Unboxing Libby

by Steph Cherrywell

AI meets American Girl Dolls in this quirky novel about a group of preteen androids who have been cast aside and have to make their own way in a new human colony.

Max isn't always sweet and bubbly. That wouldn't be an issue except for the fact that she's programmed to be. "Max" isn't even her real name. She's a Libby– one of the most popular A.I.Cademy Girl social robots, which top the sales charts for girls ages eight to twelve. They look almost human and there’s a companion to fit every personality. Wendys are smart. Robins are sporty. Noras are artistic. And Libbys? As the box they come in Always chipper, cheerful, and sweet, Libby(TM) makes the perfect friend.

But despite her packaging and her programmed memories, Max is feeling the opposite of perfect. The only thing she wants to know is why. But this question uncovers bigger answers than she bargained for – like the shocking fate of the other A.I.Cademy Girls, and what the founders of their idyllic community are really hiding. Max may not be the perfect Libby, but she’ll have to embrace what makes her uniquely Max to save herself and her friends before they're all sent to the junkyard.

Genres: Middle Grade, Science Fiction, Friendship, Audiobook, Dystopia, Childrens, Humor

320 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2025

Reviews

[Indigo Bobcat · Rating 5 out of 5]

if this book was food (real food, not cardboard), it would be the most delicious thing ever

[Taylor Borman · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a unique story line. At first I was unsure, but really liked it!

[M Soh · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for providing this book, with my honest review below.

What a great book for those who have nostalgia recalling American Girl Dolls and, of course, its target audience of younger readers. I’d go ahead and say this is a targeted for a bookworm at ten, but otherwise closer to 12 - 15 age group (12 being the age of our main character, Libby), though as an adult I enjoyed it as well.

Set on Mars two hundred years in the future, the people on earth have mastered AI and robotics enough to create lifelike robots that are sophisticated enough to inhabit communities on the red planet which is being settled for human life after a past of mining. These robots are put in the communities to ‘try them out’ and the data around their day to day, which mimics that of the humans who will eventually live in their homes, will help find dangers before people move in. The robots are those who don’t sell well on earth, and Libby and her classmates are more specifically A.I.Cademy girls who are party of a popular earth show. Much like our carebears they are known for their somewhat cookie cutter personalities and interests. Libby SHOULD be kind and supportive and focused on baking and the color pink, but due to some issues with her code she breaks the mold, acting just a bit like all the other girls and disregarding the rules set up for her community.

The book offers plenty of background and context to help world build and introduces each character through their doll/robot personae early on. It also throws in a great ‘mystery’ with Libby (who goes by Max as there are several Libby doll/robots present in their community) finding out exactly what happens to those with her issues and how little she and her friends are valued. There are lessons sneakily wrapped up in this story as well as some awesome girl power and justice parts. As an adult I adored it and think tweens (and above) will be similarly interested, if not more!

[Becky · Rating 3 out of 5]

First sentence: My mom saved the clothes I was born in. I asked her once why she bothered, when they were the same yellow T-shirt and jeans with floral decals that every Libby comes with. She said it wasn't the same, because these were mine.

Premise/plot: Unboxing Libby is set on Mars in a robot colony of sorts. Libby Maxwell (aka MAX) IS an A.I.Cademy Girl, a "social robot." She's one of a product line of social robots. Each robot has a preprogrammed personality and memories. (There's Libby, Giselle, Nora, Robin, Izzy, Miracle, Roxanne, Wendy, Sam.) They do not interact with other humans--not really. They just socialize with other robots. They live in houses with robot parents and attend schools with robot teachers. Though to be fair, all of the robots are twelve years old, so I'm not sure how many classes and teachers are needed! The food they eat is construction paper with words written on it.

Max (our Libby) is different from the other Libby robots. She has her own personality, she is defying her programs and "malfunctioning." The more she interacts with the other robots, the more individuality is celebrated. But the powers that be--the humans on Mars--are not happy with their disposable "cheap" robots thinking for themselves, expressing themselves, and wanting to make their own decisions. Max may just have to save all the robots.

