9 Inventive Robot Books for Kids

This beautiful picture book tells the story of Curiosity, the Mars Rover who landed on the surface of the planet in 2012. Told from the perspective of Curiosity, the book describes this famous robot’s journey right from the beginning, from her creation to the work she carried out gathering data on Mars. Children will love following Curiosity as she explores this new world.

Robot Girl is a punchy story by veteran sci-fi writer Malorie Blackman. In this story, Claire is excited to find out about the latest project that her scientist dad has been working on, but things quickly go wrong. Published by dyslexia-friendly publisher Barrington Stoke, this story is ideal for young readers who like short stories with high stakes.

Kids who want to learn more about real-life robots will love this nonfiction book, full of photos and facts that explain the science and history of robotics. National Geographic: Robots is a useful resource for a kid doing a school project or class report on robots, and it will also give budding roboticists plenty of information and inspiration.

In this middle grade novel, Maya is just about to start the 5th grade and her already-bad anxiety gets even worse when she discovers that she’s going to be in a different class than her best friends. However, when she finds and repairs the robot Ralph, an abandoned science project, Maya finds that she’s able to make new friends and take charge of her own life.

Set in a dystopian future where water is in very short supply, this middle grade book follows young Auden and his classmate Vivi. After Auden’s scientist uncle dies, the two friends follow clues he has left and discover a robot, Paragon, who may be able to change the world. Auden and Vivi realise that Auden’s uncle’s death may not have been an accident and that they have to protect Paragon from dangerous forces threatening society.

First in a fun chapter book series, Layla and the Bots: Happy Paws follows the adventures of young Layla and her robot friends, who create inventions to solve problems whenever they’re not rocking out. In this story, Layla and her mechanical pals decide to try to save the local amusement park by creating a bunch of new rides, especially for local dogs. Kids who are starting to read on their own will love these cute short stories and maybe even be inspired by the inventions.

Very young kids who love robots will adore this board book. Full of brightly-coloured illustrations, children and parents will love looking through the scenes and spotting different kinds of robots doing all sorts of fun activities.

Another story inspired by the Mars Rover project, this middle grade book tells the tale of the fictional Resilience. Built for the Mars exploration programme, Resilience unexpectedly develops emotions and must draw on all his courage and ingenuity to deal with the hostile environment of this new planet.

If you have a robot-loving kid and need a rainy day activity, look no further than Welcome to Your Awesome Robot! This interactive book follows a mother and daughter as they build a robot out of recycled materials, while giving guidance for kids and parents on how they can follow along.