Banneker Bones and the Giant Robot Bees

by Robert Kent, Adam Smith (Illustrator)

With the nonstop action of a comic book, huge plot twists, and tons of humor, this mystery adventure will quickly have 8- to 12-year-old readers begging for just one more chapter.Fifth grader Ellicott Skullworth has always felt out of place at public school and now he's tested into the Archimedes Program at Latimer University. While in Latimer City, he’ll be living with his world famous and insane(ly) brilliant cousin, Banneker Bones, the eleven-year-old inventor of robots.The only Banneker doesn't want to share his room. And he's got an army of robots to make Ellicott miserable until he goes home.When the boys are ambushed by robot bees as big as cars, Ellicott's only friend is carried off and held for ransom. To rescue him, Ellicott has no choice but to partner with his maniacal cousin. Ellicott doesn't know what's facing a hive of giant robot bees or spending more time with Banneker Bones.Age 8 and up Grade 3 and up“Let me say at once that I think this is a most original and amusing piece of work. A reader is arrested at the outset by a paradoxical witticism and he goes on being arrested as the story gets into its stride. Ellicott Skullworth and Banneker Bones appear as characters about whom the reader wants to learn more, and soon he begins to be in no doubt about this.” --Richard Adams, author of WATERSHIP DOWNEllicott Skullworth turned back to Banneker Bones. “Well, anyway, thanks for letting me stay here.”“Not my idea,” Banneker said. “You have my mother to thank for that. But she’s been wrong before. She adopted a stray puppy once and put it in my room to,” he made a face to show his disgust, “keep me company. The puppy survived two days.”Banneker looked Ellicott up and down as though he were appraising something for purchase and deciding against it. “And now she’s adopted another stray, hasn’t she? We’ll just see how long you survive.”

Genres: Science Fiction, Adventure

261 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 18, 2014

About the author

Robert Kent is the author of the horror novels THE BOOK OF DAVID and ALL TOGETHER NOW: A ZOMBIE STORY, and the novellas PIZZA DELIVERY and ALL RIGHT NOW: A SHORT ZOMBIE STORY.

Under the name Rob Kent, he writes middle grade novels such as BANNEKER BONES AND THE GIANT ROBOT BEES and BANNEKER BONES AND THE ALLIGATOR PEOPLE.

He runs the popular blog for writers, MIDDLE GRADE NINJA, which features interviews and guest posts from authors, literary agents, and other publishing professionals, and was the recipient of Middle Shelf Magazine's Best Blog award. He also hosts the Middle Grade Ninja podcast. Robert Kent holds degrees in Literature and Creative Writing from Indiana University and owns over 900 Batman action figures. He lives with his family in Indianapolis where he teaches courses at the Indiana Writers Center and is hard at work on his next book.

MiddleGradeNinja.com

Reviews

[Louie the Mustache Matos · Rating 4 out of 5]

Although not as good as Artemis Fowl, there are very similar story beats that Banneker Bones mimics from Artemis Fowl. Banneker is different in that he is a chaotic figure that feigns heroism, whereas Fowl is a criminal mastermind content to where that badge. Banneker pretends altruism with the expectation of fame as recompense.

Here, our main character is Ellicott Skullworth, Banneker's cousin. Both are 11-year-old middle schoolers attending a gifted program at Latimer University. When a mutual friend is kidnapped, Banneker and Ellicott must suspend their animosity toward each other in order to effectuate an investigation and rescue from Giant Robot Bees.

If you liked Encyclopedia Brown, the Hardy Boys, Harry Potter, and/or Artemis Fowl, this series might be one to check out. I found it interesting enough to want to read further. The writing is clearly written with love for the genre. The characters are unique and realistically complex. The plot is written to invite reader curiosity. The illustrations were top-notch, and the postscript is written with ebullience.

[Shannon Alexander · Rating 5 out of 5]

If my nine-year-old son could review this, and believe me, he wants to, he'd give it ten stars. Five just isn't enough. He was instantly drawn into the story. He laughed throughout. He wants to befriend Reggie so they can make comic books together. And he begrudgingly admits that I was right, Banneker Bones grows as a character until you can't help but love him as much as Ellicott. In fact, Son is dressing up as Banneker for his school's "Dress like your favorite book character" day.

[K.N. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This middle grade chapter book was packed with as much action as a comic book!

I loved Ellicott Skullworth as soon as I met him. He's a brainy 5th grader trying to hide under the radar until his smarts earn him entry to Latimer University where the robots of Banneker Bones roam.