My thoughts: I wanted to love this one. SET ON MARS. ROBOTS. Robot "dolls" or companions that have their own stories, clothes, accessories, pets, videos, etc. The premise seemed like it had a lot of potential. But I am an overthinker. For better or worse. And I just wasn't sure about the world-building. Robot companions for humans makes sense--particularly children, particularly for childless couples perhaps. But robot parents with robot children living robot lives, I'm just not 100% sure how that works. Do all robots come in two sizes? adult and child? I'm assuming that neither ever grows, changes, ages, develops, etc. So are they just twelve forever and ever and ever? Same with the parents? The humans seem to be distrustful of the robots. Yet the robots just didn't appear out of nowhere. Someone had to order them, ship them, unpack them, turn them on, etc. So why?

The message of Max--who does have a malfunction of sorts, though it's seen as a blessing--is that she has been programmed with TWO sets of personalities and memories. She's both a LIBBY and a ROXANNE and her programming is in conflict since the personalities are different from one another. She's neither a Libby nor a Roxanne. She could never be happy "being Libby" or "being Roxanne" she is both. So there does seem to be some semi-subtle messaging going on.

[Miranda Reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

"I was safe, I was fine, and everything about me was perfectly normal.
As far as I knew."

The generation 4 of A.I. Academy Girls were a huge hit on earth - spawning a dedicated fanbase across the world, but as generation 5 rolls out, it's a fact of life that no one wants the 4s anymore.

Soooo...the excess were leased to a terraforming project on Mars. The idea being that all the generation 4s would act like a human society and allow the scientists to study how the construction and planetary modifications were working.

Enter Libby Maxwell, the newest unboxed "Libby" on the block.

"Libby(TM) is a shining star whose generous heart brings joy wherever she goes! ...Always chipper, cheerful, and sweet, Libby(TM) makes the perfect friend."

When Libby goes to "school," she's given the nickname of "Max" (because there's a ton of Libbys already there) and at first it is great, she's surrounded by Libbys.

Everyone is so happy and wonderful.... but the longer she goes to school, the less Libby-ish she feels. In fact, she finds herself drawn to a Roxanne, of all people! Roxannes HATE Libbys, right? So Max shouldn't try to befriend her...and yet Max wants to.

Max wants to eat real food. She wants to do something other than play pretend at school...she wants to be someone other than a Libby. But she's also scared, because if she isn't a Libby, who is she?

"But of all these little programs, a mind was solidifying into me, and I wanted to cry, too - mostly from sheer relief."

Holyfreakingcrap. This one was so good!

I picked it up because the tagline stated A.I. meets American Girl (and I've been on a huuuuge American Girl kick) but only a few paragraphs in, I realized that the author was moreso thinking 'being best friends with your doll' than accurate historical fiction.

And yet, I was wholly engrossed into this story. The way Max "awoke" from her basic Libby programming and did her best to muddle her way through life had me hooked.

I loved how the author handled the tough concepts like existentialism and what it means to be human at a middle-grade level. I liked the moral quandaries that the author posed - at what point do we consider the ability to 'think' as human? What grants someone the right to life and someone else the right to take it?

But also there's so much heart - the friendships Max forms with Glitter (another Libby), and Sparky (a young Nora), and Roxanne (the one and only Roxanne) - really endeared me to her story. The way the girls held each other up made the story so much more human to me.

I won't go into too many details cause I don't want to spoil things for anyone BUT GOSH DANG did the last few chapters had me chanting, "this is a middle grade book, it has to end happy" over and over!!

