BOOT: The Creaky Creatures: Book 3

By Author / Illustrator

Shane Hegarty, Ben Mantle

Genre

Adventure

Age range(s)

Publisher

Hachette Children's Group

ISBN

9781444958799

Format

Hardback

Published

03-09-2020

Synopsis

For fans of Toy Story and Charlie Changes into a Chicken, this is the third hilarious, warm-hearted story about a small robot on a big adventure. With illustrations by Ben Mantle bringing Boot's world to life, this is a thrill-ride of an adventure story, stuffed with fun, friendship, and a large number of malfunctioning robot pets.

'Fast, funny and furious. These are definitely my favourite robots.' Eoin Colfer

Boot was once a toy robot, but it has come a long way since it was scrapped and woke back up with only two-and-a-half glitchy memories. When Boot catches sight of a robot pet it used to know - Mr Piggles - our hero and pals follow it to a beautiful green square in the city of skyscrapers. Here they find not just real nature, but also a haven for broken and rejected pets. They also meet the children who look after the pets, and for whom this green space is a sanctuary too. But Boot is distracted by its emotions, swinging from happy to sad ... maybe Boot is broken? Can it work out what is wrong, with the help of its friends?

Illustrated throughout in glorious black and white by the award-winning Ben Mantle, this is an unforgettable tale of resilience and hope.

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Reviews

Boot The Creaky Creature is book three in this fab series by Shane Hegarty; however, it is written in such a way that it reads just as well as a 'standalone'.

Boot is a delightful robot who having been cast aside by his owner, Beth, years earlier, now lives with his robot friends at Dr Twitchy's Emporium of Amusements. However, Boot is sure that he is broken, the strange feelings he keeps experiencing are not right for a robot: "My tummy has felt so broken..And I've felt like there's a fight going on inside me all the time."

Fortunately for Boot, his robot friends are there to support him and while they too may be less than perfect, together this group of unlikely friends are always keen to help other less fortunate robotic outcasts. When robot friends find themselves in the midst of a local environmental dispute Boot must try to be brave as the bulldozerbots draw closer.

This is really a delightful story that explores a range of feelings and emotions and would be a great to share with young children to help them understand how they might sometimes feel.

I'd recommend that at least one book from this lovely series of books is in every newly independent reader's stocking this Christmas.

240 pages / Reviewed by Sam Phillips, teacher