A school with a robotic vice principal/operating system? A robot student in the homeroom and lunchroom? Oh—ZARK! What kid wouldn’t love that?
That’s the unusual situation when “Fuzzy,” a $6 million government-issue robot, shows up at Vanguard One Middle School. Supposedly, as seventh-grader Max and her classmates believe, Fuzzy is part of a Robot Integration Program (RIP) at their high-tech school. But as Max and Fuzzy become friends—and traverse the halls and tween-angst world of middle school—Max unveils a more nefarious plot by none other than the school’s sinister, omniscient and computerized Vice Principal Barbara.
Kidnapping attempts, code cracking and even military intrigue intertwine in this highly creative middle grade novel from Tom Angleberger, author of the Origami Yoda series, and Paul Dellinger, a writer of science fiction and fantasy.
At the heart of it all, though, is a story of young friends navigating the rough waters of tweendom and middle school, all with “Big Brother” or, in this case, Vice Principal, watching, grading and, quite possibly, thwarting their every move.
Fuzzy is a tech-infused wild ride, with some suspenseful moments and brilliant twists—an ideal book for reluctant readers, young science fans and really anyone who wishes their best friend were a robot.