Diverse characters and cool contraptions keep this story moving along while lessons about respecting differences and learning how to get along with others don't whack the reader over the head. While Banneker Bones is one amazing kid, he makes these lessons very difficult for equally-clever Ellicott. Great lesson: It's okay to be the smartest kid in the room, just don't be a jerk!

Great series for a young reader to segue from comic books to chapter books - packed with action, adventure, and realistic characters in a world of fantastical inventions.

[Steven Petalik · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book thoroughly. The plot was intriguing, it had many twists and turns. I especially liked many typical Banneker lines. He reminds me of a certain teddy bear that lives in my family.

Both are very conceited and think they are the greatest. In fact, that Teddy bear now quotes Banneker Bones.

“No, I think not. I doubt you’re smart enough to appreciate it.”

“It isn’t every boy who gets to associate with the likes of me. I’m glad you see how lucky you are.”

“My skills are vastly superior to his in every way and he has at least enough intelligence to recognize when he’s outmatched.”

[Laura Stegman · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the beautifully touching opening portrait of main character Ellicott Skullworth and his painful experiences at school and home to his introduction to his new life with his aunt, uncle, cousin, and their robts, this book immediately reeled me in. It's a fast-paced story of how Ellicott experiences his new life, befriends -- so to speak -- his bonkers (but brilliant) cousin Banneker Bones, and how together they battle giant robot bees to rescue a kidnapped friend. Imaginative and laugh-out-loud funny, I enjoyed this book and so will kids, especially those who love comic books and sci-fi.

[Darby Karchut · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another terrific middle grade book from Robert Kent! Highly recommended. And, folks, read the author's note at the end. Made me tear up, let me tell you.

[William Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read for 2021 SPSFC

Overall Thoughts
This was a very fun read, though perhaps not the best suited to the SPSFC contest. Going into the book, I wasn’t sure how much this one would fall on the MG vs. YA dividing line, but having read it, the story is very much MG, which I believe is a little outside the range of intent for the contest. But that said, I don’t think this will be a big issue. While I enjoyed the story, it doesn’t have a really strong holding power for me like Sanderson’s Alcatraz books did, and I’m guessing this will fall off my top ten list fairly soon, but will likely stay near the top in enjoyability! Though I did have one quibble with the formatting. This story followed the rule of any number under ten being written out, while ones over, like 23, or 52, are written as numbers. There are also a lot of numbers in this book, so it was a little annoying to see a paragraph with six and 25 and then another paragraph with 18 and three.

Plot
This is the first book of a several book series about the titular Banneker Bones, as well as his lesser-known cousin Ellicott, who is actually the POV of the book. There’s a lot to love here, with first the mystery of who Banneker is, and then what’s happening behind the scenes in a huge, robot manufacturing company. I guessed the twist at the end fairly quickly, but then, this is an MG story, so it’s not supposed to be too challenging. Some of the scenes felt a bit “now we’re showing off this cool feature! Now here’s another cool thing that’s exciting to young people!” but I guess that can be chalked up to the intended age being about one fourth of my own.

Setting
In the maybe-futuristic, maybe-contemporary Latimer city, many jobs are being made easier with the help of advanced robots, partially invented by the titular character. We get to see the city from the outside perspective of Ellicott, so there’s a nice sense of wonder here in how the “big city” works and what all the robots do. And of course there are giant robot bees, which are just fun. Don’t look too deep into how things actually work without falling apart, because therein lies the enjoyment.

Character
This was the part I was most intrigued with, especially since this is a mid-grade book. While Ellicott is a fairly likeable everyman, Banneker is not a pleasant person at all, and a bit hard to empathize with as a hero character. While it does set him up to grow a little as a character, and probably more through the other books, he’s basically a bully for the first part of the book, which made me think he was going to be a villain or an antihero, rather than basically the hero of the story. I’ll also quibble slightly that Ellicott got the grades to get transferred into a school for geniuses, but then ends up being the Watson to Banneker’s Holmes. I would have liked a little more initiative from him.

Score out of 10 (My personal score, not the final contest score)
Temporary score until more books in the contest are read: A fun read with some cool robots, though clearly intended for preteens, and doesn’t really have the holding power for an adult to enjoy as thoroughly. 4/10

[Tyler Reynolds · Rating 4 out of 5]

Okay. I read Banneker Bones and the Giant Robot Bees by Rob Kent because Nate recommended it to me, and you know he loves robots. Banneker Bones and his cousin, Ellicott Skullworth, battle some scary robot bees. But there are also good, heroic, non-insectoid robots as well as awesome jet-propelled scooters, holographic gaming, and the compelling mystery of whether Banneker can possibly be as much of a jerk as he seems.

