Friendroid

February 1, 2019

Gr 5-8-New kid Eric "Slick" Young appears to be a fairly average preteen boy-albeit one who is preoccupied with brand name clothes, social media likes, and popularity. Slick knows he shouldn't hang out with a "friendless loser" like Danny Lazio. Except Danny likes video games as much as Slick does. And he doesn't judge Slick for having trouble understanding humor and sarcasm. The two boys become best friends, and they ultimately reject the popular crowd. Along the way, they befriend another outsider, Ethan, and his sister, Hope, who has Down syndrome. Throughout it all, Danny notices interesting things about Slick. For instance, Slick can memorize an instruction manual after glancing at it one time. People show up to help Slick whenever he gets hurt, even if he doesn't call for help. Slick's pillow is full of wires, and he becomes comatose when he doesn't sleep on it. To everyone's astonishment, including Slick's, it turns out that Slick is an android. What appears to be science fiction tale on the surface is ultimately a universal story about friendship and the power of finding commonalities with those who seem different. Characterization and pacing are particularly strong. VERDICT Funny, smart, and full of positive messages.-Liz Overberg, Zionsville Community High School, IN

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

January 15, 2019
A 12-year-old loner makes friends with a popular classmate--who just happens to be an android.Danny introduces Slick's story by telling readers how it ends: Slick is dead, he was murdered, and he was an android. This is Slick's journal, Danny explains, and he's publishing it because he wants everyone to know the truth. In chapters that shift between Danny's and Slick's perspectives, readers meet Danny's dead best friend as a blond and blue-eyed new kid who has recently moved from New York City. Slick (real name Eric) thinks he's a regular kid: He's focused on how many friends he has on Kudos, enthralled with his many pairs of Slick sneakers and his Oldean T-shirts--he is so brand-obsessed he sounds like a present-day social media influencer--and ignored by his equally popularity-hungry parents. But he bonds with Danny over the one thing he loves that isn't popular: the online game Land X. Their friendship is a first for both of them: Danny's first friendship at all and Slick's first friendship that isn't just about popularity. But can they keep Slick safe from his creators? The satisfying revelation of Slick's strangeness contrasts engagingly with the absurd humor of this odd-couple friendship, and Vaughan executes her satire effectively for an audience that may not be accustomed to it. Both Slick and Danny present white.A timely parable for this generation of digital natives. (Science fiction. 9-11)

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