8 Sweet Books Like The Wild Robot

If you loved the first book (which ends on a gentle cliffhanger, then don’t miss this sequel to The Wild Robot! We follow Roz as she adapts to being back in civilized society after her time on a wild island. I find that sequels are rarely as good as (or better than) the first book, but this one holds up pretty well!

I loved this story of a Mars rover (a robot sent to survey the planet, find another out-of-service rover, and help determine whether Mars is suited to human living. The story is told from several perspectives, including that of the rover (whose name is Res, short for Resilience) and Sophie, the daughter of one of the programmers who’s building the rover. After months of testing and tinkering in the lab, Res discovers that he’s experiencing human emotions. His twin rover, Journey, repeatedly tells him that robots should be logical, not emotional, so Res tries unsuccessfully to restrain his emotions. Finally, Res is sent to Mars with a friendly drone he calls Fly. But can he accomplish his mission? Or will his emotions get in the way?

There are no robots in this story, but Ivan is a huge favorite for readers who enjoy stories of robot or human survival. This book is also inspired by a true story. It’s about a gorilla who lives in an enclosed glass cage in a mall. At first, Ivan is content with his quarters — for over 20 years. But when a baby elephant is brought into the enclosure, Ivan starts to remember his home and see his current home as the captivity that it is. This is a sweet and moving verse novel for young readers.

Clementine is a genius mouse who’s lived in a lab where she undergoes lots of testing. But one day, a kind lab technician frees her. On the run, Clementine has to survive, all the while brainstorming ways to rescue her other friends from the lab. This is a super charming book on the longer side, perhaps better for older kids (9+)!

This story is just as cute as this book’s cover! Odder is a fearless otter who loves to play and tell stories to entertain everyone. But when she encounters a great white shark, she’s injured and has to be brought into the aquarium to heal. There are many beautiful illustrations in this book and it’s also inspired by a true story.

Maya and the Robot is Eve L. Ewing’s debut middle grade book. It centers a young Black girl, Maya who’s entering the fifth grade. She’s disappointed when she’s placed in a different class than her two best friends, Jada and MJ. Quickly, it seems like they’re forming a new friend group and barely spending time with her, especially since they don’t even have the same lunch period. But things begin to look up when Maya finds a broken down robot in the neighborhood store where she helps out. After setting the robot up to work, Maya suddenly has a new best friend, but how long will this last? And what happens when the robot, Ralph malfunctions? Maya and the Robot is an engaging, illustrated middle grade book with strong STEM connections, about the struggles of forming and maintaining friendships.

In this exceptional debut novel, a boy and a typewriter work together to solve the mystery of his missing mother. The Brindley family has been through the wringer but seem to be on the mend after “Everything that happened before” when all of a sudden, their mother leaves the house in tears, witnessed only by her Olivetti typewriter, which she pawns immediately for the precise sum of $126. The pawn shop owner’s daughter accosts Ernest, the third out of four Brindley kids, right after he steals back the Olivetti, which he discovers can type back in response. The two work together, Ernest, reluctant, Quinn confident and opinionated, to retrace his mother’s steps and figure out why she ran away. This reads like an instant classic, and although some readers may be dubious about the talking typewriter element, it is excellently executed — better than many anthropomorphized animals and creatures have been in books.

Dogtown is a shelter for stray dogs, misbehaving dogs, and discarded robot dogs, whose owners have outgrown them. Chance, a real dog, has been in Dogtown since her owners unwittingly left her with irresponsible dog-sitters who skipped town. Metal Head is a robot dog who dreams of being back in a real home. And Mouse is a mouse who has the run of Dogtown, pilfering kibble, and performing clever feats to protect the dogs he loves. When Chance and Metal Head embark on an adventure to find their forever homes, there is danger, cheese sandwiches, a charging station, and some unexpected kindnesses along the way.