For fans of Toy Story and Charlie Changes into a Chicken, this is the second hilarious, warm-hearted story about a small robot on a big adventure.
'Fast, funny and furious. These are definitely my favourite robots.' Eoin Colfer
Toy robot Boot has come a long way since it woke up in a scrapyard with only two-and-a-half glitchy memories. It has a home with its robot pals in an abandoned amusement arcade, and has discovered what true happiness is - although, it's still not sure why humans are so leaky and weird ... But when Boot and the gang stumble upon Rusty, an old, broken robot, forgotten in the back of a testing lab, it's time to spring into action. Boot knows there's something special about Rusty, but can they free the old robot and help it find its purpose?
A thrill-ride of an adventure, stuffed with fun, friendship, and a warehouse full of bouncy castles.
Have you heard the first BOOT story, which was shortlisted for the Sainsbury's Book Award?
Author of Darkmouth series (HarperCollins), being adapted for film by Alcon Animation. Also writer of Boot (Hachette), published in May 2019. reader of sci-fi, YA, middle-grade, picture books, fantasy, history, science, comics... everything, really. Likes to dance while writing.
Whilst trying to find a new nose for Gerry, Noke and Boot accompanied by Poochy discover that the Testing Lab is a sad place for broken robots to go to be useful until they die testing out the limits of new goods for humans. When Boot breaks a chair he discovers another sentient robot and cannot bear to leave him behind.
Boot is a playful, kind-hearted and caring character and he is also very funny as my 6 year old took great joy in reading out funny sections to us!!
Despite the deeper themes of consumerism and what it means to be human and the experience of sadness it isn’t all darkness and seriousness there is plenty of humour, silly slapstick and childlike fun and there is also a lot of warmth, kindness and friendship between the robots making this a fabulous book about finding our own happiness and helping others to find theirs (which is not always the same idea as our own).
The illustrations by Ben Mantle are wonderful and playful; sweetening the potential weight of the topic matter to be equally lighter and more accessible to young readers.
Eindelijk eens besloten om verder met deze serie te gaan! In dit boek moeten Bot en zijn vrienden een neus vinden en vinden ook meteen een nieuwe vriend! Ik vond het erg leuk geschreven en ik vond Roest een leuke karakter om bij de groep te komen. Ik vond het superlief hoe iedereen (nou ja, vooral Bot) probeerde het leuk te maken voor Roest. Helaas gaat dat niet altijd goed. Ik had al vrij vroeg een vermoeden over het bot dat ons robothondje had gevonden. Ik vond het leuk dat we Bots mensenvriendinnetje ook vaak zagen en dat ze veel hielp met Roest, zoals een verjaardagsfeestje maken en meer. Er waren ook wat treurige momenten, want hoeveel robots zitten er in dat testlab, en hoeveel van hen zijn net als Bot en zijn vrienden slim/wakker maar weten niet wat ze moeten doen. Een leuk boek over vriendschap, jezelf zijn, en plezier hebben. Ik heb genoten en ik ga snel maar eens deel 3 lezen (die heb ik ook meteen gehaald).
A delightful adventure that is action-packed with a cinematic feel, this also has heart and warmth and humour.
A sequel to Boot, this is set in the future where robots are common and "broken" ones end up on the reject pile, destined for the crusher...but not Boot and his pals! They form a little found family in an abandoned amusement arcade and things are going swimmingly until Gerry's nose falls off. When they go in search of a replacement, they discover a Testing Factory and a special robot trapped there in need of rescue...
Soms voelde ik me ietsje te oud voor het boek, maar dan lees ik zinnen zoals "I heard you are supposed to set a cake on fire for some reason. And you're supposed to blow out the fire. I think it's because if you don't, the cake might explode." En dan besef ik nog maar eens dat je helemaal geen kind moet zijn om van kinderboeken te genieten. Deze tweede Boot was alweer een leuk en lief verhaal.
Okay, so he may not actually have a heart, but this 'funtime' robot sure acts like he does. I couldn't wait to meet Boot and his friends again after his adventures in Book One and this sequel felt like putting on my comfiest pair of slippers. After finally finding a home where he belongs, contented Boot and his adorable friends are on a mission to find mishmash robot, Gerry, a new nose. Their search leads them to the sinister Testing Lab where they discover Rusty - a disintegrating robot who possesses the same awareness as they do. Boot is instantly determined to save Rusty from Robot Heaven, but introducing him to the real world is fraught with challenges. Frustrated, Boot tries to get to the root of Rusty's problems. But when the ailing robot claims to have a broken heart, Boot is unsure whether there is any way to save him. Character definitely leads this heart-warming and engaging series. Boot and his eclectic robot friends are truly delightful and reading the story felt like hanging out with old friends. The plot offered more of a light-hearted amble than the first in the series. That doesn't mean to say that there weren't moments of high-paced action and danger because there certainly was (intermingled with charming humour). The Testing Lab was creepy and the final race through the city was hair-raisingly exciting. However, the middle section of the book made time for some fun along the way with bouncy inflatables, a nail-biting ride to the skies and a birthday party. Unlike book one, humans didn't feature heavily in this story at all. There was no sign of scrapyard baddie, Flint and Beth's role was minimal. However, I didn't feel this impacted negatively on the story and actually enjoyed the main focus being on the robots, although I was sad to not meet Tag again. Boot is in a much happier place in this story, meaning his sole motivation is his compassion for others - and that's why we love him! The illustrations by Ben Mantle are enchanting and the short length makes this a manageable read for younger readers. In my opinion this sequel will secure Boot and his friends as firm family favourites and I can't wait for more riotous, robot adventures.