[Mark Buxton · Rating 4 out of 5]

What worked:
The book introduces characters uniquely, as Libby is literally unboxed in the first chapter. She’s a new Libby robot, and she downloads memories of her “life” and her mother, another robot version called Nora. Despite being robots, the characters mostly sound and act like humans. This makes the story relatable to young readers, even though most of the characters are androids living on Mars. The idea is for the androids to simulate the role of humans living on the planet to figure out potential problems for future settlers. Interpersonal drama ensues.
The androids have preprogrammed appearances and personalities, with Libbys being the nicest and Roxannes being snobby and mean. Libby is the newest robot to start school, and the other Libbys give her the nickname Max. The story becomes more intriguing when Roxanne points out that Max is not behaving like other Libbys. Everyone expects her to make others happy, but Max begins thinking more independently. The human doctor and Roxanne are shocked when Max reveals she can cross The Boundary. This invisible line is supposed to keep robots from entering areas restricted to humans. It’s the biggest sign that Max’s programming works much differently than was intended. The evolution of Max’s character is a highlight.
This book offers an innovative perspective on life among adolescents. The characters represent stereotypical personas someone might find in middle school. No one wants to be friends with Roxanne, although Max is the exception in this story. The characters interact based on their programming, and some don’t adapt well when things don’t go as expected. Just Libby is especially sensitive to the changes. However, other characters become more creative once they sense encouragement.
What didn’t work as well:
The author inserts pages describing the different kinds of robots early in the book, which helps to understand them. Other pages later in the book describe interviews and advertisements for them and for settling on Mars. The later pages aren’t as helpful and aren’t necessary.
The final verdict:
An important message in the story is to think for yourself. The atmosphere of the story is reminiscent of the confusing years of middle grades, but the setting and conflict make it unusual. It’s a thought-provoking book, and I recommend you give it a shot.

[Molly · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'll admit to having some bias because the author is a friend of mine, but I also truly found this such a delightful and intriguing read. The pacing is excellent and I was excited to see what would happen next during the whole book. While intended for a middle grade audience, as an adult reader I still found the book entertaining, funny, readable, and original. The premise is fascinating -- robots designed to be companions to children are now colonizing Mars to make it ready for human beings. It is, sadly, probably a realistic portrayal of where capitalism will take us. The small element I found most delightful was the interludes between chapters, which feature things such as advertisements -- it was such a clever way to do some exposition and to introduce the different types of dolls.

The characters are all well-developed and felt like they were real. I enjoyed everybody's character arcs, especially Max's, the main character. Underneath it all, this story feels queer-coded in the best way and sends a message that is sorely needed in our society, at any moment in history: that being different isn't wrong. That who you are is not a crime. That you shouldn't have to change yourself to please others, or to please society, or to become who you think you have to be. Despite the fact that the characters are not technically human beings, the way they discover themselves throughout the story is done in a way that young readers will find relatable, and in a way that reminds us all as readers what it really means to be "human."

I would highly recommend this one to anybody who loves sci-fi and/or coming of age stories. Thank you to the author for allowing me to borrow and read a copy of the ARC - I can't wait to see this one hit the shelves.

[Theresa Sandifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

The premise and description of Unboxing Libby immediately brought to mind Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro. I didn’t expect to find a masterpiece like Ishiguro’s but the parallels are sometimes there.. in Unboxing Libby we are faced with a world of what I pictured as animatronic American Girl dolls, except I guess they were human sized. There are different models, among them, Izzy, Nora, Wendy, Roxanne and of course Libby. Each model is a specific personality type, Noras are for example artistic, Wendys are brainiacs and Libbys are cheerful and the perfect friend. The book opens with her birth (unboxing) and from early on we realize that this Libby is “different.”
Libby is atypical for a robot. She seems to have unLibby thoughts and fights against her preprogrammed scripts. In fact,
Libby is pretty sure she is not a Libby on the inside and tries to figure out where she fits in. The story progresses with Libby trying to learn who she really is and we see her influence on some of the other robots. For me, the middle is where the story falls apart. It felt hopelessly muddled and I felt like details were being glossed over. By the time we get to the big event/climax, the Halloween Party, I was about ready to throw in the towel. Things were happening with no explanation or reason, as if there was a rush to get to the end.
The end was rushed and happened way too fast to be at all satisfying. The character of Ms. Jessie came across as an evil, hysterical , threatening woman — but she came out of nowhere, having been introduced in the very beginning and ignored to this point. There was no buildup to her being the “big bad”.
All in all it wasn’t a terrible book but I think it could have been much better. It is worth a read if you come across it.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

