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A subtle children's chapter book, in the fantasy genre, about a sister and brother dealing with their grief over the death of their mother and subsequent withdrawal of their father. They build a robot, who then comes to life. Basically this book is steampunk for children, with maternal love substituted for romance. Poignant and full of magic. Strong sibling relationship. Very accomplished illustrations, even though this is Selznick's early work. There are some unanswered questions, which may lea...
I loved the creation.
This modern/medieval steampunk "fairytale" is a gem!
Brian Selznick has such a mesmerizing style of writing and his drawings add a whole other dimension to experiencing his books.The ending doesn't seem quite complete somehow. The kids, feeling gypped of a solid and clear ending complained, "That was the ending?!?!" But this book is still worth reading.The Robot King was a quick read but took us on a magical journey that I'm sure we'll return to time and time again.
This is a terrific children's book about dealing with grief. Two young siblings, creative Lucy and silent Ezra, build a robot with a music box heart. The music box belonged to their deceased mother, and its placement brings the robot to life. Nothing is clear cut, whether this is the children's wild imagination or actually taking place, but the underlying message is clear: that these two kids are helping each other through their grief. It is magical and touching, and Selznick raises his evocativ...
3 1/2 stars. I didn't really understand it (probably my fault, not the book's), but it was still a haunting, often beautiful story--and I love the pictures!
It pains me to give this book such a low review but, quite honestly, I was bored. The plot, characters, and setting, were all secondary to the atmosphere and emotion of the book, therefore I think the story deserved to be told through pictures rather than words. As I was reading I thought to myself, how much better would this be if it were a wordless book? The answer is it could have been a 4 or 5 star book. I think that the surrealist magic of the story would have been more pronounced and make
This is really a mixed bag.Lucy and her younger brother, Ezra, live in Paris. Their mother is dead. They often go to visit her in the graveyard. They collect things - little bits of glass, junk, and buttons. Lucy is a scientist and uses these things to create mechanical toys.Ezra is mute ever since his mother died. This reminded me of the movie Jumanji.Lucy, for her part, seems to have become something of an agoraphobic as a result of her mother's death. She sees the attic as her own little worl...
Brian Selznick is wonderful !!! Looking forward to more from him !!!
Very detailed illustrations & went well with the story. A little different than what I’m used to reading by Selznick, but was still a good read.
I would have loved to read this book as a child - sort of Lewis Carroll mixed in with fairy tales and a bit of mechanical wizardry - all in a dreamlike setting. Well, not a sweet dream - a real kid's dream with scary bits and weird bits and all.
Many of the themes later explored in his award-winning "Invention of Hugo Cabret" began here. And as usual, his illustrations are infinitely detailed and fantastic.
A truly beautiful story. A great read to share with your elementary schoolers. I loved this!
Selznick is a genius - there is no question. This was one of his first. It's a fable. It's full to bursting with fantasy and heart. The Illustrations are breathtaking (as we've come to expect).
I'm a big fan of Brian Selznick's books ever since I first discovered The Invention of Hugo Cabret (way before it was beautifully made into the movie, Hugo, by Martin Scorsese). Interestingly, the title character in this book resembles the "mechanical man" automaton in Hugo Cabret so I'm sure there was some inspiration from one book to the next. Beautiful, haunting illustrations for what is technically a children's book with a simple, but poignant story. Check out Boy of a Thousand Faces (homage...
I just didn't find this book any good at all. It's unclear what's actually happening, and I felt no emotional investment in any of the characters. It's a shame because the pictures are pretty, and I had a great time reading The Invention of Hugo Cabret.MPAA ratings: G
I love Brian Selznick and the worlds he creates. The Robot King is no exception.This is the story of Lucy and Ezra who are coping with the death of their mother. Lucy builds an automaton out of spare parts her brother has been collecting, and magic begins. (view spoiler)[After building their own Robot King, it is discovered that he can make other inanimate objects come to life and the kids experience a few magical evenings with him before realizing they can continue their lives without their mot...
This was a weird, magical sort of book that I picked up at the library for my son. He loved it so much he bugged me to read it too. So I picked it up to read today while my pie was in the oven. The book wasn't at all what I expected. The beginning was as I thought, but it took a strange and wonderful turn and continued on, surprising me with every page and illustration. Really a fantastic book to read to children and worth looking for.
I would definitely say this is a book for older elementary school kids. It's a story of children dealing with the loss of their mother, and the distance that has grown between them and their father. The boy collects all kinds of doo dads and the sister puts them together to create little machines. She creates a robot and puts their mother's music box in it's chest which brings him to life. The robot king runs on magic and not so much the machinery, and the kids fall in love with him and he them....
4.75/5The Robot King for my thoughts
