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The Girl and the Robot
An out-of-this-world story about friendship, empowerment, and . . . running from federal agents?
With a little heart, you can fix anything.
Mimi Perez fixes things. Phones, tablets, speakers, printers. She gets it from her dad—helping him at the family e-repair shop was always one of Mimi’s favorite things to do. But ever since Papi was deported, there’s a lot more than electronics that need fixing in Mimi’s world. Things too big for any twelve-year-old to handle on her own.
Mimi hustles around her Brooklyn neighborhood trying to earn enough money to finally fix her family. There’s no time for school or friends, but Mimi knows it will all be worth it the day Papi comes home. Then her ex-friends approach her with a proposal -- enter a robotics competition with them, and they could win $50,000. It could be her chance.
Not part of the plan? A mysterious robot crashing to earth. From space.
The robot is scared, alone, and broken, and federal agents are after her. Mimi does what any street-smart electronics repair person would, she takes the robot home, fixes her up, and in the process, makes herself a friend.
Suddenly, Mimi is anything but alone. She’s part of a robotics team. She’s sheltering a robot. She’s dodging federal agents. And keeping all of it a secret from her mom.
With a little heart, you can fix anything.
Mimi Perez fixes things. Phones, tablets, speakers, printers. She gets it from her dad—helping him at the family e-repair shop was always one of Mimi’s favorite things to do. But ever since Papi was deported, there’s a lot more than electronics that need fixing in Mimi’s world. Things too big for any twelve-year-old to handle on her own.
Mimi hustles around her Brooklyn neighborhood trying to earn enough money to finally fix her family. There’s no time for school or friends, but Mimi knows it will all be worth it the day Papi comes home. Then her ex-friends approach her with a proposal -- enter a robotics competition with them, and they could win $50,000. It could be her chance.
Not part of the plan? A mysterious robot crashing to earth. From space.
The robot is scared, alone, and broken, and federal agents are after her. Mimi does what any street-smart electronics repair person would, she takes the robot home, fixes her up, and in the process, makes herself a friend.
Suddenly, Mimi is anything but alone. She’s part of a robotics team. She’s sheltering a robot. She’s dodging federal agents. And keeping all of it a secret from her mom.
320 pages, Hardcover
Published March 25, 2025
11 people are currently reading
190 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 28 of 28 reviews
December 16, 2024
E.T. meets The Iron Giant in this MG sci adventure story.
🤖
Mimi Perez wants nothing more than to bring Papi home after ICE raids their home and takes him away. So she works odd jobs such as fixing electronics for people in her neighborhood for extra cash. When the opportunity arises for a robotics competition that pays $50,000, Mimi decides to reunite with her old friend group to make the best robot ever. What isn’t part of the plan is hiding a mysterious robot that crash landed on earth near her apartment. When federal agents show up to try and take the robot away, Mimi does everything she can to reunite the robot with her parents.
🤖
This was such a sweet story that, at its heart, is a story about what one will do to be with the people they love. Stories like Mimi’s happen everyday in America and it makes me angry and sad and disgusted with how we treat refugees and non-citizens in America. Let’s continue to publish books like these that show the human side of immigration. This title releases March 25.
CW: deportation, trauma, poverty, immigration issues
🤖
Mimi Perez wants nothing more than to bring Papi home after ICE raids their home and takes him away. So she works odd jobs such as fixing electronics for people in her neighborhood for extra cash. When the opportunity arises for a robotics competition that pays $50,000, Mimi decides to reunite with her old friend group to make the best robot ever. What isn’t part of the plan is hiding a mysterious robot that crash landed on earth near her apartment. When federal agents show up to try and take the robot away, Mimi does everything she can to reunite the robot with her parents.
🤖
This was such a sweet story that, at its heart, is a story about what one will do to be with the people they love. Stories like Mimi’s happen everyday in America and it makes me angry and sad and disgusted with how we treat refugees and non-citizens in America. Let’s continue to publish books like these that show the human side of immigration. This title releases March 25.