*I received a free ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review*

I wasn't sure what to expect from this book so I was able to sit back and enjoy the story as it unfolded. There are so many themes here that would make for interesting conversations with middle grade readers. Especially with the current push in AI and more life-like robots - when you give a robot a personality and feelings what ethics come into play when those robots are decommissioned? I found myself sometimes forgetting that the characters were not human after following their very human-like problems with identity and finding a place to fit in. I also thought the idea of the same models of robots expressing their personalities in different ways was a very interesting way to mirror the obstacles young people have in figuring out who they are. I work in a high school and have on more than one occasion had the thought that so many of the students look the same - they style their hair the same way, wear the same types of clothing, do their make-up the same way, etc. It reminds me of the concept of "mass produced individuality" - which is why I so appreciated this book's message of discovering who you really are and that sometimes you can be a little bit of lots of personalities. Max is far from a perfect person and that's what truly makes her so relatable. I loved that she was the one to kind of start the fight, but needed her friends in order to truly bring about the change and security she and the other robots needed. The way in which the "big-bad-company' is brought down was as unexpected as it was genius. I highly recommend this book for classroom and school libraries!

[Elizabeth Rhodes · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first of Steph’s works that I have read and I’m so glad they were able to join us at Fall Forum so I could have the privilege. There was a moment while reading this story that I briefly questioned the middle grades reading level suggestion. The story felt more sophisticated and adult than that, but then I remembered that the first time I read The Giver was probably right around 10 years old and it quickly became one of my favorite books, so I think I’m just out of touch with my younger self’s reading comprehension. Unboxing Libby felt a lot like The Giver to me with the awakening of consciousness in an otherwise routine world. That’s not to downplay the uniqueness of this book though, I thoroughly enjoyed getting to traipse the martian landscape with or without disembodied hands. The trials along Max’s journey to finding herself felt authentic and when she hit roadblocks both figuratively and literally I panicked along with her until she puzzled out the solutions. I found the many different stories within this story to be an added experience and the detail of Steph’s descriptions put me right into the middle of it. Sidenote: if Sparky ever publishes her comics, I’d like to read them. While I am a little terrified of sentient AI androids, if they could be more on the Max spectrum of things, then maybe we can all come to a fair agreement. I’m confident that middle grade readers would like this story, but I also recommend it to adult readers to remember that it’s not always the best to just fit in, sometimes you have to stick out a little to be you.

[Glenna Coleman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Max used to be Libby, a Gen 4 A.I. Cademy Girl social robot, now obsolete and sent to the Mars colony with others of her generation to test out housing and other buildings for the rich humans who will live there. When Max was activated, she was a Libby robot, but she didn't feel like a Libby; she wasn't sure how she felt or who she was. All she knew was that she wanted to be Roxanne's friend, and NOBODY was Roxanne's friend. With the help of a human programmer, Max discovers one set of her code was overwritten with another, making her something different. Along the way, though, she also discovered she could cross boundaries that no other robots could cross. Max turns into a bit of a juvenile deliquent for a time, and ultimately, when her changes put all of the robots in danger, she has to figure out a plan to save everyone. When robots start going off code, though, there is no controlling the result! I enjoyed this book from start to finish. It was fun to read about themes of friendship and coming-of-age as well as of self-discovery from the perspective of a robot instead of a human. But really, who were the real humans in this story?

[Jamie Henry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Libby "Max" Maxwell lives in Community 14 on Mars in 2200. She is an intelligent robot based on the popular TV series A. I. Cademy. Community 14 is populated with other Libby's, the smart Wendy's, the bully Roxanne's and more to diversify the cast. Max, however, doesn't feel much like a Libby and when she is determined to make friends with Roxanne, the other Libby's shun her which isn't very Libby at all. They are supposed to be positivie, peppy, and cheerful, but she finds herself wanting to push the rules, gets angry, and change the way she looks. As she delves deeper into herself, Libby finds secrets about herself and learns most about what Minerva Social Computing, their creators, have planned for them and Libby is determined to stop it, using as many of the other robots as she can. This book is American Girl with robots that delve into self-discovery, varied emotions, family, and friendships. An interesting sci-fi twist with AI robots and colonizing Mars by testing it with robots meant to be toys for children.

