in the wilderness?
When robot Roz opens her eyes for the first time, she discovers that she is 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 fierce 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.
Author
Peter Brown
Series
The Wild Robot, Book 1
Pages
269
AR Level
5.1
Book Review
My son chose this book for his fiction summer reading selection. He had finished reading and putting together notes for an oral presentation when we started seeing movie trailers for this book. It immediately peaked the interest of my other two boys since in our family does not see the movie version unless we have read the book first. So, we started the book as a family read-a-loud so that everyone could watch the movie when it was released. Everyone enjoyed the book and characters; most nights I was asked to read “just a little longer.”
What We Liked
This book was funny. We enjoyed Roz’s disguises while she was learning to survive on her island home. There are plenty of different animals on the wild island that she becomes friends with, like otters, Mr. Beaver, and Chitchat the squirrel. Roz becomes an adopted mother to Brightbill the gosling which brings her a family and many friends to help her. She has to figure out how to be a good mother (like all mothers out there). Overall this is an easy read about survival, family, with a bit of adventure along the way.
We liked the short chapters that were easy to read from day to day. The characters and story are wholesomeness so that everyone in the family can enjoy the book. There are very cute illustrations along the way.
What We Disliked
The ending – it sets up very well for the next book, but it ends as a bit of a cliffhanger. It is a good thing that we have the next book ready to read.
Audiobook
Our library had The Wild Robot available on audiobook. We both read the paperback and listened to the audiobook in the car. The audiobook did a much better robot voice than I did when I read.
Movie Tie-In
The 2024 movie version of The Wild Robot is rated PG. It is not as good as the book. We watched this one in a movie theater shortly after it was released, but found that it left out some of our favorite scenes. Some parts of the movie were very funny. However, we wanted to see more of Roz interacting with the animals as they become friends. Roz adopting Brightbill the gosling was a main focus of the film. My youngest found the RECOs at the end a bit scary and the additional squid-like robot unnecessary.
The Verdict
Everyone will like this book. It is a read aloud for Elementary, but your Middle Grader will be able to read by themselves.
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