It was a nice read. I enjoyed this book and the characters were very well written.

Though I probably would not read something like this again because it is not my cup of tea.

This was such a sweet book. I love how the characters' behaviour changed with time and how we could see what made that happen.

The Trouble With Robots was a fun read. The dual POVs made the overarching story of friendship powerful! I loved how unique the two narrators were and how they learned to work together despite their differences. All the robot class details were fantastic! I learned lots about engineering.

Evelyn and Allie are complete opposites of each other, but they get placed on the same robotics team - the one Evelyn is struggling to lead. When they learn the principle wants to cut robotics program, can they all pull it together to succeed? Can Evelyn learn to lead her team so she can remain the team leader? And can Allie contain her outbursts so she's not kicked out of robotics, and also her school?

This book gets one giant YES from me. It's told in dual POV with chapters from Evelyn & Allie's POV and we see so much character growth within both of them.

Evelyn is autistic and is struggling to lead her robotics team. She struggles in communication and wanting everything to be perfect, so she does all the work. When she's threatened with losing her spot as team leader, she tries to improve her leadership skills. However, she can't do it alone. She needs the help of Allie, who she got off on the wrong foot with.

Allie is suffering from grief and has outbursts of anger with her teachers. This has resulted in her being kicked out of class after class, and robotics is her last chance. She hates that she's put into robotics and acts out once again. That is, until she learns just how she can be helpful to the robotics team.

I'll leave all the details of just how these characters achieve their character growth a surprise, but it's wonderful to read both of their perspectives, and to see just how they function as people and how they overcome their difficulties together.

The representation in this book is so well done and we have so much of it, from queerness to BIPOC characters to disability and more. This is going to be such an important book for middle grade readers and even for older readers as well who will see themselves here.

We also see a little bit of Allie questioning her sexual and romantic orientations, and we see questioning of aro & ace identities. I absolutely love seeing this in middle grade books because Allie's thoughts and feelings so much mirrored my thoughts and feelings in middle school, only I didn't have the words to define or even understand it. I really hope this book will help young questioning aro & ace kids and give them the words necessary to learn about themselves.

Rep: autistic MC, MC with anxiety, bi MC, questioning aroace MC, achillean SCs, nonbinary SC, BIPOC SCs, SC with cerebral palsy

CW: bullying, car crash (past), parental death (past), grief/anger, autistic meltdown, money insecurity, verbal abuse

Rating system:
5 - absolutely love, little-to-no dislikes that did not impact my reading experience

4 - great book, minor dislikes that did have an impact on my reading experience

3 - good/decent book but for some reason did not hook me or there were some problematic things that just were not addressed or greatly impacted my reading experience

2 - is either a book I did not click with and did not enjoy, problematic aspects are not addressed and severely impacted my reading experience, or I DNF'd but think it has potential for others

1 - is very problematic, I would not recommend the book to anyone

The Trouble With Robots is about a team of middle school kids who are part of a robotics class. Unlike Team A, who always seems to have it together, Team B is a disaster. They are even disqualified from their first meet and their leader, Evelyn, is at risk for losing her leadership position and is worried her moms will be disappointed in her and she'll never see her best friend, who has moved and is on another robotics team, again. Enter Allie, a troubled student who has been assigned to robots club as a final chance to stay at the school. Evelyn and Allie could not be more different, but learning to work together will not just change their team, it will change each of them. This story is told from alternating points of view of Evelyn and Allie. Readers will adore both of them and will root for Team B. This is a definite must read when it comes out in September.

Thank you, Peachtree, for allowing me to read The Trouble with Robots early!

Morhweis wrote a really nice little gem of a book. I had so much fun reading it.

Being a part of the robotics team at Barton Junior High School has been the highlight of Evelyn Cole’s life so far. She has her sights set on competing at the World championships and earning scholarships so she can help her mothers support her through college. But when Evelyn’s best friend Naiely moves away, it becomes painfully clear just how much Naiely was the glue holding their robotics team together. All the unpleasant sides of Evelyn’s personality take center stage, which inevitably pushes her teammates far away from her and their shared goals. It is up to everyone to look inside themselves and make different choices in order to rebuild their team in time for the next big competition.

This story is written from the dual perspectives of Evelyn and Allie, a girl who has never been interested in robotics but finds herself unwillingly added to Evelyn’s team. As challenges arise that the girls must overcome, each of them is forced to face some of the less glamorous truths about their personalities and choose how to manage them. The entire book is written in the first person, shifting between Evelyn and Allie with each chapter, and this gives readers deep insight into the two girls’ feelings and desires without them having to share these sensations out loud. At its heart, this is a story about self discovery and redemption told through the lens of a middle school robotics class.

Readers will appreciate the wide range of diverse characters represented within this novel, from same-sex parents and relationships to differing physical and mental abilities including cerebral palsy and autism. While all of these elements are mentioned in the story, however, they are not a primary feature of the narrative. Instead, the plot is focused more on the shared connection the characters feel and how they face the universal human challenges of acceptance and camaraderie. Anyone who has ever had to work on a team will recognize the exaggerated personalities used in this novel, and young readers will especially appreciate being able to observe the consequences of behaving certain ways alongside positive modeling of how to live with greater empathy. This charming middle grade story is an excellent addition to STEM curricula for middle grade readers.

Thank you to NetGalley and Peachtree for the ARC!

THE TROUBLE WITH ROBOTS is a fun, heartwarming MG debut about friendship, acceptance, teamwork, and robotics.

Eighth-graders Evelyn and Allie couldn’t be more unalike, but for different reasons both girls find themselves members of their middle school’s dysfunctional robotics team. Although the girls initially get off to a rocky start, they soon grow to develop a really sweet friendship and help each other through difficult personal situations.

I related so much to both girls’ stories, and I loved that we got to see them both through the dual POV. A highlight for me was the way that both were portrayed as realistically flawed in ways I don’t often see in MG novels: Evelyn was dealing with being overly controlling at times, while Allie was working through very difficult anger issues stemming from her grief. I loved how everyone’s unique strengths and personalities ended up contributing to both their personal development and the development of the team. There was one really sweet scene in particular where Evelyn helps Allie work through some of her grief.

Also, there was so much LGBTQ+ rep! Evelyn has two moms and casually mentions that she’s interested in both girls and boys throughout the novel. There’s also aro/ace rep, various queer couples, and a minor character who uses they/them pronouns. The disability rep was great too, including not just Evelyn (who’s autistic) but also a side character with cerebral palsy. It was also great to see more eighth-grade protagonists in MG!

Overall, this was a heartwarming, empowering, inclusive read, and I look forward to seeing more from the author in the future.

[Thanks to NetGalley and Peachtree for providing me with a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest opinion!]

2.5* This was… OK. Sure, it was nice and had representation plus some perspective on hard things you don’t usually read about in a middle-grade, and it could be really great for autistic kids or really any kid that struggles with friendships or school. On top of that, there’s ace, bisexual and gay rep. But for me, it wasn’t it, I kind of found it a bit boring, but that could be because I’m not a kid and I don’t have the same problems I had back then…

This was a great book! I really enjoyed the dual perspectives of two girls struggling to fit in, each dealing with their own problems. I also loved the LGBT+ rep and the way the story flowed. This is a great read!

Thank you Netgalley for the earc in exchange for an honest review.

I don't read a lot of middle grade, but this book was super cute! This story is told from 2 points of view. The first one is Evelyn, a girl who is bi, autistic, and has anxiety. The story focuses on group projects and it totally gave me flashbacks. Those projects are always the same, no matter when you went to school!

The second character is Allie, she's dealing with frustration and grief. She's a perfect match to Evelyn. Both girls had their own voice, you always knew who was talking and you were never confused. This book is very realistic, showing real-world disabilities both children and adults can have.

I truly loved this book was about robotics! STEM in middle grade books is rare and I love seeing girls thrive in STEM so they know what they can do when they grow up. I recommend this book to anyone who loves good children's stories!

The Trouble with Robots is a story told in alternating chapters by Evelyn, an autistic, bi middle school student, and Allie, who is dealing with the recent death of her parents. After a rocky start, both girls, who have put pressure on themselves to do better for their families have to work together on the same robotics team. At this point the story really picks up as the more engaging character, Allie, points out ways the team could do a better job working together. The finale of the book includes an exciting robotics match with a surprise ending.

This book gets off to a bit of a slow start because the voices of the two main characters differ only situationally, and I spent time looking to see who was talking now. That being said, the content is topical and would be relevant to many students. LGBTQIA topics and issues of developing sexuality are well-handled. Would be great if some of the Design Process Notebook illustrations could be included for readers. In the end, this book presents a series of life lessons in a heartwarming and rewarding fashion.

This review is based on an eARC. Thank you for the opportunity to read and review it.

Evelyn loves robots. She has loved them since her mom brought home a kit years ago, and has been watching Battlebots and building robots out of anything she can (including Mama’s hairdryer) for years. They make sense in a world which often doesn’t, which is too loud, too noisy, too overwhelming. And now, she is on a middle school robotics team that could give her everything. A chance to go to nationals and see her best friend, who moved away, the chance to get on a top high school team, get a scholarship, become and engineer, and make life better for her mom and mama.

Allie is struggling with anger and grief the death of her parents, a new school, and a lack of connection. When she is kicked out of art class after arguing with the teacher over whether anime qualifies, and assigned to robotics, she is even more frustrated.

The Trouble with Robots manages to hit a lot of “diversity” points. The cast of characters, is diverse in race, orientation, SES level. Family structure, neurology, interests and talents. Yet, somehow, doesn’t feel shoved in. The discussions are natural and logical. So are Evelyn and Allie’s struggles, and their eventual and growing friendship as the team gradually connects, and becomes a cohesive team. It also reflects much of the cooperative and community spirit of robotics hobbyists and competition,

This was an enjoyable book to read and one that would appeal to a range of people. It is well worth including in classroom and community libraries. I rather hope the author continues with the characters into high school.

NetGalley ARC Educator 550974

I could not put this book down. It is amazing and full of life and real situations. A team of diverse students are building a robot in hopes of winning a tournament. What ensues is friendship building, dealing with grief, bullies, helping each other and their families.
You will find yourself connecting with all of the characters, and rooting for them. I hope this is a first of many books or that some studio will pick up the film rights. This is a book every child and adult should read.

Themes: Autism, grief, anxiety, bullying, anger, friendship, family, teen angst