What do you think?
Rate this book
The Norby Chronicles #2
Norby's Other Secret
Scheming scientists want to find the secrets behind Norby's antigravity abilities — but they have to dismantle him to do it! The mixed-up robot and young space cadet Jeff Wells escape to Jamya, a planet inhabited by hungry dragons. Will Norby's newly discovered telepathy and time travel powers save the day? Second in the series.
144 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1984
2 people are currently reading
102 people want to read
About the author
Janet Asimov
60 books21 followersAlso known as: Janet Jeppson Asimov, Janet O. Jeppson, J.O. Jeppson
Janet Asimov was an American science fiction writer, psychiatrist, and psychoanalyst. She originally wrote as J.O. Jeppson. She was an accomplished novelist and short-story writer who sometimes worked in collaboration with her husband, the late Isaac Asimov. Among the Asimovs' joint ventures as writers is the series of juvenile novels involving an endearing robot, Norby, and his young owner, Jeff Wells.
Janet Asimov was an American science fiction writer, psychiatrist, and psychoanalyst. She originally wrote as J.O. Jeppson. She was an accomplished novelist and short-story writer who sometimes worked in collaboration with her husband, the late Isaac Asimov. Among the Asimovs' joint ventures as writers is the series of juvenile novels involving an endearing robot, Norby, and his young owner, Jeff Wells.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
March 27, 2020
This is the second book about the exceptional robot Norby. Norby's fascinating and sometimes dangerous adventures shed light on his origin, but the mystery is not completely solved!
December 27, 2025
Molto carino, adatto sia per bambini che adolescenti, è il secondo di una serie di libri di fantascienza scritti da Isaac Asimov in collaborazione con sua moglie Janet. Da piccola avevo letto il primo ed il terzo libro, che mi erano piasìciuti molto, non riuscendo mai a trovare il secondo ed il quarto...missione compiuta da adulta, l'ho letto molto volentieri e presto leggerò anche l'ultimo. Non sono certo dei capolavori, ma si leggono bene, la trama è intelligente e divertente.
***
Very cute, suitable for both children and teenagers, it is the second in a series of science fiction books written by Isaac Asimov in collaboration with his wife Janet. As a child I had read the first and third novels, which I liked a lot, never being able to find the second and fourth ... mission accomplished as an adult, I read it very willingly and soon I will also read the last one. Sure, they are not masterpieces, but they are nice, the plot is clever and fun.
***
Very cute, suitable for both children and teenagers, it is the second in a series of science fiction books written by Isaac Asimov in collaboration with his wife Janet. As a child I had read the first and third novels, which I liked a lot, never being able to find the second and fourth ... mission accomplished as an adult, I read it very willingly and soon I will also read the last one. Sure, they are not masterpieces, but they are nice, the plot is clever and fun.
June 17, 2021
این یکی از قبلی یه خرده پیچیده تر بود. البته ناهماهنگیهایی داشت ولی میشد زیرسبیلی رد کرد
May 31, 2014
I loved Norby in the first book because it was the first time anyone had made a robot so confusedly cute and lovable and who better to do it than Isaac Asimov himself? But there was something missing from the first one that kept me from grabbing the next installment and that was heart.
Yes, it was adorable how mixed up Norby was and how flustered he could get, but there was no emotional connection between him and Jeff. In fact, Jeff would verbally abuse Norby from time to time and the two would get into arguments. I know it was supposed to make it funny, but I couldn’t help but think of Norby’s feelings (no wonder the poor, little guy would hide in his barrel and not want to come out. In Jeff‘s defense, Norby was the first emotional robot he ever met, so he was used to projecting negativity toward a machine that couldn’t do what he wanted). I thought that that was going to be the formula for each book with it being a middle-grade series, but I was gratefully wronged half way through Norby’s Other Secret. Jeff treats Norby like he was in the first book until an unexpected incident brings up the opportunity for Norby to leave Jeff at his own will. No spoilers. Jeff realizes that he might lose Norby forever and also realizes how much he actually cares about the ‘bot. Norby realizes that he’s actually wanted by a certain someone else and leaves us with Jeff’s anticipation and sadness as we’re unsure of his final decision.
From Jeff’s point of view, their friendship is special and this brings up richer emotions and touching moments between the two. This gives us the message of what it’s like to lose a friend and that’s something both children and adults can relate to. Because emotions have come into play, the Asimovs produced a character called Mentor First that reminded me of some of Isaac Asimov’s earlier robot characters. Mentor First suffers from borderline insanity as well as depression from living too long with disappointment (for this reason we pity him) but at the same time is quick to reject trust and occasionally responds with animalistc reactions based on his emotional state; no, he’s not like Marvin from Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and he’s not here for comic relief like Ben from Disney’s Treasure Planet--Norby‘s here for that. I was right on with this idea because it was a somewhat bold move to bring such a sad and complex character into this book directed toward younger kids. It’s things like this that spark kids interest and a lot of people forget that.
I really enjoyed this second book and am actually looking forward to the next adventure.
