Sir_Scrap Metal by Joan Dee Wilson

Review 4 Star

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​Sir_Scrap Metal is a children’s chapter book written and illustrated by Joan Dee Wilson. It’s about a robot named Sir_12.80 who is adopted by three children—two brothers, Mike, and Brady, and their younger sister Dree. The high-tech spy robot has just been mysteriously thrown from a helicopter while on a mission. He works for Agent Rouso of the Animal Preservation Agency. After being adopted and renamed Sir Scrap Metal by the children, the intelligent robot learns a new experience—that of belonging to a family instead of being only a sophisticated tool for the agency. And together they might just help Sir’s boss, Agent Rouso, find the animal smuggler he’s been looking for.
 
A cute and appealing book, Sir_Scrap Metal is loaded with the kinds of authentic daily details that young children enjoy, like glasses falling off and little kittens in peril. The story is perfect for family read-aloud by pretty much everyone, adults or kids, as the clear, swift-moving narrative shows the viewpoints of characters at a variety of ages. There is a lot of opportunity to have fun making little voices and accents for the characters, especially Sir Scrap Metal, whose stiff and austere diction is a strong point of the dialogue and always excellent. There’s a mystery plot that keeps the action loosely structured, but the core of the book is its simple, sweet message about a lonely mechanized creature who finds a place to feel cherished. Sir Scrap Metal is a stray who responds to the love of children in a heartwarming story that made me want to read more by Joan Dee Wilson.