[Karen Reeder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whoah! Mind blown. I knew I was going to read about robots, but I like to go into a book as blind as possible so that was all I knew. I loved all the incredible themes within and out of the box of Unboxing Libby. I can only imagine that readers will be able to take even more themes as they read and make the story their own. Just read it. It will be a fun adventure.
If you’re one who needs more information here is a bit more. AI robots on Mars because of course the Earth is becoming less and less livable so the robots are going to go test out some possible communities for future habitation. But what happens as they learn to adapt to new situations?
Humans can relate to themes of self-expression, learning and understanding who and what you stand for, betrayal, and friendships. What really makes you who you are? What really makes a friend a good friend?
This is my honest review from my ARC I received through Netgalley.

[Kristy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun book about what it means to be yourself, even if yourself isn't who others expect you to be. It was never explicitly stated, but I definitely saw similarities between Max figuring out who she truly is with trans and nonbinary people.

The characters are supposed to be around 12, but most of them felt a bit older. Maybe it was in their coding. Roxanne calling others "cupcake" made her seem more like a 45-year-old waitress at a truck stop than a middle-school-aged kid.

Throwing their own arms at each other was great and I found how Dari was described in the Sky Surferrz theme song downright hilarious.

I will definitely read from Steph Cherrywell again.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a digital review copy.

[Stephanie Fitzgerald · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
This was a book that was just plain fun to read!
Anyone who was ever into collecting American Girl dolls will instantly make a connection with all the Libbies, Wendies, Roxannes, etc., the robot protagonists. For me, it was suggestive of a mix of American Girl + Babysitter’s Club, because of each character fitting into a certain “type”; artist, jock, mean kid, fashionista, academic nerd, and the like.
The best parts to me were the “description” pages at the end of several chapters, telling about the attributes of each doll, and of course, where to order additional accessories that were sold separately.
The author must have been very familiar with the “Meet____” books of American Girl, because the parodies were spot-on!

[Pam · Rating 2 out of 5]

Listened and read.
Libby is one of AI Girls who are on Mars. She is unboxed, turns on her ‘memory’, and recognizes her mom. She goes to school with other AI Girls. There are several types, and within each type they are all the same. Or are they? At first, to differentiate from the other Libby’s, Libby Maxwell goes by Max. She befriends cantankerous Roxanne, even though Libby’s aren’t friends with Roxanne’s. Max learns that she can do things other Libby’s, and even all AI Girls, cannot do. She visits Dr.Bahnjee and learns about her own code. There is a lot about being true to yourself, class system, rules, and making things better for all.
I really did not like the audio: the voices sounded like a Saturday morning cartoon from my childhood.

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

This gave me Beta vibes but the scifi story includes the summary that it's AI meeting American Girl which is a unique way to approach the story of Libby bots-- robot girls living in a human world but each kind of boxed robot has different assets. And because there are a handful of Libby's at this new academy, they all give each other nicknames and the main character Libby, whose last name is Maxwell, becomes Max and learns to navigate in this world.

I needed either more intrigue or more dystopia to be completely sold, but it's a solid story that features a future that's not far off.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Unboxing Libby" is a delightful and thought-provoking read! The quirky, endearing characters draw you into a whimsical world. Even though the protagonists are robots, their exploration of who they are and where they belong is deeply human. I loved how the story balances playful humor with meaningful messages about embracing individuality and being who you are, even if it doesn't fit the mold. It’s a perfect pick for young readers who’ve ever felt like they don’t quite fit in and are trying to find their place in the world. An excellent book with heart and depth—I highly recommend it!

[Rummanah (Books in the Spotlight) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I still think this book has very strong Barbie vibes. Some reviewers mention the American Girl dolls but I never had any desire/experience in owning one. I really liked the premise of this story. Sentient dolls wondering if they have their own individual identity other than the one they are programmed to be. Replace the concept of feminism and add in middle school priorities- friendship, managing jealousies, and creating your own identity. I didn't find the interludes of advertisement funny or amusing and it did take me a while to distinguish all the different dolls.