A robot named Boot lives at Dr Twitchy’s Emporium of Amusements with other robots like him, smart robots “smarter than the other bots, and most of the humans”, smart robots that are able to have conversations and personalities.
But Gerry, one of the robots who lives there, has his nose fall off and be destroyed.
“I need a nose. When bits fall off me I don’t feel complete. I’m just a broken robot… A broken robot with no nose.” So Boot and his friends go across town to find Gerry a new nose, a proper robot nose, and the best place for them is from the Testing Lab. “This is where humans test all the new stuff that will be sold in shops. Things like dishwashers, sofas, blenders, microwaves, toys, toilets, electric toothbrushes, you name it.” And it is robots that do all the repetitive tasks, but not just any robots, broken ones - “rather than let them go to waste, the humans send the broken robots here to do the testing work”. The robots then work until they break completely and take themselves off to be scrapped (in a place they are told is called Robot Heaven but isn’t). This is the ideal place to pick up a spare robot nose.
But it is a dangerous mission. The humans mistreat the robots at the Testing Lab so Boot and his friends have to be inconspicuous. Even on the way to and from the Lab they have to be careful because wandering robots without masters could be claimed by any human who wants them. Then at the Testing Lab Boot meets a robot there, Rusty, who’s not like the other robots, he’s a bit smarter, so Boot tries to rescue him, with the next step in the adventure being to help make him happy.
That is the plot. It contains plenty of adventure and plenty of camaraderie between the robots (and the occasional human too, e.g. Beth, Boot’s old owner). The world seems to be a future version of Earth. This is the second Boot book and has familiar characters to the first book, but is standalone with no knowledge of the first book being required. The book is well-written and makes you feel for the robots despite them being essentially machines. The black-and-white pictures through the book are also top-notch, very clear and accomplished. Overall I enjoyed the book very much. 5/5.
The second book in the Boot series, The Rusty Rescue, is just wonderful: an incredibly heart-warming adventure, full of action and humour.
Boot and his new friends have found a home at Dr Twitchy’s Emporium of Amusements. Poor Gerry has a tendency to lose body parts and, when his nose is lost through no fault of his own, his friends are on hand to help him find a replacement. They venture to the Testing Lab, where damaged robots carry out monotonous testing of goods for humans, to locate a replacement nose. However, things don’t go quite according to plan, necessitating a hasty and rather dangerous escape … with a new rescued friend, Rusty.
The robots are determined to cheer up their new friend who has never been outside … cue bouncing, sky-high views and a barfday party, none of which work. Why not? Well, Rusty is broken … but the friends are determined to fix him. This leads them on an exciting, perilous mission, but will they be in time to save their new friend?
Although Boot and his friends are broken or damaged in some way and are no longer of use to humans, they are perfect models of the bond of friendship. They allow each other the freedom to be themselves, respect each other’s differences and offer support when needed.
Boot is an utterly adorable character. He is kind, caring and has a great deal of empathy, thinking about others before himself. He feels saddened and angered by Rusty’s plight and is determined to help his new friend even if this means putting himself at risk. Rusty is an incredibly sympathetic character and his situation lent some poignant moments to the story.
The gorgeous illustrations by Ben Mantle complement the story perfectly.
This action-packed, exciting adventure is perfect for children of 7+ who will adore Boot and his friends as they welcome another friend to their home. I’m really looking forward to Boot’s next adventure.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an e-Arc in exchange for my honest opinion.
Can you have a bit scary and a bit funny in the same book? Well in this book you certainly can!
For those of you of a certain age, do you remember a cartoon called Raggy Dolls? Rusty and friends are just like them. Misfits. Broken. Parts missing. All those robots that are unwanted and unfit for being children's toys are sent to a lab to be used for testing. They are not tested on but are doing the actual testing. Mindbogglingly boring testing. Second after second. Minute after minute. Hour and hour. Day after day. The same action over and over and over again until something breaks; at which point they are then sent to 'robot heaven.'
I love the antics of Rusty and his robot friends and the chaos they cause. Children will enjoy visualising the scenes and laugh along.
The tension created in robot heaven was fantastic. I really felt the anxiety as they moved from one part of the conveyor belt to the next; hoping to goodness they would all be ok. I loved the concept of the escape plan. It all seemed very James Bond-esque!
But deep in the heart of this is a story about friendship. It doesn't matter what you look like, what size you are, if you are different to others; you are liked by someone. And then that someone does something nice for you. It doesn't have to be a massive thing, but something that is just for you. You, the robot that has never had anything nice done for them ever before.
A lovely book with themes that capture the imagination and make you think. This will also be a lovely read aloud book and would cover some PSHE topics on friendship beautifully.
My grandson absolutely loved this story and to be honest so did I. We read most of it over a weekend he was sleeping over at bedtime. Told him I’d read the rest to him when he visited next time. Much to my delight he FaceTimed me the next evening and asked could I read him more as he just couldn’t wait. As I love reading this proud nanny finished reading the story to him. We didn’t read book one but this was easy to understand. I thought the layout was good and we enjoyed talking about the illustrations as we went along. If your child loves robots then they will love this story.
In this story Boot finds more friends. It makes me want to also find more friends. I was happy whenever Noke did the controls wrong on the carousel and everyone flew off. I was sad when . I think I liked this one a little bit more than book 1. I'm looking forward to reading book 3 soon.