Extremely cute middle grade novel about a girl and her robot. While I’m not the audience for this, I could see it being appealing to kids in the 10-13 range, especially if they have an interest in STEM. I like how the characters talk like real kids and are not aged up to sound like high schoolers. Bonus for the main character being BIPOC.

I adore this book! I purchased extra copies for my library branch's summer stash, and I will be booktalking the book to rising fourth graders when we visit their school to introduce our summer reading program.

Maya is a supremely relatable character living in a wonderfullly vibrant and supportive community. Science loving kids will relate to her curiousity and determination to build her robot friend. This book is a winner on so many levels: The STEM inclusion, ROBOTS!, a plucky heroine, characters who jump off the page, and a story of determination and perservance that inspires as much as in entertains.

This book was so good we ended up putting it on the Illinois Reader's Choice Award list for 2024 and on our Battle of the Books list too!

This title is a great read and really awesome representation. I think it really captures the authentic experience of children attempting to come out of their shell. I purchased the title for my library.

Celebrating a black girl's interest in STEM and her intergenerational friendship, this book touches on themes of middle school struggles including friendships and bullying, sibling relationships, community safety, parental separation, and scientific curiosity.

This book had me laughing so hard! I loved the mix of humor with real emotion that all of us who have lived through elementary and middle school will understand. What a fantastic book on STEM and growing up.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and think this would be an excellent read for a Young Reader. The book handled important but sometimes sensitive topics like youth friendship, feelings of inadequacy, fitting in and violence appropriate to the level of the intended reader. The story line moved well and didn't linger on unnecessary tangents.

The author weaved in some historical figures and science facts to potentially spark interest to other topics as well as solved conflicts between characters without villainizing either which I found refreshing.

One note about the book is on some outlets the book is listed as a Young Readers (which I characterized as such in this review) book which over generalizes the reading level appropriate to the book. I believe the book is advanced elementary but can be used for middle grade readers that are not reading at level. The book's content is fun and light and might spark an uninterested middle grade reader to read more.

Maya can't wait for the upcoming school year. But when she is put in a classroom with the meanest teacher in the school, her arch-nemesis Zoe, AND her best friends MJ and Jada in a different class, Maya has never felt more alone.
When Mr. Mac, the local convenience store owner, gives Maya a robot his son Christopher created and never finished, Maya gets to work.

Maya and the Robot are about learning that scientists must have patience and perseverance and turn failures into learning opportunities.

Maya lives in the city with her mom and baby brother, Amir, and her 5th-grade year is starting off very poorly. First, she has a difficult (somewhat boring) teacher. Next, she learns that her two best friends will not be in her class. Thirdly, she has to deal with Zoe who is unkind to her. So she has to try to make friends while also adjusting to a less friendly instructor (who calls her Patricia, even though everyone knows she goes by Maya!). However, 5th grade also means the school science fair. Maya loves science, technology, engineering, and math and she is doubly excited when she finds Ralph in the back of Mr. Mac's store.

This is a lovely, heartbreaking, and hopeful story about Maya dealing with loneliness, her community, and the evolution of friendships. Written from Maya's POV, we learn about her community as she does: in ways that transcend her typical interactions, but also through the lens of the adults around her. Maya begins to gain confidence in herself while also learning to find her voice and speaking up for herself. Eve Ewing touches on grief, loss, bullying, jealousy, and loneliness in a way that is relatable to middle-grade readers and will pull on the heartstrings of any adult tempered with humor and hopeful resilience of different characters.

Absolutely LOVED it! I would put this in hands of every kids who loves graphic novels/illustrated chapter books.

