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Orvis
On an Earth that has become an inhospitable wilderness, Toby and her friend Thaddeus find themselves lost in "the empty" with Orvis, an obsolete robot who is their only hope of protection and escape.
202 pages, Unbound
First published August 1, 1987
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Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews
August 30, 2025
This is a story that mixes elements of a fairy tale with suitably young protagonists, they are twelve and ten, an ancient robot that is gaining human emotions, and an overall plot that seems to be aimed at a young adult audience. Too often they don't sit well together.
The setting is an Earth that came close to environmental self destruction but, after sending most of its population out to colonize other worlds, it is recovering with the remnant of its people either sheltered inside domed towns or roughing it in the Empty. Toby and Thaddeus had been sent to attend a prestigious Earth school, Hillandale Academy, where both are very unhappy. One day, while out walking, they come across Orvis, a strange robot that appears to have a mind of its own and a sense of desertion as strong as that held by the children.
Orvis has had a varied career working on other moons and planets in environments inhospitable to humans and then, after the end of his official duties, he was sold off to a series of owners who allowed him the opportunity of developing his understanding. Now he has come to the end of his usefulness and has been ordered to retire to a local landfill site and await his eventual demise and erosive oxidization.
A fair amount of philosophical navel-gazing goes on as children and robot come to see what they have in common. And a little adventure is brought in when the children are hijacked by some of the local yokels of the Empty while on their way to see Toby's great-grandmother. Abandoned in the wilderness, they come across a village made up of former space travellers and, of course, they too suffer loneliness and desertion – only in their case it has been self imposed.
It all works out well in the end. As with any fairy tale there needs to be a happy ending. If only the child characters had been a little older and a little more proactive. While I am not a strong fan of rebellious teenagers, they have their use in adventure fiction. Toby and Thaddeus wander around waiting to be rescued and are often so sweet they deserved to be hijacked. A more resilient pair could have brought the story to life without changing the basic plot.
The setting is an Earth that came close to environmental self destruction but, after sending most of its population out to colonize other worlds, it is recovering with the remnant of its people either sheltered inside domed towns or roughing it in the Empty. Toby and Thaddeus had been sent to attend a prestigious Earth school, Hillandale Academy, where both are very unhappy. One day, while out walking, they come across Orvis, a strange robot that appears to have a mind of its own and a sense of desertion as strong as that held by the children.
Orvis has had a varied career working on other moons and planets in environments inhospitable to humans and then, after the end of his official duties, he was sold off to a series of owners who allowed him the opportunity of developing his understanding. Now he has come to the end of his usefulness and has been ordered to retire to a local landfill site and await his eventual demise and erosive oxidization.
A fair amount of philosophical navel-gazing goes on as children and robot come to see what they have in common. And a little adventure is brought in when the children are hijacked by some of the local yokels of the Empty while on their way to see Toby's great-grandmother. Abandoned in the wilderness, they come across a village made up of former space travellers and, of course, they too suffer loneliness and desertion – only in their case it has been self imposed.
It all works out well in the end. As with any fairy tale there needs to be a happy ending. If only the child characters had been a little older and a little more proactive. While I am not a strong fan of rebellious teenagers, they have their use in adventure fiction. Toby and Thaddeus wander around waiting to be rescued and are often so sweet they deserved to be hijacked. A more resilient pair could have brought the story to life without changing the basic plot.
July 17, 2009
Quite a quick read, yet it really made me care about the characters, and their problems. It's sci-fi, as it's set in the future, but the characters could be kids of today just as easily, except that their main goal is finding a home for a sentient robot. Good book. 3 1/2 stars. Maybe 4.
August 13, 2026
In the seven years since originally reading this I had forgotten much. I remembered the two children and Orvis crossed a desert (which was nearly true) but had forgotten how that all came about. This is a cute story but it feels rather surface-level and childreny compared to others of Hoover’s books. Perhaps this one is considered Middle Grade and the others Young Adult? I never quite got into it this time and had to determinedly turn the pages. I think I’m going to demote the four star rating I gave it seven years ago because this time reading through it was definitely only a three star for me. Regardless, here are some quotes I collected as I read:
She couldn't quite imagine her mother and father as children but she knew they were still popular. They were always surrounded by people: actors, writers, set designers, technical people from the studio. And all of them, her parents, their friends, and even Lillian, were Talkers. When she still lived at home sometimes people would talk to her for hours on end and she never had to say much because they didn't want to listen to her. She'd always associated being popular with talking too much.
