Happy Book Birthday, The AI Incident by J.E. Thomas!

It's time to celebrate another book birthday, and today's slides right into the genre, which seems to see a boom this year: science fiction. This one is also very up-to-date with the huge influence AI is taking in our digital world and beyond. 

Now, this one has gotten mixed reviews, so I'm curious to see what it holds. Maybe good? Maybe bad?  Well, let's find out.

THE AI INCIDENT

by J.E. Thomas

Levine Querido

Middle Grade Science Fiction

256 pages

ages 8 to 12

COMING...

JULY 8th!!!

The Wild Robot meets Restart when Colorado's unluckiest foster kid battles a rogue AI robot at school!

Malcolm Montgomery is the new kid at Shirley Chisholm Charter Middle School. In no time at all, he’s been slapped with the weird kid label. Is it because he's a foster kid who's been in nine homes? Or maybe because he burps when he gets nervous…which is often? Malcolm has a plan to finally get adopted by a forever family before it's too late. But then on Visiting Professionals' Day, his school invites Dr. Alphonse Hatch, founder of Artificial Integrity—one of the fastest-growing artificial intelligence companies in the state—to give a presentation. Dr. Hatch brings his robot, and events get set in motion that create...THE INCIDENT.

The AI Incident deals with issues like code bias, deep fakes, middle grade friendships, reasonable risk, what constitutes a family, and who "deserves" nice things.

GOODREADS    /     LEVINE QUERIDO

MY TIDBITS

Malcolm is turning thirteen soon, which isn't normally anything special, but as a foster kid, he knows that once he hits those teen years, his chances of adoption go down. To make sure he finds a home, he has a list. But things aren't running smoothly, anyway. With nine foster homes under his belt and another new school to deal with, even his best efforts can't save him from soon being marked as a weird kid. There is a up-turn, however, as the school decides to bring in an AI named FRANCIS to help improve the general state test scores. Malcolm is designated to work with FRANCIS along with his new partner, Tank. What starts as an interesting possibility soon proves to be anything but helpful, and instead, Malcolm finds himself facing all sorts of problems...many thanks to FRANCIS. Slowly, his hopes of getting adopted seem to drift further and further away.

There are a few topics in this read, which give the goodness and depth. The first, obviously, is the AI, which hits a current theme in today's world, and one that will, probably, be seeing more attention in future literature because of it. This book takes a peek at it's use in the classroom but shoots off into a bit of science fiction fun as well, which catapults all sorts of surprises in Malcolm's life. It wasn't as deep on this end as I expected but dabs toes into the theme to get those first thought gears turning. The bigger theme in these pages surrounds foster care and adoption as Malcolm struggles with that whole wasp's nest. These pages offer some insights and awaken awareness for that situation, which is also not often handled in middle grade literature. Then, there are more usual problems readers will be able to relate with themselves as Malcolm steers the world of friendships, expectations, and learning to accept himself. And for all things the importance of finding family.

The writing fits the age group nicely, and there are more than a few humorous and unexpected twists to keep the plot moving and the situations, for the most part, grabbing. Malcolm is a character to stand behind and easy to relate to as he slides from one situation into the next. There is a hint of quirkiness in some of the behaviors and fits well to the audience level. Some characters are easier to connect with than others, though. While most of the read flows smoothly, some areas had me skimming (test explanations) and others felt an arm's length away. 

All in all, it's a interesting read with silly, middle grade humor, unexpected twists, and enough more serious directions to give a little food for thought. 

And here she is...

J.E. Thomas grew up near Colorado’s Front Range mountains. She spent her early summers stuffing grocery bags with books at the local library, reading feverishly, then repeating the process week after week. J.E. has bachelors’ degrees in Mass Communications and Political Science, as well as a master’s degree in Public Communications. Her first book, Control Freaks, was a People Magazine Summer Must-Read and a "Best of the Best" pick by the Black Caucus of the ALA.