Friendship, jealousy, loneliness, grief, finding your voice, resilience, and pursuing your interests are all themes tucked neatly into this story about a girl and her new mechanical companion. Maya’s best friends are in a different class this year, and for the first time, Maya is not looking forward to school. On top of that, Zoe is mean to her, and her teacher calls her by her first name instead of by Maya. But then, Maya finds a robot in the stock room while working at the store for Mr. MacMillan. She loves science and engineering, and this is exciting! She finds out that Mr. Mac’s son Christopher built the robot years ago, but Christopher is gone now, and Maya is not sure where he is. Maya gets the robot to work and all is well until sabotage at the science fair!

This is a good story with heavy moments tempered with humor and fun. Maya learns that there is more to people than she can see on the outside, that Christopher was shot and killed 10 years ago and Mr. Mac is still really sad, that Zoe is mean because she’s jealous and thinks Maya’s life is perfect, that her teacher calls her the wrong name because she doesn’t know any different and Maya never spoke up to correct her.

Highly recommended and will be in my first book order of the year.

Maya and the Robot by Eve L. Ewing is a fun read for middle schoolers. Maya is beginning 5th grade and for the first time since kindergarten, her two best friends will be in a different classroom than her. They get the fun teacher and she does not! Maya does not make friends easily and feels alone in her fifth grade class. However, one day Maya finds a robot in a closet where she works. The robot was created by Mr. Mac’s son Christopher. Maya, who loves science, begins to work the robot and even names him Ralph. Soon Ralph becomes Mayas new best friend. Unfortunately, when Maya brings Ralph to school, Ralph causes a major problem. Maya and the Robot is a great story about friendship and perseverance. The story is humorous at times. However, the story also explores the topic of gun violence and a father’s grief years after his son was killed.

Maya’s fifth grade year is off to a rough start. Her two best friends are in a different class than she is, leaving her feeling lonely. Things start to look up when Maya comes across Ralph, a long-forgotten robot, while helping her neighbor Mr. Mac in his convenience store. Maya takes Ralph home and brings him to life using her science skills and the notes left with Ralph by Mr. Mac’s son. Her work with Ralph brings Maya confidence—and some excitement at the school’s big science fair, too. Science and and STEM fans will find lots for them in this book. The challenges Maya experiences with forming and maintaining friendships will resonate with many middle grade students as well. The book features a predominantly Black community and showcases a warm intergenerational relationship between Maya and Mr. Mac. Great middle grade read!

I just read what has to be my favorite middle-grade book of the entire year - Maya and the Robot by Eve Ewing, coming out in July!
Maya is a brilliant and introverted fifth-grader, passionate about science. Her school year is off to a rough start when her two best friends end up in a different class, leaving her lonely and adrift, but when she finds a robot made by her kind storekeeper neighbor's son, she determines to figure out how to make it work.
Maya is the kind of character who will stick with you, with a voice and presence that seem so real. Her genius is clear, but she's not puffed up about it in the least - it springs from a genuine drive for learning and inquiry. But coexisting with Maya's intelligence - as is often the case (hi, fellow gifted-kids) is a feeling of social awkwardness and worry, as she struggles to know how to reach out to kids beyond her closest friends, or recognize when others are trying to reach out to her - though she is deeply compassionate and empathetic towards others. Her personal and emotional journey is just as compelling as her journey in robot design.
And let's talk about that robot! Ralph is as endearing as Baymax in Big Hero Six, but more grounded in science - machine learning and natural language processing are both named and addressed, as well as the (sometimes hilarious) mishaps while Ralph learns. Maya's use of the engineering process, continually questioning, testing hypotheses, seeking information, and refining design is portrayed beautifully and naturally here - it reminds me of the early-reading series Layla and the Bots by Vicky Fang.
And can I talk about the inclusivity in this book? So wonderful! The robotics scientist who Maya admires is female and Dine, and the science museum presenter is nonbinary - and including new immigrants is important to Maya, shown as she programs the robot to learn the languages of newcomers to her neighborhood. Maya is surrounded by supportive adults, who bolster her through both personal and societal difficulties (a heartbreaking scene addresses gun violence) and all look out for the children in their community. As Eve Ewing noted in her presentation at ALA (it was awesome!), this is much-needed representation in the face of media narratives pathologizing big cities.
Maya and the Robot is recommended for ages 6-9, but any age would love this novel. So phenomenal!
#Mayaandtherobot @eve.ewing @penguinkids

An engaging story of an upper elementary student trying to find a place to fit in when she is taken out of her comfort zone. With the support of her family and community she finds herself and her passion. There is plenty of humor to keep the story light but there is some good moral lessons tucked into it as well.