CW: deportation, trauma, poverty, immigration issues
Want to read
October 22, 2024"An out-of-this-world story about friendship, empowerment, and . . . running from federal agents?"
it's pitched as "E.T. meets cult classic The Iron Giant"
it's pitched as "E.T. meets cult classic The Iron Giant"
April 9, 2025
Timely, tense, and ultimately triumphant
Perfect for middle schoolers
Perfect for middle schoolers
May 4, 2025
The Girl and the Robot
Overall Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ (3/5) or 6.00/10 overall
Characters - 6
Atmosphere - 6
Writing - 6
Plot - 6
Intrigue - 7
Logic - 5
Enjoyment - 6
Overall Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ (3/5) or 6.00/10 overall
Characters - 6
Atmosphere - 6
Writing - 6
Plot - 6
Intrigue - 7
Logic - 5
Enjoyment - 6
June 3, 2025
"Fractured friendships and families are repaired with help from new friends from far away." [Kirkus]
November 7, 2024
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus
Mimi Perez' Papi runs the E-Perez Repair shop, where he fixes small electronics for people in their Brooklyn Neighborhood. Mimi loves helping him, so when he is deported back to the Dominican Republic. She and her mother are forced to take a single room in Paco and Julia's apartment, and are still behind on their rent. In order to raise money for her father's legal fees, Mimi does repairs of her own, but she has distanced herself from her cousin and friends who form the Get Money Marketing Crew. After all, why have friends if they could suddenly be taken away? When Jada and friends Benny and Los realize that there is a robotics contest at school with a prize of $50,000, they approach Mimi to help them enter, and she is intrigued by the idea of that much money. However, strange things happen in their neighborhood. There's a huge flash of light at night, and something crashes through the roof of the E-Perez shop. After investigating, Mimi finds a robot, which she hides in her room, since federal agents, including the evil Agent Gallo, are looking for it. She manages to communicate with Dot-E, as she names the alien creature, and realizes that Dot-E's mother and father have also crashed somewhere in New York City after fleeing war on their planet. Mimi has to balance planning for the robotics competition with helping Dot-E find her parents. She finally has to loop in her friends as she ditches school to travel around to find Aa-Mee and Ee-Pa, all while trying to raise money for parts for the B-Kay Bot that the group is building. This robot will use laser technology and artificial intelligence to help people figure out what is wrong with equipment in order to repair it in a more cost efficient way than big businesses. Agent Gallo gets involved, and threatens to deport Mimi's mother unless she turns over Dot-E. Will Mimi be able to help both her own family and Dot-E's?
Strengths: It's always good to see kids involved in robotics and STEM type projects. Having a vibrant neighborhood, and promoting this area with their B-Kay Robot, was interesting. I liked that they even though about the impact that the robot might have on a business like Mimi's father. The treatment of the Perez's situation is well done; the father doesn't want the mother to pursue his deportation case because she is lacking documents as well. At the end of the book, it is mentioned that she is working on her status, and will then work on the father's. Dot-E's situation mirrors Mimi's in easy to understand allergory.
Weaknesses: Mimi and her friends engage in some risky behaviors that I didn't like; they skip school without notifying the adults who care about them, and set off a smoke bomb in the school so they can get out unnoticed. This sets off the sprinklers, and one of them laughs. Since the sprinklers would probably have gone off in my library and ruined a lot of books, I didn't find this funny.
What I really think: This read a bit like Cartaya's Each Tiny Spark, but with alien robots, and is a good choice for readers who enjoyed Lerner's Enginerds, Slangerup's Molly and the Machine, or Winnick's HiLo series.
Mimi Perez' Papi runs the E-Perez Repair shop, where he fixes small electronics for people in their Brooklyn Neighborhood. Mimi loves helping him, so when he is deported back to the Dominican Republic. She and her mother are forced to take a single room in Paco and Julia's apartment, and are still behind on their rent. In order to raise money for her father's legal fees, Mimi does repairs of her own, but she has distanced herself from her cousin and friends who form the Get Money Marketing Crew. After all, why have friends if they could suddenly be taken away? When Jada and friends Benny and Los realize that there is a robotics contest at school with a prize of $50,000, they approach Mimi to help them enter, and she is intrigued by the idea of that much money. However, strange things happen in their neighborhood. There's a huge flash of light at night, and something crashes through the roof of the E-Perez shop. After investigating, Mimi finds a robot, which she hides in her room, since federal agents, including the evil Agent Gallo, are looking for it. She manages to communicate with Dot-E, as she names the alien creature, and realizes that Dot-E's mother and father have also crashed somewhere in New York City after fleeing war on their planet. Mimi has to balance planning for the robotics competition with helping Dot-E find her parents. She finally has to loop in her friends as she ditches school to travel around to find Aa-Mee and Ee-Pa, all while trying to raise money for parts for the B-Kay Bot that the group is building. This robot will use laser technology and artificial intelligence to help people figure out what is wrong with equipment in order to repair it in a more cost efficient way than big businesses. Agent Gallo gets involved, and threatens to deport Mimi's mother unless she turns over Dot-E. Will Mimi be able to help both her own family and Dot-E's?