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

With a creative premise, readers will be hooked from the first chapter! In the future, Mars is being terraformed for humans. To test out the new housing and to make the communities appear lived in, surplus AI robots (A.I.Cademy Girls) are programmed to live on Mars in family units and to attend school. It’s all fake of course, from the paper food they pretend to eat and the breathing they pretend to do. When Libby starts to suspect something is off with her code – she doesn’t feel like the other Libbys – she discovers the real plan for the robots and tries to thwart the plans.

[Nita · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a great concept: self-aware, AI-driven, life-size dolls living in a early colony on Mars. The dolls are there to simulate real children (they go to school, etc), so the engineers can make sure that everything is functioning properly before humans move in. It could have been really interesting, but the story was stuck in an endless loop where one doll is trying to figure out her identity and encouraging the other dolls to disregard their programming and be different. The main character was annoying and the story felt tedious. I DNF'ed about 75% of the way through.

[Deena Lipomi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Libby androids are supposed to be "chipper, cheerful, and sweet," but Libby renames herself Max and tries to get the other android models to be who they want -- and avoid what befalls the AI who don't perform as expected. American Girl dolls meets Barbie and Klara and the Sun in this upbeat, lightly toned novel that that has more serious undertones about artificial life and humans' treatment of it. Some more info about the world they were created in would add depth to the story, but it is good for what it is.

[Stephanie Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

*I won this book in a goodreads giveaway*
3.5/5 rounded up.
I enjoyed the messaging in this book and I liked how the book ended. I think if you have kiddos who are a little interested in sci-fi but aren’t ready for a world that doesn’t feel like ours, this could be a good pick for them.
That being said, this book dragged in the middle. For a book written for children I was surprisingly board for a long section of the middle of the book.

[Chrissy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unboxing Libby is cleverly written, and demonstrated by the double meaning right in the title. While not a wholly new idea, the preprogrammed personalities of the characters as well as the limitations they create are an excellent metaphor for the expectations and limitations placed on kids by their parents, friends and schools. The ending takes some wild turns in an effort to close all plot holes and keep out of standard scifi territory, but it kept me interested and made sense in the end.

[Bookish Freeman · Rating 4 out of 5]

While this book started out a little slow, I found myself really intrigued by the premise of a Martian colony being piloted by robotic dolls 200 years into the future. Even though the main characters were all life-size robotic dolls, they very much felt like middle schoolers. This was really a book about friendship, fitting in and also discovering what it means to be your true self. I can see lots of students connecting with this story.

[Dora Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky enough to read this amazing book while it was just a book baby! Now I canNOT wait to get my hands on the finished product.

It's a book that manages to be incredibly insightful about issues in our current world, prescient about where we could be heading, relatable to middle graders, FUNNY, and touching all at once. I can't recommend it highly enough.

[LS Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really creative sci-fi type book. Don't go in to this thinking there is a message. Just read it and enjoy it for the AI-inspired, Barbie-like book that touches on current topics, but it's not preachy. I think middle grade readers will enjoy it, especially if they had a Barbie doll when they were younger.

[Anne Shirley · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is an emotionally charged book, packed within a programmed android doll characters. Unboxing happens at the very start and unpacking ensues throughout the book. Being different, thinking independently and being the hot-pot of different personalities paints the book with engaging experience. Some scenes were dragged but the storyline and narration is promising.

[Elizabeth Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one surprised me. It took until the latter half of the book to really get sucked in, but maybe that's because there's so much set-up that needs to happen first. The setting and premise are original and I love the theme of accepting others told through the sci-fi lens of robots on Mars. It really is a lot of fun.

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my goodness, I was unprepared for such a fun time. I chortled loudly.

Less "AI meets American Girl dolls," and more "Murderbot Lite," this is hilarious and brilliant. Lighthearted and heartwarming enough for sensitive folks, yet thought-provoking enough for sci fi savants, Libby is highly recommended for all ages Child through Elder.