

Forced into stealing valuable books from a rich widow, Willis takes refuge on an abandoned island populated by robots in this new middle-grade novel by acclaimed writer Cary Fagan. For fans of The Wild Robot. It isn’t bad enough that Willis has to live with his cold uncle Tod in a dusty old house of used books. He can’t even spend time with his friends Harrison and Galaxi because of the nasty after-school jobs his uncle makes him take on. But then his uncle asks him to visit an old widow lady in the mansion on the hill. To his surprise, Willis likes Mrs. Shorthouse and even the books they read together (Little Women, Great Expectations). Meanwhile, taking a rowboat ride, Willis discovers an abandoned town from the 1950s populated by square-headed robots. What is the connection between Mrs. Shorthouse and Robot Island? What will happen after the police find out that Willis has been stealing rare books from the mansion? And when Willis turns on the electricity and the robots of Robot Island come to life, will they turn out to be friends or enemies?
Cary Fagan is an award-winning author of books for children and adults. He has won the Vicky Metcalf Award for Children’s Literature, the Jewish Book Award, the IODE Jean Throop Book Award and the Marilyn Baillie Picture Book Award, among others. His many books include the picture book A Cage Went in Search of a Bird, illustrated by Banafsheh Erfanian (“An original and thought-provoking exploration of the rhythms of friendship –Kirkus, starred review) and the short novel The Hollow Under the Tree, an Ontario Library Association Best Bet. Cary lives with his family in Toronto.
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