Scrap by Guy Bass

What worked:

Paige and Gnat are sisters with contrasting views of Scrap. Gnat is convinced that Scrap is the missing King of the Robots and that he will help them escape Somewhere Five One Three. Paige is certain this dented, broken case of metal and bolts is definitely not K1-NG. Humans are comparable to rodents on this planet, and the robots are trying to exterminate them. Paige, Gnat, and their ailing mother are the last humans, and Gnat expects Scrap to help them escape. However, Scrap feels the humans betrayed him during The Difference of Opinion, and he’s sworn never to help them again.

Scrap’s character straddles the line between humans and robots. He’s made of metal parts and a battery that will never run out, but he must keep his core’s identity a secret. The robots consider K1-NG a traitor, and he’ll be dismantled if they discover his identity, his core code. Like humans, the robots have male and female genders, and readers learn they have vanity and emotions. All robots are obsessed with getting upgrades, and they constantly want more. Scrap tells Paige that he has a mind and dreams when he sleeps. Readers will follow his internal turmoil as he debates whether to help the girls or keep the promise he made to himself. Scrap tells them he won’t help, but readers know his actions say something different.

The author infuses elements of humor in different ways. Early chapters open with sales pitches that advertise all of the wonderful things humans can expect when they’re transported to Somewhere 513. Readers will smile when they contrast the descriptions to the actual robot takeover on the planet. Later chapters insert messages to the robots and provide readers with context for the rules guiding the robots. A character called Gunner enters the story mid-book, and she frequently mixes up familiar figures of speech by using similar-sounding words. The author often italicizes phrases like “have you been living under a sock”, “I beg your garden”, and “thinks outside the blocks”. Gnat’s childish innocence contributes levity and a contrast to the seriousness of her situation. Paige has one grenade, and she frequently threatens to blow everyone up.

What didn’t work as well:

Gnat and Paige wear old robot heads to hide their identities as humans. Strangely, a world full of self-aware, highly evolved robots can’t recognize human bodies under the robot heads. Gnat pretends to be mechanical, calling herself Gnat-Bot Ninety-Nine, but it’s still unbelievable that the human girls can navigate the world of robots with such simple disguises.

The final verdict:

The story mirrors human fears that robots will rise up one day and take over the world. The mayor is the true villain, and she’ll reveal the underlying problem when the story nears its climax. This is an unpretentious book, and I highly recommend it for readers wanting thought-provoking entertainment.