Review - My Teacher Is a Robot

My Teacher Is a Robot
by Jeffrey Brown
Date: 2019
Publisher: Crown Books for Young Readers
Reading level: C
Book type: graphic novel
Pages: 40
Format: e-book
Source: library

From the author of the New York Times bestselling Jedi Academy books comes an imaginative picture book about a kid whose creative outlook has everyone at school seeing the world through new eyes. Perfect for fans of The Adventures of Beekle and The Most Magnificent Thing.

Fred does not want to go to school because it's boring. Especially since he thinks his teacher is a robot. If only Fred could imagine a way for his day to be more exciting...

An inventively funny picture book that celebrates the boundlessness of a child's imagination and celebrates the teachers, families, and friends who get wrapped up in their fantastic worlds.

(synopsis from Goodreads)

The synopsis says it's perfect for fans of The Most Magnificent Thing. Sorry, but My Teacher Is a Robot is nothing like The Most Magnificent Thing.

This is simply a story (told in graphic-novel format) about a boy who's completely obsessed with an idea, to the point where it's disrespectful. For some reason, Fred is convinced his teacher is a robot. I have no idea why. Mr. Bailey is not particularly robotic, but everything he does (from assigning work to not eating lunch) further convinces Fred that the guy isn't human.

My personal opinion? Fred has serious issues and needs psychological help. The book paints him as simply imaginative, but his insistence that Mr. Bailey is a robot is tiresome (especially since none of his classmates seem to see things the same way, so it's like Fred is just talking to himself; maybe his peers are used to this weird obsession and just ignore it).

This rubbed me the wrong way. Imagination is one thing. Obsessively repeating that your teacher is a robot--for no apparent reason--is just annoying.

Plot: 2/5
Characters: 1/5
Pace: 2/5
Writing & Editing: 2/5
Illustration: 2/5
Originality: 2/5

Enjoyment: 1/5

Overall Rating: 1.63 out of 5 ladybugs