&
But what she remembered most was that sometimes, when they had been talking to her for an hour or more, they would stop and say, "So what's new with you?" and she could never think of the correct answer. Or at least not anything important enough to tell them. Being with popular people was exhausting.
&
"One liberty leads to another, one choice to another, until self-discipline must be imposed to avoid mental chaos. Freedom is frightening. There are no established boundaries."
&
With much scraping, the robot pulled himself free of the battered remains of the container and lay on the ground like an insect resting after escape from a chrysalis.
&
As he spoke, a yellow-brown cougar emerged into plain view no more than twenty feet ahead, raised itself to its full height, and lashed its long tail. It was looking at the robot, curious. In spite of Orvis's warning, both of them stopped and stared open-mouthed with awe.
Toby had never seen so beautiful a creature. Zoos dulled them somehow, she thought, but this one gleamed in the sunlight and its flanks rippled with muscles with each move it made.
&
Besides, it was morning and she'd always liked Earth mornings-they offered hope, not just a change in light level.
&
Living in isolation of any kind did odd things to people's minds. Maybe that was why the habitats became so popular—after they quit being a necessity. You were never alone there, unless you chose to be. And from what she'd seen, people liked being alone about as much as sparrows did. It made them think too much, or too differently.
&
She found she was disappointed that he wasn't awake. They hadn't had a chance to talk alone since being in the woods that morning. That seemed so long ago. And when tomorrow came, all sorts of people would be around. It was odd how you could miss a person when he was right beside you.
&
"Thank you," she said, wishing there were some way to cross the barrier between a robot's understanding and her own. But then, she thought, it was almost as hard sometimes to cross the barrier between another person's understanding and her own. Skin was as effective as metal.
She couldn't quite imagine her mother and father as children but she knew they were still popular. They were always surrounded by people: actors, writers, set designers, technical people from the studio. And all of them, her parents, their friends, and even Lillian, were Talkers. When she still lived at home sometimes people would talk to her for hours on end and she never had to say much because they didn't want to listen to her. She'd always associated being popular with talking too much.
&
But what she remembered most was that sometimes, when they had been talking to her for an hour or more, they would stop and say, "So what's new with you?" and she could never think of the correct answer. Or at least not anything important enough to tell them. Being with popular people was exhausting.
&
"One liberty leads to another, one choice to another, until self-discipline must be imposed to avoid mental chaos. Freedom is frightening. There are no established boundaries."
&
With much scraping, the robot pulled himself free of the battered remains of the container and lay on the ground like an insect resting after escape from a chrysalis.
&
As he spoke, a yellow-brown cougar emerged into plain view no more than twenty feet ahead, raised itself to its full height, and lashed its long tail. It was looking at the robot, curious. In spite of Orvis's warning, both of them stopped and stared open-mouthed with awe.
Toby had never seen so beautiful a creature. Zoos dulled them somehow, she thought, but this one gleamed in the sunlight and its flanks rippled with muscles with each move it made.
&
Besides, it was morning and she'd always liked Earth mornings-they offered hope, not just a change in light level.
&
Living in isolation of any kind did odd things to people's minds. Maybe that was why the habitats became so popular—after they quit being a necessity. You were never alone there, unless you chose to be. And from what she'd seen, people liked being alone about as much as sparrows did. It made them think too much, or too differently.
&
She found she was disappointed that he wasn't awake. They hadn't had a chance to talk alone since being in the woods that morning. That seemed so long ago. And when tomorrow came, all sorts of people would be around. It was odd how you could miss a person when he was right beside you.
&
"Thank you," she said, wishing there were some way to cross the barrier between a robot's understanding and her own. But then, she thought, it was almost as hard sometimes to cross the barrier between another person's understanding and her own. Skin was as effective as metal.