Strengths: It's always good to see kids involved in robotics and STEM type projects. Having a vibrant neighborhood, and promoting this area with their B-Kay Robot, was interesting. I liked that they even though about the impact that the robot might have on a business like Mimi's father. The treatment of the Perez's situation is well done; the father doesn't want the mother to pursue his deportation case because she is lacking documents as well. At the end of the book, it is mentioned that she is working on her status, and will then work on the father's. Dot-E's situation mirrors Mimi's in easy to understand allergory.
Weaknesses: Mimi and her friends engage in some risky behaviors that I didn't like; they skip school without notifying the adults who care about them, and set off a smoke bomb in the school so they can get out unnoticed. This sets off the sprinklers, and one of them laughs. Since the sprinklers would probably have gone off in my library and ruined a lot of books, I didn't find this funny.
What I really think: This read a bit like Cartaya's Each Tiny Spark, but with alien robots, and is a good choice for readers who enjoyed Lerner's Enginerds, Slangerup's Molly and the Machine, or Winnick's HiLo series.
April 29, 2025
The night Mimi’s Papi was deported was a turning point in her life. Instead of hanging out with her friends like she used to do, Mimi has turned inward, working to fix electronics for her neighbors in the desperate hope to earn enough money to bring her father home. When Mimi learns of a robotics competition with a huge cash prize, she reluctantly rejoins her friends in order to try to win. To complicate matters, an unexpected visitor crashes into her father’s now abandoned repair shop–a character who has the potential to change Mimi’s life forever. With multiple challenges ahead of her, Mimi must lean into her friends and herself in order to bring her complex desires to fruition. This lovingly designed middle grade novel is presented from Mimi’s point of view: a twelve-year-old girl who is shouldering the weight of adult responsibilities as she and her mother struggle to stay afloat financially. Though Mimi has the best of intentions, she often makes choices that threaten her future in an effort to preserve her present. The parallels built between Mimi and her unexpected companion are beautifully drawn, giving readers two different perspectives on the increasingly familiar and complicated issues of immigration and deportation. Throughout the narrative, Mimi’s mother speaks to her in a blend of Spanish and English, transmitting myriad cultural elements in the process. This addition makes Mimi and her world feel more tangible for readers, no matter their individual backgrounds. As the story unfolds, the relationships among the characters deepen, and Mimi begins to re-emerge more fully into her own life. With inclusions of subjects like STEM, immigration, poverty, family, and friendship, this is a multifaceted and uplifting addition to library collections for confident middle grade readers.
March 18, 2025
Mimi Perez used to help fix broken electronics at her dad's shop until he was deported. Now, she uses her skills to try and save money to help pay to bring him back home while her mom, Ramona, is working way too hard cleaning businesses. They now share one room they rent - and are always behind on the payments packed with as much oftheir personal items as they could fit. In her grief and focus to get her dad back, Mimi pulled away from her cousin, Jada, and her best friends, Los and Benny. One night, the sky over Brookly becomes a beautiful light show and something crashes into Mim's dad's boarded up shop. Investigating, she finds a robot, Dot-E, and bonds with the space robot quickly, determined to help it find its mother. Feds are crawling all over Brooklyn and Mim's friends convince her to join the robotics competition with them in the hopes of winning the grand prize, bragging rights, and more followers for their ClickTock. A federal agent is sure that Mimi knows something about Dot-E, convinced the space robot and the missing mother will be his ticket to getting a promotion, a raise, and more power. Mimi is a nuanced character filled with her hopes and dreams, her fears, grief, and guilt, and her need to help Dot-E find its mother stems from her need to bring her father home. A fun adventure, especially when Mimi brings her friends into the search and gets the backing of her mother, the neighborhood, and even a teacher even if they don't know about Dot-E. The STEM premise layered with social media, coming-of-age, family and friendship drama keep the pages turning.
