Unboxing Libby by Steph Cherrywell

What worked:

The book introduces characters uniquely, as Libby is literally unboxed in the first chapter. She’s a new Libby robot, and she downloads memories of her “life” and her mother, another robot version called Nora. Despite being robots, the characters mostly sound and act like humans. This makes the story relatable to young readers, even though most of the characters are androids living on Mars. The idea is for the androids to simulate the role of humans living on the planet to figure out potential problems for future settlers. Interpersonal drama ensues.

The androids have preprogrammed appearances and personalities, with Libbys being the nicest and Roxannes being snobby and mean. Libby is the newest robot to start school, and the other Libbys give her the nickname Max. The story becomes more intriguing when Roxanne points out that Max is not behaving like other Libbys. Everyone expects her to make others happy, but Max begins thinking more independently. The human doctor and Roxanne are shocked when Max reveals she can cross The Boundary. This invisible line is supposed to keep robots from entering areas restricted to humans. It’s the biggest sign that Max’s programming works much differently than was intended. The evolution of Max’s character is a highlight.

This book offers an innovative perspective on life among adolescents. The characters represent stereotypical personas someone might find in middle school. No one wants to be friends with Roxanne, although Max is the exception in this story. The characters interact based on their programming, and some don’t adapt well when things don’t go as expected. Just Libby is especially sensitive to the changes. However, other characters become more creative once they sense encouragement.

What didn’t work as well:

The author inserts pages describing the different kinds of robots early in the book, which helps to understand them. Other pages later in the book describe interviews and advertisements for them and for settling on Mars. The later pages aren’t as helpful and aren’t necessary.

The final verdict:

An important message in the story is to think for yourself. The atmosphere of the story is reminiscent of the confusing years of middle grades, but the setting and conflict make it unusual. It’s a thought-provoking book, and I recommend you give it a shot.