[Janet Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book for young readers. Fast reading with short chapters. Lots of action. Some humor. Entertaining and holds your interest. Highly recommended

[Shanshad Whelan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m trying to make a practice every year of reviewing a few items that are not part of the larger published cannon of things. Pieces by independent publishers and authors–things that probably don’t garner near as much attention or publicity. While sometimes I’d love to devote lots of time to supporting these folks, the truth is my reading schedule is tight and my time is limited, so I’m forced to pick and choose and select a few things to highlight.

Such here is the work of Mr. Robert Kent. Mr. Kent has created a work that reads a bit like Sherlock Holmes meets Sci Fi pulp meets Richie Rich in this near future middle grade science fiction adventure.

Ellicott Skullworth is bright enough that he’s been selected to attend one of the most prestigious schools around–with a full scholarship. In order to attend said school, however, he’ll be living with his illustrious cousin, Banneker Bones. Ellicott’s never even met Banneker before, and the luxurious, high-tech world of the Bones’ lifestyle is a far cry from his working class home and upbringing. It all might seem like a dream come true–except for Banneker himself. This quirky genius has no patience or interest in his cousin and might just actively be trying to get rid of him. Not that Banneker is exactly the bee knees when it comes to friendship–this arrogant and idiosyncratic individual tends to find it difficult to get or keep any sort of friend. But things begin to change when Banneker and Ellicott encounter real-life giant robot bees. These gigantic robots not only seem to have it in for the boys, but they fly off with Ellicott’s friend Reggie! Ellicott’s determined to rescue his friend, and Banneker dreams of being lauded as a hero. Now the two will have to work together with a variety of high tech gadgets in their search for Reggie and the mysterious bees. But what they uncover may have far more serious repercussions than merely a missing friend!

For those who enjoy futuristic gadgets like rocket packs, holographic gaming, and all sorts of robots, this is chock full of just those sorts of things. Banneker makes for a very Holmes-like character to follow, mainly self-interested, incredibly bright but with no filter on what he says, and not quite comfortable with regular human interaction. It lands on Ellicott to stick by his cousin (in true Watson-like fashion) and help him through the dangers and mysteries that lie ahead. The author gives readers a very satisfying sort of adventure story–one that surely hints at more stories of Ellicott and Banneker to follow.

The story does take a bit of time to get up to speed–the early chapters prior to Ellicott’s arrival at the Bones’ household feel like an unnecessary bit of padding. Since the story and action don’t really take off until Ellicott meets Banneker, these chapters may discourage more reluctant readers from reading far enough to really get into the story. The time spent on Ellicott’s old school, his mother, and his father may be a very valid attempt at giving us Ellicott’s background, but it comes off as rather separate from the rest of the story. I think the details we needed about Ellicott could have been introduced withing the narrative without relying on this early part. That said, the rest is highly entertaining and interesting story that dives into its subject matter with passion and enthusiasm.

Note: A copy was provided by the author.

Recommended for grades 4 and up.

[Una Hartzell-baird · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fast-paced adventure, trilby hat included

(dictated by six year old reviewer)

It is a fun adventure book. This book is about Banneker Bones (who wears a trilby hat) battling robot bees with Ellicott Skullworth and Reggie Rand. I'm not going to give any spoilers.

I enjoyed the adventure, the robots, and how this is kind of in the future. I really enjoyed this book. We read it on Kindle. It is a really, really fun book. I felt excited. Banneker is very brainy.

There are two more books in the series--for now.

[Trisha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was awesome and I truly believe it is David Radtke, the narrator, of the audio version that made it that way for me, as he as really a wonderful narrator. But hey, the book was pretty great too, so when does the next one come out Mr. Kent? We are waiting! Really I can't wait to see how Ellicott, Reggie, and Banneker are doing now that the giant robot bees excitement has died down, and Reggie is back safe at home after being kidnapped by the bees. You see while Ellicott and Banneker happen to be cousins, Reggie is Ellicott's only friend in his new school in fact the whole town of Latimer City that is to be Ellicott's home while attending school at the Latimer Universities Archimedes Program were all three attend school.So Ellicott wants his friend back pretty bad, but what is Banneker's motives?

This book is paced well to keep the readers attention with action around every corner, the characters are well thought out and work well together even when they are not always willing. Overall this is a great book and audiobook for not just middle graders but for all readers.