December 10, 2012
Sometimes all we need is a good friend to let us see the best in us. In this science fiction chapter book twelve year old Toby meets Orvis and is able to connect with him despite their great differences. Toby is an only child born to two self-centered actors who plan to transfer her into a boarding school in Mars. This is something that Toby is actively against with since she would have to give up her space life. Because Toby feels unwanted and ignored by her parents she sets off to find her great-grandmother who does appreciate her. While on her journey she meets Orvis, an ugly Robot too old of a model to exist on the new futuristic Earth. These Ideas have made Orvis want to shut himself off because like Toby, he too feels unwanted. Both character
similarities in each other and together go on a long journey in search of acceptance.Orvis is an enjoyable book that has the ability to catch the attention of any middle school aged child with its futuristic storyline and sympathetic characters. The storyline in this book is
similar to a lot of issues experienced in today’s world. This book introduces topics like friendship, family relationships, acceptance, and the act of a adapting to a new place. Reading this book can help middle schoolers relate to these issues.
similarities in each other and together go on a long journey in search of acceptance.Orvis is an enjoyable book that has the ability to catch the attention of any middle school aged child with its futuristic storyline and sympathetic characters. The storyline in this book is
similar to a lot of issues experienced in today’s world. This book introduces topics like friendship, family relationships, acceptance, and the act of a adapting to a new place. Reading this book can help middle schoolers relate to these issues.
April 14, 2012
It's hard to see how this won so many awards. It's a science fiction tale about a girl named Toby who one day encounters a robot named ORVIS walking himself to the dump. Toby doesn't fit in to the school, and ORVIS doesn't fit in anywhere, so they both plot to escape to her great-grandmother's place. Unfortunately they crash enroute. Can they survive the Empty?
The plot is pretty basic, with the whole "survive the Empty" taking up much less space and having much less drama than you'd think. The same with Toby's rebellion, both really feel softened and inconsequential. Especially considering the nature of what they have to rebel against: the world of Orvis is surprisingly cruel, and you wish for just a little more pushback.
ORVIS himself is the star of the book, a logical robot turned inadvertant protector of two very naive children, wondering about purpose and freedom all the while. While the book is good SF, it really doesn't feel anything special to deserve all the acclaim. It's just a solid, well written tale with engaging characters but a weak to middling plot.
The plot is pretty basic, with the whole "survive the Empty" taking up much less space and having much less drama than you'd think. The same with Toby's rebellion, both really feel softened and inconsequential. Especially considering the nature of what they have to rebel against: the world of Orvis is surprisingly cruel, and you wish for just a little more pushback.
ORVIS himself is the star of the book, a logical robot turned inadvertant protector of two very naive children, wondering about purpose and freedom all the while. While the book is good SF, it really doesn't feel anything special to deserve all the acclaim. It's just a solid, well written tale with engaging characters but a weak to middling plot.
November 11, 2025
Charming. The adventure is not too scary, but exciting enough. The philosophy is the sort that I have always loved. What does it mean to be sapient (the book says sentient, but today's kids have come to understand that most critters are sentient, whereas Orvis is sapient, and so the distinction matters)? What is the definition of a family? Of a friendship? And... what might come after climate change kills the majority of life on Earth?
"She gave him a grateful smile which he received with a shrug, as if loyalty were a simple gift."
"She gave him a grateful smile which he received with a shrug, as if loyalty were a simple gift."
March 22, 2020
The journey of a young girl, mostly heroine's journey, but some hero's journey.
March 16, 2023
This is a great science fiction story for younger readers.
September 20, 2018
I enjoyed much of this SF tale, despite being well past its target reading age.
There are several touching moments, such as when Orvis kills a bird for the kids to eat, then refuses to ever do it again, upset by destroying the wonder of living flight.
I don't know how to add a cover to an existing edition, but here's an image of the Puffin TPB.
I'm not really doing a full review right now; I just wanted to check the author's initials before mentioning Orvis in the comments on Todd McAulty's list of Greatest SF Robots (Tor, 9/14/2018), and noticed the cover was lacking on the edition I have.
There are several touching moments, such as when Orvis kills a bird for the kids to eat, then refuses to ever do it again, upset by destroying the wonder of living flight.