Yes, it was adorable how mixed up Norby was and how flustered he could get, but there was no emotional connection between him and Jeff. In fact, Jeff would verbally abuse Norby from time to time and the two would get into arguments. I know it was supposed to make it funny, but I couldn’t help but think of Norby’s feelings (no wonder the poor, little guy would hide in his barrel and not want to come out. In Jeff‘s defense, Norby was the first emotional robot he ever met, so he was used to projecting negativity toward a machine that couldn’t do what he wanted). I thought that that was going to be the formula for each book with it being a middle-grade series, but I was gratefully wronged half way through Norby’s Other Secret. Jeff treats Norby like he was in the first book until an unexpected incident brings up the opportunity for Norby to leave Jeff at his own will. No spoilers. Jeff realizes that he might lose Norby forever and also realizes how much he actually cares about the ‘bot. Norby realizes that he’s actually wanted by a certain someone else and leaves us with Jeff’s anticipation and sadness as we’re unsure of his final decision.
From Jeff’s point of view, their friendship is special and this brings up richer emotions and touching moments between the two. This gives us the message of what it’s like to lose a friend and that’s something both children and adults can relate to. Because emotions have come into play, the Asimovs produced a character called Mentor First that reminded me of some of Isaac Asimov’s earlier robot characters. Mentor First suffers from borderline insanity as well as depression from living too long with disappointment (for this reason we pity him) but at the same time is quick to reject trust and occasionally responds with animalistc reactions based on his emotional state; no, he’s not like Marvin from Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and he’s not here for comic relief like Ben from Disney’s Treasure Planet--Norby‘s here for that. I was right on with this idea because it was a somewhat bold move to bring such a sad and complex character into this book directed toward younger kids. It’s things like this that spark kids interest and a lot of people forget that.
I really enjoyed this second book and am actually looking forward to the next adventure.
June 21, 2010
This second installment in the series for teens is just as fun as the first. We discover a new ability that Norby has (Norby's other secret) and we get to learn more about the history of the inhabitants of the planet Jamya. If you like the first one you'll like the second even more.
January 16, 2024
A fun read as always. Keeps endearing me to Norby :D
August 13, 2014
duplicate of norby chronicle
May 20, 2023
Norby and Jeff and Fargo are such a hilariously chaotic team!
January 4, 2018
The second book in the Norby series is more of the same - silly and slight.
The "mixed-up" robot who contains some man-made components and some alien components goes on more adventures with his human sidekick Jeff Wells. This installment finds Norby heading back to his planet of origin, Jamya, where there are talking dragons and hassocks that turn into pets and ancient robots who may be related to Norby in some strange way. We also learn that Norby can which complicates Jeff's life some - but also offers potential solutions to tricky plot points.
This installment may be a tiny bit more cohesive than the previous one, but it's still a pretty episodic and disjointed tale. There were storytelling promises made in Chapter One that I felt got entirely ignored for the rest of the book. Even as a book for young readers, it feels pretty dumbed-down.
I keep thinking back to Asimov's Lucky Starr books, which were also intended for younger readers. Although silly at times, they never felt as implausible, ridiculous and flat-out dumb as the two I've read in this series so far. Are the Norby books really designed for VERY young readers? Or did the capacity of young people to follow a more sophisticated plot line simply degenerate that badly in the 30 or so years in between?
The "mixed-up" robot who contains some man-made components and some alien components goes on more adventures with his human sidekick Jeff Wells. This installment finds Norby heading back to his planet of origin, Jamya, where there are talking dragons and hassocks that turn into pets and ancient robots who may be related to Norby in some strange way. We also learn that Norby can which complicates Jeff's life some - but also offers potential solutions to tricky plot points.
This installment may be a tiny bit more cohesive than the previous one, but it's still a pretty episodic and disjointed tale. There were storytelling promises made in Chapter One that I felt got entirely ignored for the rest of the book. Even as a book for young readers, it feels pretty dumbed-down.
I keep thinking back to Asimov's Lucky Starr books, which were also intended for younger readers. Although silly at times, they never felt as implausible, ridiculous and flat-out dumb as the two I've read in this series so far. Are the Norby books really designed for VERY young readers? Or did the capacity of young people to follow a more sophisticated plot line simply degenerate that badly in the 30 or so years in between?
February 13, 2019
There are more than one secret that Norby has been keeping. The Fargos and Norby and their friends have one crisis after another in this fast-paced adventure. There are too many futuristic items portrayed with emphasis on their form while omitting technical details to qualify this as sci-fi, so I call it science fantasy. Without Norby's special talents, the Fargos wouldn't be able to out-maneuver the aliens and adult humans - which is the fun of the story.
January 23, 2018
Part of a series. Basically light reading, easy, forgettable science fiction.
June 10, 2019
.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 14, 2020
Proseguono le avventure dello strambo robot.
Questa volta scopriamo che è in grado di viaggiare nel tempo, e che è un robot creato da Mentore Primo del pianeta Jamya (sì, quello dei draghi): ovviamente lo scopriamo in modo rocambolesco, senza farci mancare una singola lamentela da parte di Norby!
Questa volta scopriamo che è in grado di viaggiare nel tempo, e che è un robot creato da Mentore Primo del pianeta Jamya (sì, quello dei draghi): ovviamente lo scopriamo in modo rocambolesco, senza farci mancare una singola lamentela da parte di Norby!
March 29, 2017
Nothing amazing, but cute and good for kids. And it doesn't insult one's intelligence.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews