Return of the Dapper Men

Written by: Jim McCann and Janet Lee

First line: Long from now, in a land known as Anorev, there lived...well...not many people. 

Why you should read this book: Ayden, a boy, and Zoe, a robot, live in a strange city populated only by children and robots, where time never passes and nothing ever changes. Ayden and Zoe are best friends, but the other robots and children don't like each other and live separate lives, beneath the unseeing eyes of a broken colossal angel clock, until the day 314 dapper men float out of the sky. Now it's up to Ayden and Zoe to restore the passage of time, ensuring that robots and children reunite the way they were meant to interact, and that a tock follows every tick. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: You were born middle-aged. 

The Wild Robot Protects

Written by: Peter Brown

First line: Our story begins in the sky, with a bright sun and puffy clouds and a large flock of geese.

Why you should read this book: After returning to her island with her new, improved body, Roz the wild robot hopes to live a peaceful life with her animal friends, until a new threat comes to her home: a poison tide seeping through the ocean, killing all life as it goes. With Brightbill grown and mated and her new grandbabies on the way, Roz is determined to save all her friends, and when she learns that her new body is waterproof, she goes on an underwater journey to seek out a new ally, the Ancient Shark and to find the source of the poison tide. Along the way, she learns from many new animal friends and discovers her own strengths as well as the power of large groups to tackle the problems of large infrastructures.

Why you shouldn't read this book: It's not as good as the first one but I thought it was better than the second one; however, some readers took issue with its progressive messages regarding the environment and gender, so if you're the type of reader who gets bent out of shape by progressive messages regarding environment and gender, maybe this delightful story about a wild robot protecting the planet isn't for you. 

All Systems Red (book 1 of the Muderbot Diaries)

Written by: Martha Wells

First line: I could have become a mass murderer after I hacked my governor module, but then I realized I could access the combined feed of entertainment channels carried on the company satellites.

Why you should read this book: "Murderbot," a security unit created from both robot and organic parts, does his job in the hopes that no one will notice he's been hacked, but his primary concern is watching TV: 35,000 hours of streaming video so far. Far more interested in the lives of the fictional characters in his favorite serials than the very real scientists he's supposed to be protecting, he still does his duty as it becomes increasingly apparent that the mission has been sabotaged and someone wants his entire crew dead. If he ever wants to watch TV in peace again, Murderbot must outwit the antagonists and save his small group of intellectual researchers from a much larger and better armed opponent. 

Why you shouldn't read this book: This is one of those stories where the plot is sort of irrelevant, but the voice and the character journey is so engaging you don't really care. (Apparently this series is being developed by Apple TV for a show starring Alexanders Skarsgard, so I guess you could wait a while and then enjoy the story the way Murderbot would want you to enjoy it, if Murderbot cared about you, which it probably doesn't.)

The Wild Robot Returns

Written by: Peter Brown

First line: Our story begins in a city, with buildings and streets and bridges and parks. 

Why you should read this book: Roz, the wild robot, who learned from the animals and adopted an orphan goose and then was reclaimed by her creators in The Wild Robot finds herself physically refurbished (but with her memories intact) and confined to a dilapidated farm where she fixes machines and cares for cows, who are surprised to meet a robot who speaks Animal. Roz can't let any humans know that she is different from other robots, but she finds companionship with the farmer's motherless children, Jad and Jaya. Despite the children's love for her, she wants nothing more than to go home to her island and her old family, and when her son, Brightbill, finally finds her, she must learn more lessons about humans and herself.

Why you shouldn't read this book: It's not quite as magical as the first one, but it's still a satisfying sequel.

The Wild Robot

Written by: Peter Brown

First line: Our story begins on the ocean, with wind and rain and thunder and lightning and waves.

Why you should read this book: A quiet but surprisingly powerful and charming tale of a robot shipwrecked and activated on a island populated only by animals, armed only with basic programming to be helpful and to learn. Through observation of her surroundings, Roz the robot learns how to survive and thrive in her environment, until her neighbors stop seeing her as a monster and start believing her to be a very helpful friend. But Roz is a valuable piece of equipment: is there any place in the world for a truly wild robot.

Why you shouldn't read this book: The ending may be a bit ambiguous for some young readers to find satisfying (but in writing this review I realized there's a sequel so it's probably OK).

