A Bug in the System

Not Quite Human #3

by Seth McEvoy

Unfairly accused of stealing money from automatic teller machines and tampering with school data banks, Chip, the android boy, searches for the true culprit while fending off Erin's schoolgirl crush on him

Genres: Middle Grade, Science Fiction, Fiction

Paperback

First published January 1, 1985

Reviews

[Craig · Rating 5 out of 5]

These are not good by any means of modern standards, but I will still give them 5 stars because of their significance to me when reading them for the first time. It was a book about a family that loved each other so much they were willing to fight, tooth and nail, to protect the secret of their robot son/ brother. I didn't have much of that at home, and McEvoy gave it to me.

[Paul Lunger · Rating 4 out of 5]

As someone who basically inherited this book, "A Bug in the System" which is the 3rd book in Seth McEvoy's "Not Quite Human" series is one that you as a reader don't entirely need the full backstory on to understand. The primary concept is that Chip is an android who is in high school with his sister and his father has kept this a secret. When Chip's Dad & his friend Erin's Mom are accused of stealing money from the bank a rather unique story evolves which for something written in 1985 could play out in this part of the 21st century. Chip as written at times reminds me of the eventual characterizations of "Star Trek: The Next Generation's" Data, and for a story written when it was holds true to the computer tech of that era which makes the events in this story beyond plausible in how they were done. As a reader, I'm not sure I'll revisit this series in the future, but it might be worth doing so.

[gingerbbm · Rating 2 out of 5]

I read this with my 8 year-old having found it, by chance, in a local Little Free Library—a sentimental choice as I read it as a boy and had long forgotten it. It's mildly entertaining but not very good.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this third book, there's a bit more of a mystery to solve and some detective work. Once again, someone is being framed for something they didn't do - Dr. Carson and Erin's mom are arrested for stealing money from a bank, and Chip is suspended from school for hacking into the school computer. And once again, a kid who fakes being Chip's friend is in fact the one behind it all (a fact we learn early on, so it's not a spoiler).

It's kind of a shame to see the author recycling plot elements from previous books in the series in what is only the third book, but still, they come together well for a story that I found more fun than the first two.

This one is largely a mystery story, as Chip, Erin (his human "girlfriend" who doesn't know his android identity) and Jake (a former bully, and the "strong man" of the group) have to work together to find out what's going on and clear the names of the falsely accused. Chip puts his android abilities to good use, both using his superhuman sight and athletic abilities to deal with situations that arise, but also his intelligence and ability to quickly scan and understand computer programs, which is vital since the crime almost entirely involves computers.

The usual fun elements of the series are there: Chip's awkward and funny interactions with others and the large amount of humor keeps things light, and the story moves quickly.