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Worrybot
Josh is terrified his anxiety will return when he finds out his family are moving to Brighton. He’s surprised to discover a robot in his class which helps classmate Charlie learn join lessons remotely. Will Charlie's friendship help Josh overcome his fears, or will it just give nasty Noah more reasons to make fun of him?
179 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 3, 2023
2 people are currently reading
9 people want to read
About the author
Simon Packham
14 books10 followersSimon Packham has written several highly acclaimed books for young people, including 'Silenced', which was shortlisted for multiple awards, 'comin 2 gt' u, a novel about cyberbullying and World War Two which is read widely in German schools, and 'Firewallers', chosen as one of The Independent’s children’s books of the year.
His first middle-grade novel, 'Has Anyone Seen Archie Ebbs?' (Firefly) was selected for the Empathy Lab’s 2023 Reading Collection and shortlisted for The Stockton Children’s Book of the Year and The James Reckitt Hull Children’s Book Award. His latest book 'Worrybot' (UCLan) was described by Kitty Empire of The Observer as, ‘a gentle but profound story about friendships, confidence and school refusal with an absolutely audacious plot twist'.
His first middle-grade novel, 'Has Anyone Seen Archie Ebbs?' (Firefly) was selected for the Empathy Lab’s 2023 Reading Collection and shortlisted for The Stockton Children’s Book of the Year and The James Reckitt Hull Children’s Book Award. His latest book 'Worrybot' (UCLan) was described by Kitty Empire of The Observer as, ‘a gentle but profound story about friendships, confidence and school refusal with an absolutely audacious plot twist'.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
August 1, 2023
Was lucky enough to have an ARC of the book.
When you're an already filled with dread about what might happen tomorrow as well as in the future the last thing Josh needs a big move away from everything he already knows - although it may mean he can put his demons from the past to rest... A beautifully written book, with every character carefully crafted to be just like 'someone', whether you can see yourself in them, or someone from the classroom they jump from the page and manifest their being in your head. When Josh is inivted to befriend Charlie, a tentative friendship is formed - Josh hopes he can help Charlie overcome whatever is holding them back from being in the classroom, and we see Charlie encouraging Josh to take steps to make friends in his new school, to step outside his comfort zone. Is Charlie all that they seem though? Are they hiding something? Could this be the friendship Josh needs or another catastrophe waiting to happen? An ideal book to discuss feelings and friendships, as well as transition, whether it be due a to move or that big move up to secondary school - as a year 6 TA this is definately a book that would make an idea class read, and would open so many discussions with the pupils.
When you're an already filled with dread about what might happen tomorrow as well as in the future the last thing Josh needs a big move away from everything he already knows - although it may mean he can put his demons from the past to rest... A beautifully written book, with every character carefully crafted to be just like 'someone', whether you can see yourself in them, or someone from the classroom they jump from the page and manifest their being in your head. When Josh is inivted to befriend Charlie, a tentative friendship is formed - Josh hopes he can help Charlie overcome whatever is holding them back from being in the classroom, and we see Charlie encouraging Josh to take steps to make friends in his new school, to step outside his comfort zone. Is Charlie all that they seem though? Are they hiding something? Could this be the friendship Josh needs or another catastrophe waiting to happen? An ideal book to discuss feelings and friendships, as well as transition, whether it be due a to move or that big move up to secondary school - as a year 6 TA this is definately a book that would make an idea class read, and would open so many discussions with the pupils.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 10, 2024
My favourite book so far this year. Love the twists and turns, an excellent and enjoyable book.
January 29, 2024
Worry bot is a book by Simon Packham. It is about a boy, Josh, who is always nervous about everything. When his family moves to Brighton and at his new school the social situation is very complex with him getting bullied and also including a robot student named Charlie.
I was disappointed by this book since it appeared in the Guardian Review Of Books. I thought that the book was not very interesting and very predictable. Another thing I thought about this book was that the plot was not very complex. Josh, the main character, has to navigate his social situation at the new school with Charlie, the robot who is actually a student who can’t come to school. At Josh’s old school when he was a little kid, there was a girl named Lottie, someone that bullied him by calling him bad names and other things. At the end of the book, it is found out that Charlie is Lottie, and was bullying him because she thought his family was so much happier than her family. I thought that this was very unrealistic because if I was Lottie then I would use his family as a secondary family that I could escape to.
