Tuesday, June 18, 2013

Brother from a Box by Evan Kuhlman –OPTIONAL

Kuhlman, Evan Brother from a Box 288 pgs. Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2012. $13.75.  Content: Language: G (0 swears); Mature Content: G;  Violence: G.
Matt was supposed to have a brother, but he died as an infant. Fortunately his dad is a computer genius and surprise’s him (and especially his mom) with a robot brother. Norman is quite a character, with a French flair, a bit of a show-off, and a ladies man. He even seems to be exceeding his programming  Matt loves having a brother, but the true measure of family is put to the test when some bad guys come after Norman.
This was a fun and quirky book with an interesting family dynamic. The author has a dry sense of humor and the text is intelligent. Now that we have established that I liked the book, will students? I think the cover is a bit off-putting, its kind of old fashioned looking. While I students would find it interesting to imagine themselves in this situation, the constant inclusion of French, and the glommy neighbor girl might be off-putting, especially for boys young enough to enjoy this book.

Elementary –OPTIONAL Reviewer: Stephanie Elementary School Librarian & Author.

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