Background

Themes: Relationships, love, loss, adventure, 

Why it's a hit: This enchanting story of unexpected friendships is a modern-day classic in the making. 

Cross-curricular links: Technology, environment, friendship, love, loss

Perfect for: Upper and lower KS2

Published by: Little, Brown Books

Personal experience 

The Wild Robot is part of a series: The Wild Robot, The Wild Robot Escapes, The Wild Robot Protects and when I say I love these books, I mean every word. For every child who has asked me 'What should I read next?' I will always point them in this direction. Peter Brown is a mastermind when it comes to writing a gripping story. 

Summary 

When robot Roz opens her eyes for the first time, she discovers that she is alone on a remote, wild island. She has no idea how she got there or what her purpose is - but she knows she needs to survive. After battling a fierce storm and escaping a vicious bear attack, she realises that her only hope for survival is to adapt to her surroundings and learn from the island's unwelcoming animal inhabitants. As Roz slowly befriends the animals, the island starts to feel like home - until, one day, her mysterious past comes back to haunt her.

The read 

I've only ever used this book as my end of the day reading session and boy does it get them nice and quiet. I love how short the chapters: some are only a page long but this does not affect the story one bit. In fact, I think it suits the aim of the book perfectly. After reading only a few chapters, nearly the whole of my Year 4 class went home and begged their parents to buy it for them. Most of them ended up reading the whole thing in just a few days - that's how good it is. 

After every chapter, we would try and predict the title of the next chapter since they follow the pattern of "The ________" Once I'd revealed the title of the chapter, my class would love a good chat about what's going to happen next. It's such an excellent book for prediction skills!