In general I thought worrybot was a sensationalistic thriller with not much of a plot or character depth. But, I still think this book widened my understanding of the reviews of books, not all of the books you will like and also maybe Worrybot was a favorite to whoever wrote the article about it.
I was disappointed by this book since it appeared in the Guardian Review Of Books. I thought that the book was not very interesting and very predictable. Another thing I thought about this book was that the plot was not very complex. Josh, the main character, has to navigate his social situation at the new school with Charlie, the robot who is actually a student who can’t come to school. At Josh’s old school when he was a little kid, there was a girl named Lottie, someone that bullied him by calling him bad names and other things. At the end of the book, it is found out that Charlie is Lottie, and was bullying him because she thought his family was so much happier than her family. I thought that this was very unrealistic because if I was Lottie then I would use his family as a secondary family that I could escape to.
In general I thought worrybot was a sensationalistic thriller with not much of a plot or character depth. But, I still think this book widened my understanding of the reviews of books, not all of the books you will like and also maybe Worrybot was a favorite to whoever wrote the article about it.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 21, 2023
After the first couple of chapters I wasn’t sure if I’d like this book, but I’m so glad I stuck with it as it’s a really good read.
In spite of my shaky start in reading the book, it quickly grew on me and I quickly enjoyed reading about the characters, even Noah, who makes a perfect school student antagonist. However, the real villain of the piece is Josh’s own fear, which appears to battle his thoughts, emotions and physical being at every twist and turn.
But Charlie, through the learning robot, encourages Josh to address his fears and the two begin an unexpected, slightly strange friendship. This in turn is put under strain by fear and the unpleasantness of Noah.
The book builds to a great climax with a few great twists along the way and the story threads pull together very nicely.
I can imagine lots of children getting a great deal from this book, particularly those who have their own worries and fears to deal with – there is a lot to identify with in the two main characters. But even those kids without such issues will gain an insight into the problems of those who do.
Very definitely recommended.
In spite of my shaky start in reading the book, it quickly grew on me and I quickly enjoyed reading about the characters, even Noah, who makes a perfect school student antagonist. However, the real villain of the piece is Josh’s own fear, which appears to battle his thoughts, emotions and physical being at every twist and turn.
But Charlie, through the learning robot, encourages Josh to address his fears and the two begin an unexpected, slightly strange friendship. This in turn is put under strain by fear and the unpleasantness of Noah.
The book builds to a great climax with a few great twists along the way and the story threads pull together very nicely.
I can imagine lots of children getting a great deal from this book, particularly those who have their own worries and fears to deal with – there is a lot to identify with in the two main characters. But even those kids without such issues will gain an insight into the problems of those who do.
Very definitely recommended.
September 11, 2023
Josh is not happy when his parents tell him that they’re moving house because of mum’s new job which means he’ll need to start at a new school. Having previously suffered with anxiety, he doesn’t want to go through all that again.
He finds it hard to make friends in his new school, but can talk to Charlie, who has a learning robot in school. No one knows why Charlie doesn’t come to school but she can participate in lessons via the robot.
This story tackles the subject of anxiety and school refusal. It is a lovely story of acceptance and forgiveness. I would recommend it to any child or young person who is struggling in school.
As I work with a number of students who have school based anxiety, I was delighted to discover that these robots actually exist and have booked a demo. Huge thanks to the author for alerting me to their existence!
I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
He finds it hard to make friends in his new school, but can talk to Charlie, who has a learning robot in school. No one knows why Charlie doesn’t come to school but she can participate in lessons via the robot.
This story tackles the subject of anxiety and school refusal. It is a lovely story of acceptance and forgiveness. I would recommend it to any child or young person who is struggling in school.
As I work with a number of students who have school based anxiety, I was delighted to discover that these robots actually exist and have booked a demo. Huge thanks to the author for alerting me to their existence!
I received a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
July 30, 2023
Great and relatable charecters who remind you of yourself or a friend. This book is well written and will provide comfort to kids going through a big change in their lives, I also love the techniques taught in the book on how to deal with anxiety.
September 27, 2023
An absolutely amazing book! Some difficult topics discussed. A perfect example of showing how we don’t always know what’s going on behind closed doors.
January 20, 2024
4.5⭐️I loved this book and the twists throughout were great!☺️
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews