TFK Kid Reporter Evelyn Peng read Unboxing Libby and interviewed its author, Steph Cherrywell. Ready Evelyn’s thoughts below.
Unboxing Libby, by Steph Cherrywell, is a science-fiction novel about belonging. Humans are preparing to settle on Mars. A.I.Cademy Girls have populated it as test subjects. The robot dolls think, talk, and act like humans. Each type is modeled on a specific personality trait: Libbys are nice. Wendys are smart. Noras are creative.
The story focuses on a Libby: Libby “Max” Maxwell, who notices that she seems different from the others. She befriends Roxanne, a “mean” doll, and starts to feel angry and confused—two things a Libby should never be. In Max’s search for her identity, she uncovers secrets about robot life that could endanger all of the A.I.Cademy Girls.
Cherrywell hopes readers walk away from the book with a stronger sense of identity. Max learns how to handle peer pressure; Cherrywell wants readers to learn the same. “Don't let what other people say about you define what you think about yourself,” they told TIME for Kids.
Max struggles to feel like she belongs. Cherrywell’s advice for readers who also feel this way? “Find people whom you connect with.”
The story has lots of humor and includes fun epigraphs at the end of each chapter. Unboxing Libby is a perfect book for middle schoolers who enjoy mystery and sci-fi novels.
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