Alternate Histories of the World

Written by: Matthew Buchholz

First line: Tracing the evolution of humanity through the early ages has always been a difficult task.

Why you should read this book: In a world where painting monsters into thrift store landscapes has become de rigueur, fake news can change the course of history even when everyone knows it's fake, and anyone can learn Photoshop, this book practically had to happen. The author lays his own fantastic template of robots, aliens, and zombies, with the occasional dinosaur, over the boilerplate of history to create an almost plausible timeline in which Teddy Roosevelt was an early adapter of the jet pack and alliances with river monsters or martians have more than once turned the tide of battle in war. Funnier the more you know about world history as well as the history of speculative fiction, this silly but satisfying book is a delightful distraction from the actual history in which we currently live.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You go ballistic when anyone suggests that humans and dinosaurs ever coexisted.

The Chemistry of Tears

Written by: Peter Carey

First line: Dead, and no one told me.

Why you should read this book: When talented horologist Catherine Gehrig learns of her lover's untimely death, her entire world seems to run down, and Catherine can't even publicly mourn her loss, because her lover was married and worked at the same museum where she restored automatons. Only their boss knows her situation, and he sends her to another site to restore a stunning artifact, one that comes with its own story of love and loss. As Catherine repairs the fabulous machine, she reads the story of its benefactor, Henry Brandling, and begins to heal from her loss.

Why you shouldn't read this book: I found all the main characters pretty unlikeable as human beings; everyone is so caught up in their grief that they can't be bothered not to be terrible to everyone around them.

Copper

Written by: Kazu Kibuishi

First line: Hello.

Why you should read this book: There's something really special about these comics featuring a generally optimistic boy and his generally pessimistic dog living in a magical world that apparently exists on the border between Hawaii and the Dreamlands. Monsters, robots, surfing, melon bread, mountain climbing, sentient mushrooms, and friendly store clerks all coexist in Copper's universe, one in which the journey is more important than the destination and love is a living legend that peeks out at our heroes when their backs are turned. Beautiful scenery pairs with adorable illustrations; the book also include a little introduction to drawing comics primer in the back, showing how a page is produced start to finish.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You don't approve of too much creativity.

Zita the Spacegirl

Written by: Ben Hatke

First line: Finders keepers!

Why you should read this book: Exuberant child Zita pushes a red button she found in a meteorite crater and accidentally opens up a hole in space time, into which her friend Joseph is sucked. Filled with remorse, Zita follows Joseph to a strange, doomed world, populated by an endless array of space creatures, most of whom are desperate to leave before an asteroid destroys the place. Zita must navigate this unusual planet, sorting out friends and enemies, to rescue Joseph before they all die horrible, vaporized deaths in this adorable graphic novel for young readers.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You would sacrifice your friends to save yourself.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret

Written by: Brian Selznick

First line: The story I am about to share with you takes place in 1931, under the roofs of Paris.

Why you should read this book: A wildly inventive marriage of words and images, this brilliant novel takes resourceful orphan Hugo Cabret on a journey through the streets of Paris and the history of magic, robotics, and cinema on his quest to solve the mystery of an automaton that was destroyed in the fire that killed his own father. Descended from a long line of clockmakers and armed with his father's notebook, Hugo is determined to repair the broken machine, but an angry toymaker is equally determined to foil his plans, for reason that Hugo cannot explain. When he becomes friends with the toymaker's goddaughter, the two begin to piece together the mystery, which unfolds with magical precision in words and illustrations.

Why you shouldn't read this book: You've destroyed your life's work for reason you refuse to discuss.

Daisy Kutter: The Last Train

Author: Kazu Kibuishi

First line: Old habits die hard, don’t they?

Why you should read this book: The artwork is lovely and expressive, a perfect blend of the gritty old West the a gleaming mechanized future, and the story perfectly encapsulates the spirit of both genres. Daisy Kutter, formerly the greatest train robber in the world, has retired from the life only to find herself sick with boredom as the proprietor of a dry goods shop, while her ex-partner, Tom, has found satisfaction as the sheriff. When she’s tempted to get back in the game for one last score, she and Tom get more in the giant-robot-and-flying-bullets department than they ever bargained for.

Why you shouldn’t read this book: You’re still in deep mourning over the cancellation of Firefly.