The first middle-grade novel I read this year is Steph Cherrywell’s Unboxing Libby, which begins with the robot Libby powering up fresh out of her pink packaging. Think American Girl dolls meet Marionettes Inc.
The story takes place on Mars a couple hundred years in the future, in an unfinished community eventually meant for humans: Libby’s mother is a robot, her schoolmates and their parents are robots, there are robots everywhere. They’re all only children of single parents to maximize resources. There are a range of types: nice Libby, brainy Wendy, artistic Nora, fun Mike, and so forth.
I wasn’t expecting to be so captivated, but the attention to detail early on in the story made for an intriguing start: the robots have “clumsy counters” so that they randomly stumble or drop stuff now and then; there are eight other Libbys at Libby’s school but to avoid confusion they have nicknames; they can eat but are given paper food because real food is scarce and for humans. Cherrywell’s attention to detail stayed consistent throughout the story, and she has built a world that’s immersive. At first it’s fun, just a bit creepy and then it’s very unsettling indeed.
The robots are based on a program called A.I.Cadamy Girls, and some of the robots have watched the series and this plays into how the story unfolds. Cherrywell builds the story in clever layers, and there are plenty of familiar concerns likely to resonate with middle grade readers here: identity, bullying, isolation, stereotyping. In addition to the sociable Libbies, there are the Roxannes, who are – at least on the surface – bullies, introverted artist Noras, bookish Wendies, Miracles who sing, and so on. These robots were created as toys, but have been repurposed to inhabit planned Mars settlements to discover “potential problems” before the people do. This is as sinister as it sounds and makes for an excellent story.
What unfolds is as much a story about the reader as it is about Libby Maxwell and the other robots; Cherrywell lulls us into forgetting the robots aren’t human, and then startles us back to that awareness. It’s likely the reader will be thinking outside the story about artificial intelligence and the ethics of designing systems to be as human as possible, as well as issues like disposability and consumerism.
I thought constantly of Ray Bradbury’s short fiction and Greta Gerwig’s Barbie as I read, and it’s the accessibly clever attention to detail and knack for sensibility shared by both that I find most satisfying here.
I recommend this to friends as a an engaging and odd escape from the dark science fiction for adults many of us read. But for the target audience, this is a solid introduction to fantastic fiction, and would suit readers who enjoy Nicola Skinner, Laura Amy Schlitz, or Derek Landy.
I received an advance copy of Unboxing Libby by Steph Cherrywell from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This was a strong concept and enjoyed the element that I was hoping for, it uses the android element perfectly and enjoyed the concept of this. Steph Cherrywell has a strong writing style and was engaged with how the characters were written.

Thank you to NetGalley and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for providing this book, with my honest review below.

What a great book for those who have nostalgia recalling American Girl Dolls and, of course, its target audience of younger readers. I’d go ahead and say this is a targeted for a bookworm at ten, but otherwise closer to 12 - 15 age group (12 being the age of our main character, Libby), though as an adult I enjoyed it as well.

Set on Mars two hundred years in the future, the people on earth have mastered AI and robotics enough to create lifelike robots that are sophisticated enough to inhabit communities on the red planet which is being settled for human life after a past of mining. These robots are put in the communities to ‘try them out’ and the data around their day to day, which mimics that of the humans who will eventually live in their homes, will help find dangers before people move in. The robots are those who don’t sell well on earth, and Libby and her classmates are more specifically A.I.Cademy girls who are party of a popular earth show. Much like our carebears they are known for their somewhat cookie cutter personalities and interests. Libby SHOULD be kind and supportive and focused on baking and the color pink, but due to some issues with her code she breaks the mold, acting just a bit like all the other girls and disregarding the rules set up for her community.

The book offers plenty of background and context to help world build and introduces each character through their doll/robot personae early on. It also throws in a great ‘mystery’ with Libby (who goes by Max as there are several Libby doll/robots present in their community) finding out exactly what happens to those with her issues and how little she and her friends are valued. There are lessons sneakily wrapped up in this story as well as some awesome girl power and justice parts. As an adult I adored it and think tweens (and above) will be similarly interested, if not more!