December 8, 2024
I received an electronic ARC from Disney Publishing Worldwide through NetGalley.
Mimi is not quite a typical middle school student. She is dealing with adult level issues to bring her family back together. Her Papi was deported and her mom is working several jobs so they survive. She has picked up the role of keeping her father's fix it business going by working on electronics for their neighbors. Rodriquez sets this scene before bringing in the main action so readers can identify with her and her friends.
When a series of bright lights flash across the evening/nighttime sky, Mimi sees an object crash into her dad's closed up shop. She decides to investigate and discovers a small round being who looks like a robot. Dot-e has crash landed on Earth but was separated from their mom. The parallels between the two are obvious and well presented. Together with her three friends, Mimi helps Dot-e locate their mom and rescue her. There is empowerment here as Mimi can't do anything to bring her dad back.
As every story needs, we also meet a "villain." Agent Gallo is a rogue government employee who causes grief and threatens Mimi's mom. The four friends work together to resolve this complication and help the robots go home.
A balanced approach with enough action and seriousness balanced by lighter moments. I appreciate the author's point that the bonds of family and friendship are without boundaries.
Mimi is not quite a typical middle school student. She is dealing with adult level issues to bring her family back together. Her Papi was deported and her mom is working several jobs so they survive. She has picked up the role of keeping her father's fix it business going by working on electronics for their neighbors. Rodriquez sets this scene before bringing in the main action so readers can identify with her and her friends.
When a series of bright lights flash across the evening/nighttime sky, Mimi sees an object crash into her dad's closed up shop. She decides to investigate and discovers a small round being who looks like a robot. Dot-e has crash landed on Earth but was separated from their mom. The parallels between the two are obvious and well presented. Together with her three friends, Mimi helps Dot-e locate their mom and rescue her. There is empowerment here as Mimi can't do anything to bring her dad back.
As every story needs, we also meet a "villain." Agent Gallo is a rogue government employee who causes grief and threatens Mimi's mom. The four friends work together to resolve this complication and help the robots go home.
A balanced approach with enough action and seriousness balanced by lighter moments. I appreciate the author's point that the bonds of family and friendship are without boundaries.
March 28, 2025
Courtesy of time spent working with her father, Mimi is an electronics repair whiz. After her father is deported back to the Dominican Republic, Mimi misses him desperately. She puts her skills to use to bring in money to use towards securing his return to the US, straining her relationships with her longtime friends. Her friends reach out to her, asking her to join a robotics contest. When Mimi hears that the contest has a large cash prize, she agrees to join forces with her old pals, and they begin to work on their ideas. One night an unusual flash of lights appears over her dad’s shuttered repair shop and crashes. Mimi is compelled to investigate and is shocked to find a small robot alien. As Mimi learns about Dot-e, it becomes clear that the robot is missing her family, just as she is missing her dad. Mimi and her friends secretly set out to rescue Dot-e’s mother and reunite the pair, despite rogue federal Agent Gallo’s attempts to thwart their mission.
The positive representation of girls in STEM really stands out here, with Mimi taking the lead on the robotics project and on uncovering the mysteries surrounding Dot-e, both with assists from her friends. The parallels between Mimi’s and Dot-e’s situations in this sci-fi story with emotional family drama will be easily apparent to readers and tug on reader heartstrings as the story races to a high-stakes conclusion.
The positive representation of girls in STEM really stands out here, with Mimi taking the lead on the robotics project and on uncovering the mysteries surrounding Dot-e, both with assists from her friends. The parallels between Mimi’s and Dot-e’s situations in this sci-fi story with emotional family drama will be easily apparent to readers and tug on reader heartstrings as the story races to a high-stakes conclusion.
April 18, 2025
The day her father was deported was the day 12-year-old Mimi Perez shut herself off from the world. But when a small robot from outer space crashes not far from her house, she takes him in and fixes him up, and realizes he is as alone as she feels. To help him find his mom and get home, she shares her secret with her former best friends, and together, they embark on a mission to help the robot, all while trying to build their own robot to win a robotics competition. But when the feds show up determined to track down the alien robots, Mimi and her friends must hurry to save the small robot and his mom before they are both taken away and destroyed.
