Jean's Reviews > The Runaway Robot

This is a science fiction book, though not a book that concerns itself with creating a dystopian world. It concentrates instead on the relationship between a boy and his (very intelligent) robot and the world(s) they inhabit. It is a tight story, episodic in that it moves rapidly from one dilemma to another, and is not shy about creating adults who are rather flawed in terms of their likability. Captain Becker is easily the poster child for having a multidimensional character.

From a teacher's point of view, this is definitely a "boy book," and suitable for upper elementary into middle school. It is an old book, first published in 1965, so it is not a fantasy. It reminds me more of Andy Weir's "The Martian," without all the math. Probably students today would expect (or want) a very different sort of book. But, again from a teacher's point of view, there is a lot to discuss about societal norms and other cultures. The robot, Rex, makes many discussion-worthy comments.

And I have to mention one more thing that struck me. This is a story about a boy and his robot, or more properly since it is told entirely from Rex's point of view, a robot and his boy. And the robot is named Rex. The relationship reminds me of the kind of loyalty one sees between a boy and his dog, but it is so much more than that. And unlike many pet stories, especially dogs, the pet does not die at the end.