How Lunchbox Jones Saved Me from Robots, Traitors, and Missy the Cruel

Seventh-grader Luke Abbott lives for afternoons spent playing video games like Alien Onslaught. So he is upset when his father insists that Luke join a new after-school robotics club, led by a hapless teacher and populated with a group of misfits who include Lunchbox Jones--the near-silent, borderline-feral boy everyone in school fears--and Missy Farnham, who has been Luke's enemy ever since she made him the laughingstock of their elementary school. Luke is also covering up feelings of betrayal and abandonment, now that his older brother has enlisted in the Marines. Brown (Life on Mars) offers a winning blend of humorous and poignant moments as Luke comes to see that there's more to Missy and Lunchbox than meets the eye, and that life beyond video games has a lot to offer. Luke's struggles with his brother's choices will resonate with readers facing a complex and uncertain world, while his comically agonized musings ("Something else to hate about robotics: it suddenly made everyone you knew imitate bad robots from 1970s movies") will keep them entertained. Ages 8-12. Agent: Cori Deyoe, 3 Seas Literary Agency. (Aug.)

Gr 5-7--Seventh-grade video-game wiz, Luke Abbott, attends Forest Shade Middle School, the losing-est school in the history of middle schools. Its raccoon-costumed mascot is the coach's 72-year-old mom; Chuck, the classroom guinea pig, was on the football roster for two seasons before anyone noticed; and the only trophy in the office was for "World's Best Secretary." When Life Skills teacher, Mr. Terry, starts a robotics team, Luke is unhappily corralled into joining the Rallying Robo-Raccoons. The team is a collection of misfits: "Toezilla" who's claim to fame is that she can eat, write, and paint with her toes; the Jacobs, two nonidentical identical boys who do everything exactly the same; and Stuart, a nonstop sunflower seed cruncher and spitter. Worst of all is Missy the Cruel who has bullied and tortured Luke since he was six. Things get worse when Lunchbox Jones, the scariest kid at Forest Shade, shows up lugging his mysterious and ominous lunch box. Luke's misery continues at home. He feels betrayed by his former best friend and brother who abandons him to join the Marines. Missy joins the rival school, but makes sure to hack into the robotic program before she goes, destroying the team's self-confidence. Only Luke and Lunchbox remain to create the school's first robot and compete in the upcoming tournament. This extremely warmhearted and hilarious coming-of-age story abounds with memorable and lovingly imperfect characters. The real trophies in this tale are the caring friendships that develop among Luke and his teammates, and the knowledge that growing up and changing will never destroy the bonds of close brotherly love. VERDICT A heartwarming journey of self-discovery and the importance of friendship.--Diane McCabe, John Muir Elementary, Santa Monica, CA

"With humor and heart, Brown tells a story of unlikely friendship. Readers who enjoyed Lisa Yee's Warp Speed (2011) or Jeffrey Brown's Star Wars: Jedi Academy series will find a similar brand of humor here." - Booklist Online

"There's nothing robotic about Lunchbox Jones. It's a keenly-observed slice of middle-school life, told with plenty of humor and heart . . . and, okay, robots." —#1 NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Gordon Korman

"Though they may not shine in the robotics department, Luke and his team succeed in other ways in this likable comedy." —Kirkus Reviews

"A winning blend of humorous and poignant moments. . . Luke's struggles with his brother's choices will resonate with readers facing a complex and uncertain world, while his comically agonized musings. . . Will keep them entertained." —Publishers Weekly

"The friendship between Arty and Cash is both preposterous and completely believable. Ultimately Life on Mars isn't about making connections to other planets so much as making them across the street." —Kurtis Scaletta, author of MUDVILLE and JINXED!, on LIFE ON MARS

"The comic byplay is often nicely gross, and the science talk dovetails with current pedagogical fads." —Kirkus Reviews on LIFE ON MARS