I enjoyed this unusual middle-grade novel very much. It was intriguing to have a story where a robot is learning from animal behaviour, rather than trying to be human. I only became aware of this book after the film was released. There are some sad themes in the book which some readers may find upsetting, but these are consistent with nature and are sensitively handled.

Roz is shipwrecked on an island, the only robot to survive intact. When some otters accidentally activate her, she begins to adapt to her surroundings and communicate with the animals. They are afraid of her at first, but she demonstrates she can be helpful and that she wants to join in their community. She adopts a gosling and has to learn about being a mother. When they both become curious about her past, the life that she has made for herself is under threat.

The author gets us on Roz’s side immediately by not only giving her a gender, but by describing her as ‘our’ robot. She is instinctively kind to animals, at first because this will help her survive, but she is clearly programmed to learn and to be helpful. Although she is not given actual emotions, she feels ‘something like’ happiness, etc. I thought the author’s note was interesting, as he considered that animals are somewhat like robots because they have their own programming. The inference is that animals and robots may have more in common than humans and robots do.

Recommended for adult readers, as well as children. There are some illustrations, quite simple and graphic in style.

First published in 2016 by Little, Brown. Followed by two more books, The Wild Robot Escapes and The Wild Robot Protects.