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.
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.
MY TIDBITS
Malcolm is turning thirteen soon, which isn't normally anything super special but as a foster kid, he knows that his chances of being adopted and becoming part of a family are about to go down. To make sure he finds a home before that point, he has created a list. But things aren't running smoothly. 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. That's not helpful for his adoption plans. There is a up-turn, however, as the school decides to bring in an AI named FRANCIS to help improve the general test scores. Malcolm is 'lucky' enough 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...some thanks to FRANCIS. Slowly, his hopes of adoption drift further and further away.
There are a few topics in this read, which give it an interesting direction with 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. This aspect is pretty well based and brings to light some issues, which aren't always obvious.
Malcolm packs personality and readers will be able to relate to many of his problems, since they slide right into the middle grade category of steering friendships, learning to accept ones self, and even ones surrounding the differences between deserved, needed, and wants. Malcolm's desire to find a family makes him easy to sympathize with and root for, especially when things don't go his way.
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 characters, which comes across a bit odd, at times, but it also fits well to the audience level. While most of the read flows smoothly, there were a few descriptions and moments that had me quickly skimming...and I'm not sure readers will want to understand the entire testing end. My own kids heard too much of this at their own schools as it was and would rather steer clear from it when reading novels.
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.
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