Super Book: House of Robots

House of Robots
by James Patterson
Illustrated by Chris Grabenstein
Little Brown and Company, 2014. Fiction

Sammy has a crazy home life. His father is a comic book author and his mother is a robotics expert. Sammy tolerates the teasing he gets about his unusual parents, until one day when his mom wants to send one of her robots to school with him as his "robot brother." After a first disastrous day, Sammy starts to get used to having his "bro-bot" around. "E" is smart, strong and funny. Most of the other kids like "E" as well, but not everyone is glad to have him at school. Sammy's story is illustrated throughout with line drawings reminiscent of Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Patterson includes plenty of silliness, especially at Sammy's house which is filled with a whole cast of whacky robots. There is a touch of tenderness, too, in Sammy's relationship with his home-bound sister. Patterson proves, once again, that he knows how to write what school-age kids like to read.

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