I received an electronic ARC from PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group through NetGalley.
Readers will connect with Maya from the first chapter. The book opens with a scene from the end of the story and then shifts to give readers the backstory. Maya is struggling with fifth grade as her only friends are in the other classroom and she feels left out and lonely. She doesn't feel like her teacher likes her, and she's being bullied by a classmate. Middle grade readers will identify with her and with the other characters Ewing develops in this story. She assists Mr. Mac in his store and finds an old robot his son built. She gets to bring the robot (Ralph) home and studies Christopher's notes to learn how to bring it active. Through the remainder of the book, Maya continues Christopher's work and trains Ralph as a functioning AI being.
Ewing brings readers in to be part of the family and friend circle as they see how Maya struggles to speak up for herself and then gains confidence to speak up for herself. She learns some valuable lessons about reaching out to her friends, being brave enough to speak with new people, and speaking up for herself with adults.

With thanks to NetGalley and Kokila for an early copy in return for an honest review.

Maya is struggling with 5th grade. She is not in the same class as her two best friends and because of their recess schedule she hardly sees them. When she is gifted a robot from Mr. Mac she learns to get the robot up and working. Lessons in friendship and being a friend follow for Maya.

I would definitely recommend this book for kids with an interest in STEM or Tech and could see some fun follow-up activities related to building a robot.

Note for younger or more sensitive readers....there are references to gun violence (someone related to a character was shot and killed in the past).

Adorable middle grades (think 8-11/12 years old) text by one of my favorite writers.
The book has an amazing blend of real and whimsy. Maya is gifted a robot that the son of a shopowner built. The real world, with grief and friendship and fitting in, butts up against the amazing robot, the joy of science and inquiry and a character that perseveres. I see this doing very well in an elementary library or for older middle school students who need a more accessible text.

Patricia May Robinson goes by Maya. Maya’s friends are all in a different class. She’s scared to start 5th grade without them, and she’s not good at making new friends. After school, she likes to help Mr. Mac at the local convenience store. Then she finds a robot named Ralph in the storage room. Mr. Mac tells her she can keep Ralph and try to get him working. Maya’s parents reluctantly agree to their new robot pet. Soon Ralph becomes her school project. The characters are likable and engaging. The plot is a little dull, but readers who like robots, realistic fiction, and science will enjoy reading this book. 3.5 stars, Grades 1 to 5

Please note: This was a review copy given to us by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. No financial compensation was received.

The book opens with a robot ruining a school science fair by spraying food all over the cafeteria. From this hilarious opening develops the fun but also touching story of Maya, an aspiring scientist. Fifth grade isn't going as expected for her - her best friends MJ and Jada are in another class and she is having trouble making new friends. While helping out at Mr. Mac's convenience store, Maya discovers an unfinished robot in the closet. Mr. Mac's son Christopher, a grad student at Stanford, started the robot but didn't finish it. There seems to be some mystery about Christopher, as Mr. Mac and her parents are reluctant to discuss him with Maya. But she is able to take the robot (named Ralph) home and complete him with some cool scientific ingenuity.

Maya learns that Christopher was killed in a random shooting years ago, and the annual memorial service provides her and the community a way to share their grief. The story returns to the science fair and we find out what happened to make Ralph go haywire. The satisfying ending sees Maya regaining her friendships as well as newfound confidence as an actual scientist. The combination of Scientific wizardry, middle grade relationships, and the impact of violence make this a story both entertaining and relevant.