| Booktalk
#1
Life at the end of the 21st
century is ruled by the Technocrats and robots take care of every human
need. But at the Bell household, they are having a problem with their
butler robot Grumps. He's getting old and his timer is broken.
It can't be fixed so Grumps makes lots of mistakes like serving dinner
at breakfast time. The Bells love Grumps even though he is just a
robot and don't want to throw him out in favor of a new model. But
then they find EGR3. He's been programmed by a friend of Mr. Bell's
to be just about human. EGR3 won't replace Grumps. The Bells
plan on keeping both the robots. Will this work out? Is there
a problem with EGR3's programming? Why doesn't he act like the other
robots?
Booktalk #2
Imagine a world run by robots.
Imagine one where robots do all the labor for your family, including the
cooking, the housecleaning, and taking care of the children. You walk to
school, and the Robot comes with you to make sure you cross the street
safely. Other, more sophisticated robots, joke with you and even
attend class and help you solve mathematical problems. In this century,
robots are pretty common as a Gobetween, nicknamed the Gobey, which lets
you discuss problems face-to-face with Socrates from 420 B.C. Greece.
There are hoverbuses, talking houses and tea kettles, and pods that wiz
by on the street. In this world there is no such thing as petrol; that
is, gas for your car, because there is so little supply.
Eager is a different kind of
robot. It's almost as if he can think and feel. Not quite what the family
expected, nor what the children, Fleur and Gavin, wanted in particular.
The new BCD4 robots are quite something, very sophisticated, but the Bell's
cannot afford one. So, the Bell's get Eager as an assistant for Grumps,
their long-time family robot with a broken timer, who couldn't remember
whether it was morning or evening, and what food to serve when.
But although Fleur and Gavin
wanted a BCD4, they noticed something peculiar about the robot at the Learning
Center. Fleur's best friend Marcia owned one—it was called Boadicea. But
there was something odd if not scary about her. Gavin thought he saw Boadicea
almost take a swing at Marcia, but he couldn't be quite sure after it happened.
What is something worth investigating? Gavin wondered.
Follow Gavin and Fleur as they
uncover their suspicions about the new BCD4s launched in their city. What
is the mission of the BCD4s? Who is responsible for creating them?
And, are they truly scary as Gavin and Fleur somehow believe? (Lisa Murno,
murnol@guilford.k12.ct.us,lisa.akadash@gmail.com, librarian) |
