Brother from a Box
By Michael Berry,
Common Sense Media Reviewer
Common Sense Media Reviewers
Charming, somewhat silly tale of human-robot rivalry.
Rate book
A Lot or a Little?
What you will—and won't—find in this book.
Where to Read
Community Reviews
Based on 1 parent review
its good
What's the Story?
Twelve-year-old Matthew Rambeau is home alone when a shipping crate arrives from France. Inside is Norman, a robot designed and programmed by Matthew's father and uncle. Once assembled, Norman seems likeable enough, but Matthew's mom doesn't like him, and Annie Bananas, the annoying girl downstairs, wants to flirt with him! While Norman adjusts to American schools, Matthew has to learn how to behave with a robotic sibling in the apartment. Norman resembles a son Matthew's mother lost years before -- a plot element that may be disturbing to young kids.
Is It Any Good?
Told in a breezy first-person narrative by Matthew, BROTHER FROM A BOX provides a good number of laughs and lightly suspenseful situations. Matthew is a little too quick to tell a white lie, and he spends a lot of time moaning about how weird girls and moms are, but his heart is in the right place. Iacopo Bruno's engaging black-and-white drawings add an extra dose of humor and action to the story.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about how this story differs from other robot stories you've read or seen in the movies. Are robots usually positive or negative characters?
Do you think it would be fun or werid to have a robot brother?
Do you think robots or computers will someday be able to think and act like human beings?
Book Details
- Author: Evan Kuhlman
- Illustrator: Iacopo Bruno
- Genre: Science Fiction
- Topics: Robots
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: Atheneum
- Publication date: May 1, 2012
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 9 - 12
- Number of pages: 304
- Last updated: July 12, 2017
Did we miss something on diversity?
Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.
Suggest an Update
Where to Read
Our Editors Recommend
Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.
See how we rate