I don't know how to add a cover to an existing edition, but here's an image of the Puffin TPB.
I'm not really doing a full review right now; I just wanted to check the author's initials before mentioning Orvis in the comments on Todd McAulty's list of Greatest SF Robots (Tor, 9/14/2018), and noticed the cover was lacking on the edition I have.
July 21, 2012
Themes: pre-teen, friendship, robots, rebelling
When Toby stumbles upon Orvis-an obsolete robot-he is about to shut himself down forever. Toby knows how Orvis feels: no one wants her either. A spacer all her life, her too-busy-for Toby parents have packed her away to school on Earth. But when her domineering grandmother decides to send her to school on Mars, Toby rebels. With Orvis and her only other friend Thaddeous, the trio set off in search of sanctuary with her great-grandmother. But to get there they will have to cross The Empty.
Uses in the classroom: good book for introducing students to science fiction, great read aloud, could ask students to write an adventure using Toby, Orvis, and Thaddeaus's adventure as inspiration
When Toby stumbles upon Orvis-an obsolete robot-he is about to shut himself down forever. Toby knows how Orvis feels: no one wants her either. A spacer all her life, her too-busy-for Toby parents have packed her away to school on Earth. But when her domineering grandmother decides to send her to school on Mars, Toby rebels. With Orvis and her only other friend Thaddeous, the trio set off in search of sanctuary with her great-grandmother. But to get there they will have to cross The Empty.
Uses in the classroom: good book for introducing students to science fiction, great read aloud, could ask students to write an adventure using Toby, Orvis, and Thaddeaus's adventure as inspiration
December 29, 2011
I couldn't have loved this book more. Predictable only at the last 3 pages, but how wonderful those 3 pages were (I had to dry my copy of the book out afterwards, as those pages were tear-soaked).
So many wonderful questions raised about family ties, the power of youth(ful appearance), environmental responsibility, emotions vs intellect - and all done so wrapped in a fantastic story with characters and situations that younger readers can thoroughly enjoy.
So many wonderful questions raised about family ties, the power of youth(ful appearance), environmental responsibility, emotions vs intellect - and all done so wrapped in a fantastic story with characters and situations that younger readers can thoroughly enjoy.
June 15, 2014
Funny thing was that, back when I got this book during highschool the very reason It caught my attention was the cover art. It was a different story when I read it though, younger me found it a bit boring or to wordy. Now, after a decade, decided to re-read and finally finish the book. To my surprise, I was kind of enjoying it. Not a groundbreaking children's book but it was actually fun and it had it's moments too. A giod quick read.
December 19, 2012
When you first pick up this book, you think it's going to be a little stupid and childish, but once you get through the first chapter or so, you realize it is a great epic novel. I'm on page 51 and so far I'm loving it! It is based in the future about a girl who finds this junkyard robot and tries saving it. This book is thrilling and descriptive, but at first, the cover looks horrible compared to the actual book because it looks silly and stupid. I'm looking forward to reading more!
June 25, 2012
Science fiction book for children. A robot who is about to be shut down forever meets a young girl. She adopts him, and they have adventures together. In the process, Toby meets her grandmother and her extended family. Toby and her friend Thaddeus learn about themselves and their families.
November 11, 2011
The first pages hit a few wrong notes but the story soon picked up.
August 29, 2011
Loved that robot ORVIS. He's more human than the humans.
Read
June 8, 2026Good story, nice momentum, fun characters, but too tell-y overall, imo...
December 16, 2011
One of the best science fiction books for younger readers I've come across.
Read
July 31, 2013Not a survival story; interesting; felt it could have been developed more and made into a 300-page story instead of 180. Robot was a great character.
November 27, 2013
Overall a very strong read, albeit short. A more conclusive ending would've served the book well. The portrayal of the robot Orvis was sharp and engaging.
September 7, 2016
Oh, the nostalgy. :) Kids meet robot, with peculiar qualities and adventure begins.
November 6, 2024
This book is great: Toby and Thaddeus forever
August 18, 2008
I read this aloud to Jack and we both enjoyed it.
January 1, 2012
Great reading for Battle of the Books contest.
Displaying 1 - 24 of 24 reviews