Science No Fair!: Project Droid #1

September 1, 2016

Gr 2-4-In the first title, Science No Fair!, Logan's mom shares her latest invention: a lifelike boy android named Java (Jacob Alexander Victor Applebaum), who she plans to send to school with Logan and introduce as his cousin. Logan is not happy about this development, especially because Java has a tendency to do things that make him stand out, like the time he picks up his chair when the teacher tells him to "take a seat," or the time he hits the school tetherball so hard that the pole spins off into the air like a helicopter. Logan's problems get even worse when the awful Silverspoon twins invite Java to be their partner in the science fair, giving them an open invitation to come to Logan's house, where they sabotage Logan's own science project. But even Logan can't predict the disaster Java accidentally causes at the science fair itself. In the second volume, Soccer Shocker!, Logan is dismayed to learn that Java will be playing on his soccer team, the Purple Wombats. Logan has been proud to be his team's top scorer, even though he has scored only one goal. Now, not only does he have to share his team with his robot cousin but Java also turns out to be a soccer superstar, winning every game single-handedly. When the Silverspoon twins trick Java into serving his team peanut-butter-and-jellyfish sandwiches, it is up to Logan to save the day. This quirky new chapter book series is fast-paced and full of Amelia Bedelia-style gags. Moran's black-and-white cartoon drawings add to the humor and appeal. Java is an endearingly naive and enthusiastic character, and Logan is believable as a frustrated kid trying to keep his cousin's robot nature a secret. VERDICT This entertaining new series will appeal to fans of funny stories and robots.-Ashley Larsen, Pacifica Libraries, CA

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 15, 2016
When Logan Applebaum's mother sends him to school with the android "cousin" she's invented, the white boy finds it difficult to keep Java's manufactured identity a secret.That's the intriguing idea behind a new series of short chapter books aimed at primary grade readers. Here, a thin plot centers on the upcoming science fair. Logan hopes Java (Jacob Alexander Victor Applebaum) will help him win a prize, but the android joins a different team. Character development starts promisingly, with Logan testing the flavors of different colors of his cereal, but then fizzles, as Logan proves more interested in magic than science and most interested in besting the Silverspoon twins. There's no indication of racial diversity in the text, but the black-and-white illustrations do suggest different color shades among his classmates and teacher. Much of the humor comes from Java's Amelia Bedelia-like inability to understand figures of speech. (Early in the story he warms Logan's "cold feet" with a blanket.) There's not much suspense, but the narrative winds up with an explosive climax, and directions for a potato battery are included. Clocking in at under 100 pages, this series opener has a simultaneously published sequel (Soccer Shocker), with a third scheduled for next spring. More premise than plot, but it's funny enough to keep fledgling readers turning pages. (Fiction. 6-8)

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