What I liked: fun story! The opening chapter is emotional and a wonderful scene through a child’s eye. The characters are all believable and relatable, and I loved the personality of the robot. I loved the references to Spanish idioms, some of which I was not familiar with. And I loved the smart, sassy protagonist, who many would probably consider “nerdy.”
What I didn’t like: the only real issue I had was the kids skipping school and setting a smoke bomb to sneak out. I understand the urgency, but it can give young readers ideas. (I taught high school for 25 years, you’d be surprised what kids do to sneak out lol)
All-in-all, a fun read.
4.5 out of 5 stars
What I liked: fun story! The opening chapter is emotional and a wonderful scene through a child’s eye. The characters are all believable and relatable, and I loved the personality of the robot. I loved the references to Spanish idioms, some of which I was not familiar with. And I loved the smart, sassy protagonist, who many would probably consider “nerdy.”
What I didn’t like: the only real issue I had was the kids skipping school and setting a smoke bomb to sneak out. I understand the urgency, but it can give young readers ideas. (I taught high school for 25 years, you’d be surprised what kids do to sneak out lol)
All-in-all, a fun read.
4.5 out of 5 stars
August 18, 2025
I loved this story, actually devoured it in one sitting.
Liked her dad, Mimi, 12, loves fixing electronics and the like. Now that her dad has been deported, and her mother is working really hard, Mimi gets money for fixing things in her Brooklyn neighborhood, hoping to have enough for money for one day pay a lawyer and have her dad back.
Suddenly, an unexpected friend comes out of nowhere. Like her, he is small, scared, and looking for his parents.
Maybe they can help each other?
I loved the plot, the characters, especially smart Mimi and her friends from Earth and from beyond.
The deportation context is very well put in, and I enjoyed all the Spanish sentences here and there.
Great messages about family, and about frienship, and how you can do many things when you work at it together.
The only thing that I found odd in a book for middle graders was, mostly in the first part of the book, all the sentences about not going to school, that Mimi had more important things to do.
Later in the book, we see more clearly that it's not OK, but for many pages it sounds like Mimi can do what she wants, and not going to school is a cool thing.
Am I old school? Sounds sad to find that type of message in a book for middle schoolers, or for anyone for that matter.
Liked her dad, Mimi, 12, loves fixing electronics and the like. Now that her dad has been deported, and her mother is working really hard, Mimi gets money for fixing things in her Brooklyn neighborhood, hoping to have enough for money for one day pay a lawyer and have her dad back.
Suddenly, an unexpected friend comes out of nowhere. Like her, he is small, scared, and looking for his parents.
Maybe they can help each other?
I loved the plot, the characters, especially smart Mimi and her friends from Earth and from beyond.
The deportation context is very well put in, and I enjoyed all the Spanish sentences here and there.
Great messages about family, and about frienship, and how you can do many things when you work at it together.
The only thing that I found odd in a book for middle graders was, mostly in the first part of the book, all the sentences about not going to school, that Mimi had more important things to do.
Later in the book, we see more clearly that it's not OK, but for many pages it sounds like Mimi can do what she wants, and not going to school is a cool thing.
Am I old school? Sounds sad to find that type of message in a book for middle schoolers, or for anyone for that matter.
August 29, 2024
I recieved a free eARC of this book. Thank you for the opportunity to read it.
Mimi can fix phones and other small appliances, but she can't fix her family. Not since her father was deported to the Dominican Republic. She needs money for a lawyer to clear her mother's status, to bring her father back, maybe even to get an apartment and their shop back. She's pulled away from her friends, her cousin, because, what might happen to them next?
Then, two things happen. The first is a robotics competition. The top prize is $50,000-enough to make a dent in Mimi's needs, so she and her friends start work. The second is Dot-E. A young alien robot who needs to find HER lost family--and protection from the military scientists trying to find her. Together, the four friends set out to do both.
This is a wonderful sci-fi kids book, with a well earned if not unexpected finish that also leads to opportunities to discuss immigration and the struggles faced by immigrants in getting legal residency in the US. I think many kids will love this book..
Mimi can fix phones and other small appliances, but she can't fix her family. Not since her father was deported to the Dominican Republic. She needs money for a lawyer to clear her mother's status, to bring her father back, maybe even to get an apartment and their shop back. She's pulled away from her friends, her cousin, because, what might happen to them next?
Then, two things happen. The first is a robotics competition. The top prize is $50,000-enough to make a dent in Mimi's needs, so she and her friends start work. The second is Dot-E. A young alien robot who needs to find HER lost family--and protection from the military scientists trying to find her. Together, the four friends set out to do both.
This is a wonderful sci-fi kids book, with a well earned if not unexpected finish that also leads to opportunities to discuss immigration and the struggles faced by immigrants in getting legal residency in the US. I think many kids will love this book..
March 8, 2025
I really wanted to like this book about a middle-school-aged tech-savvy girl finding a robot from outer space, but on the whole, I did not enjoy this story.
I didn't like that the dialogue felt forced, with so much slang to make the kids sound modern and cool that it was hard to understand at times. I didn't like that the themes came across as heavy-handed and simplistic (kids are capable of understanding some subtlety). And I really didn't like that the main character, Mimi, was a terrible role model. She skipped school constantly and barely batted an eye at lying to her mom throughout the book. The only consequence that resulted from any of this bad behavior is that she was grounded for one weekend, during which she was still allowed to FaceTime her friends and work on her pet science project.
I did like the girls in STEM representation and that the authors pulled no punches in portraying some heartbreaking aspects of the immigrant experience, but overall this is not a book I will be handing to my own middle-grade readers or recommending to others.
I didn't like that the dialogue felt forced, with so much slang to make the kids sound modern and cool that it was hard to understand at times. I didn't like that the themes came across as heavy-handed and simplistic (kids are capable of understanding some subtlety). And I really didn't like that the main character, Mimi, was a terrible role model. She skipped school constantly and barely batted an eye at lying to her mom throughout the book. The only consequence that resulted from any of this bad behavior is that she was grounded for one weekend, during which she was still allowed to FaceTime her friends and work on her pet science project.
I did like the girls in STEM representation and that the authors pulled no punches in portraying some heartbreaking aspects of the immigrant experience, but overall this is not a book I will be handing to my own middle-grade readers or recommending to others.
January 5, 2026
12-year-old Brooklynite Mimi Perez tries to help an alien robot reunite with its family, while using the robot as a basis for entering a robotics competition with a cash prize that could keep her own family afloat following her father’s deportation to the Dominican Republic.
I really enjoyed this one. Pages 108-109 got me crying with its tender depictions of familial robot love. The text is supplemented by discussion questions, which are a nice bonus, and the narrative uses alien robots as a parallel metaphor to illegal aliens, which feels timely. My only quibble are the first-person chapters that bookend the third-person narrative; the change in perspective feels unnecessary and jarring. Mimi’s close third-person narration is otherwise interspersed with first-person case reports written by her nemesis, a government agent determined to confiscate Bot-E.
I really enjoyed this one. Pages 108-109 got me crying with its tender depictions of familial robot love. The text is supplemented by discussion questions, which are a nice bonus, and the narrative uses alien robots as a parallel metaphor to illegal aliens, which feels timely. My only quibble are the first-person chapters that bookend the third-person narrative; the change in perspective feels unnecessary and jarring. Mimi’s close third-person narration is otherwise interspersed with first-person case reports written by her nemesis, a government agent determined to confiscate Bot-E.
February 11, 2025
Thank you NetGalley for the arc!
I laughed, I cried, I sighed *rinse and repeat* Combine the antics of a 7th grader with the realities of living in less than stellar circumstances (slight spoiler but Mimi loses her Dad through a very specific way and it might be a bit triggering for those else who are familiar with 🧊 la migra)
The relationship Mimi redevelops with her friends with adorable. Also robots?! How cool were they! This would be great for anyone who has a middle schooler that is invested in robots and fixing trinkets. If you haven't seen Wall-E or Wild Robot, this is meant for those who also want to dip their toes in the sci fi world without all the complexities. Also let's keep encouraging girls to work in STEM. <3
I laughed, I cried, I sighed *rinse and repeat* Combine the antics of a 7th grader with the realities of living in less than stellar circumstances (slight spoiler but Mimi loses her Dad through a very specific way and it might be a bit triggering for those else who are familiar with 🧊 la migra)
The relationship Mimi redevelops with her friends with adorable. Also robots?! How cool were they! This would be great for anyone who has a middle schooler that is invested in robots and fixing trinkets. If you haven't seen Wall-E or Wild Robot, this is meant for those who also want to dip their toes in the sci fi world without all the complexities. Also let's keep encouraging girls to work in STEM. <3
August 24, 2024
Mimi Perez is only twelve, but she learned how to fix electronics at her father’s knee. When an alien robot crashes into her family’s former e-repair shop, Mimi knows she has to help. At the same time, she has to deal with broken friendships, her father’s deportation and federal agents. A robotics contest might just help with all those things. She’s a strong and wonderful girl, with a big heart, a wonderful family that includes her mother, her neighbors and everyone on the block in Brooklyn. A really enjoyable and fun read.
Thank you to NetGalley and Disney Publishing Worldwide for this DRC.
#PTheGirlandtheRobot #NetGalley
Thank you to NetGalley and Disney Publishing Worldwide for this DRC.
#PTheGirlandtheRobot #NetGalley
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November 16, 2025Did not finish. This contemporary sci-fi for ages 8-12 was a cross between Wall-e, ET, and every movie/show where a kid is hiding something from their parent(s). There were lots of parts that seemed like descriptions for scenes in an animated movie, and I couldn't stand how the lost space robot was scared, sad, etc. It might be cute in a movie, but it was annoying in a book. Mimi's father is taken by ICE, and probably deported, and that understandable has Mimi devastated and falling behind on schoolwork, and self-isolating. It also bothered me that the school staff weren't trying to help. I read almost half the book.
September 22, 2025
Ok listen is Mimi the best role model ever? Maybe not! She skipped school a lot and lied to her mom but a) she felt terrible about it and b) in what world do you find an ALIEN ROBOT and NOT SKIP SCHOOL TO INVESTIGATE??? She lived through some life-altering trauma and the subtext is that she has not been herself— withdrawn from friends and family, focused wholly on her housing and financial situation…. She gets back on track once she comes to terms with her situation and has a plan forward. I loved this one
April 1, 2025
I thoroughly enjoyed this light sci-fi novel. I’ve been trying to explore outside my preferred genre (something I always encourage my students to do) and I found myself loving this sci-fi book. I loved how Mimi’s family and circumstances mirrors that of the robot. The emotions of Mimi and the circumstances surrounding the plot are so timely right now. This is an important book to have in school libraries everywhere.
February 7, 2025
ARC Copy...other then the robot-artificial intelligence (actually that's debatable if "made or not...felt the robot was "born" based on its manners) was much friendly and caring then the last AI I read in a middle grade techno ArC (see my "Zed Moonstein Makes a Friend" arc review), it was a fun fast paced out of this world read!
June 16, 2025
Things I loved: big themes on loved ones being lost -- deportation and war, and on how that trauma can alienate you even from your closest friends. STEM/ robotics, Mimi's ability and interest in fixing things. Dot-e is charismatic and interesting, the Brooklyn neighborhood and housing is supportive, and generally a solid story.
March 12, 2025
This was a fun read perfect for kids looking for science fiction. I liked the teamwork between the friends and how they worked through their problems. I could give this to boys or girls to enjoy equally.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.
January 8, 2026
Set in Brooklyn and narrated in part by twelve year old Mimi Perez, after witnessing her father Jose being captured and deported, she is left frightened and sad.
When robots from space crash in her neighborhood, Mimi and friends find a way to help.
When robots from space crash in her neighborhood, Mimi and friends find a way to help.
March 10, 2025
ARC acquired at the North Texas Teen Book Festival
What a delightful book! Full of charm and heart. If you're a fan of Wall-E or The Wild Robot, you will love this!
What a delightful book! Full of charm and heart. If you're a fan of Wall-E or The Wild Robot, you will love this!
May 11, 2025
I really wanted to love this one, but the writing was clunky, some plot points just didn't make sense, and I couldn't stay engaged.
May 31, 2025
3.5 stars Modern, mid-grade E.T. It also deals with some tough issues in an approachable way for younger readers.
October 5, 2025
Perfect for 5th/6th grade students. The 2025 version of Iron Giant and ET. Girl finds a robot all while mourning the deportation of her father. Robot helps heal her and bring her back to her friends.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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