Peter Brown's The Wild Robot is a tender tale about a robot named Roz learning to survive in an unfamiliar environment. Stranded on an island, she adapts to her circumstances, learns from the animals around her, and becomes part of a dynamic community.
Readers who want more books like The Wild Robot will enjoy the second two books in the series. In addition, our book list includes children's books about robots, and stories with similar themes about animals and survival in nature.
The Wild Robot series consists of three books:
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Table of contents
Robot Books
Maya and the Robot by Eve L. Ewing, illustrated by Christine Almeda
Fans who appreciated the illustrations in The Wild Robot, will enjoy this illustrated novel. Introverted 5th grader, Maya, is feeling nervous about the school year. After school, she helps out at Mr. Mac's convenience store, where she finds an unfinished robot. Maya has always wanted to be a scientist and so she puts her skills to the test, finishing the robot, named Ralph. Working on Ralph for the science fair helps Maya to forge connections with her family, grow in her friendships, and be part of a community.
Fuzzy by Tom Angleberger and Paul Dellinger
In this funny science fiction book for tweens, seventh grader Maxine loves robots and is super excited that her school is about to get a robot student as part of the Robot Integration Program. Teachers and principal are already robots, and Max needs to figure out why her grades are mysteriously declining, despite her diligent studying. Together, with Fuzzy the robot student, she discovers an evil evaluation system run by none other than the principal!
Ungifted (series) by Gordon Korman
Middle school prankster, Donovan Curtis, is accidentally sent to a school for gifted and talented students. He's a bit of a fish out of water, and multiple narrative points of view offer readers an amusing perspective on Donovan's academic journey. His science class builds a robot (I love The Wizard of Oz references!) and it just so happens that all his time spent playing video games provides him with exact skills his class needs to win a competition.
MORE: Books like Wonder for Kids
The Iron Giant by Ted Hughes, illustrated by Andrew Davidson
Kids will enjoy watching The Iron Giant film, and Hughes' 1968 classic tale of peace will speak to kids who like Brown's The Wild Robot. A short novel, this is the story of a brave boy who stops a gigantic robot away from menacing the countryside. The Iron Giant promises to stop terrorizing the community and instead becomes a valued member, eventually saving it from a different threat.
A Rover's Story by Jasmine Warga
Resilience, or Res for short, is a Mars rover who begins to narrates his experience at his first awareness during assembly. As Res is assembled, he listens to the conversations of humans around him, and learns about the other NASA-built machines around him. As his awareness grows, he develops human-like emotions. Interwoven into Res's narration, is a second plot involving one of the scientists, Raina, told through the letters her daughter writes to Res.
MORE: Got another favorite book? Visit the hub of all our read alike book lists!
Animals and the Environment Books
The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp by Kathi Appelt
Bingo and J’miah are two raccoons who descend from a long line of raccoons who are entrusted with the job of alerting the mythic Sugar Man in case of an emergency. They decide to do so when a band of feral hogs invade the swamp, their sights set on the sugarcane. Meanwhile, 12-year-old Chad is dismayed to learn that the slimy Sunny Boy Beaucoup wants to convert the swamp into Gator World Wrestling Arena and Theme Park. This is a really fun book, but the folksy narrative voice may take some kids a bit of time to get used to.
MORE: Middle Grade Novels Told from the Animal's POV
A Wolf Called Wander by Roseanne Parry
At the age of two, Wander's pack is attacked by a rival wolf pack and Wander is separated from the rest of his pack. Unable to learn the fate of his family, Wander sets out on a journey of survival. The wolf narrates his own tale and–wow–is it fascinating. The book is full of observations about other wildlife, the impact of humans, and the perils of life as one of nature's most important predators. In the endnotes, Parry explains that she based her book on a real-life wolf that scientists had been tracking.
Me and Marvin Gardens by April Sarig King
Obe Devlin lives in a house that has sat on his family's farmland for several generations, but his grandfather lost much of the land and it's now under development for tract housing. Obe spends his free time down at the creek looking for animal tracks. One day he spies a strange new creature that eats plastic who he names Marvin Gardens after his father's love of Monopoly. Obe tries to keep Marvin a secret but he discovers Marvin's scat is toxic to the land. While I was reading this book I kept thinking Marvin must be a figment of Obe's imagination, but he wasn't and that makes the book so much better.
MORE: Middle Grade Novels to Inspire a Love of Nature
Mrs Frisby and the Rats of NIMH by Robert C. O'Brien
This classic book is a tale of survival. Like The Wild Robot, there is a science theme, as well. Mrs. Frisby must move her children to a warmer home for the winter. But her youngest, Timothy, is sick and she needs assistance. Mrs. Frisby enlists the help of a community of rats who have been bred in a lab to have superior intelligence. Winner of the 1972 Newbery Medal.
Odder by Katherine Applegate
Applegate is best known for The One and Only Ivan, but Odder's setting of Monterey Bay, steals my Californian heart. Also, sea otters are the best. Applegate's free verse novel is narrated by the titular character who finds herself in the middle of a rescue operation after she goes to the aid of another otter who is being attacked by a shark. Odder and her friend, Kairi end up at the Monterey Bay Aquarium where humans work to heal and rehabilitate otters into the wild.
MORE: Books like The One and Only Ivan
Pax by Sara Pennypacker
Peter rescued Pax when he was a small fox cub, and the two are inseparable. One day Peter's father enlists in the military (it is an unknown war in an undefined place and time) and Peter must go to live with his grandfather. Peter's father insists a heartbroken Peter abandon Pax in the woods. Feeling guilty, Peter runs away in search of his one true friend. Along the way, he injures his foot and is taken in by a hermit, who has secrets of her own. In a parallel narrative, Pennypacker describes Pax's encounter with wild foxes and his experience with the encroaching war. This is a powerful story with an unexpected ending.
The Wainscott Weasel by Tor Seidler, illustrated by Fred Marcellino
Find it: Amazon
Seidler's book about a tenderhearted weasel was one of our favorite read alouds the year we read it. Bagley is unlike his fellow weasels, preferring to daydream about a fish named Bridget than join in weasel-y activities. While the weasel community is celebrating a wedding with dancing and merriment, Bagley is ensuring his beloved Bridget is safe by moving an Osprey's nest away from her pond. Full of illustrations, some in color (at least in the hardback version we read), this is a charming story fans of nature-oriented tales will love.
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