28th October 2010, David Fickling Books
80 pages, Hard back
Review copy
Content: Humour, lots of intrigue, a little moderate violence (robotic in nature), school setting
Summary from Random House Children's books
Asha’s new school is insane. Everyone has giant robots that launch out of their mobile phones!
She’s only been there five minutes when the school bully challenges her to a fight. So now it’s not just about figuring out who’s cool and who isn’t. She has to learn to pilot her Mo-bot. And fast.
But while Asha gets to grips with her Mo-bot’s moves and customises her DMC, she’s being watched… Her piloting skills are about to be put to the ultimate test, and there’s nothing her new friends can do to help.
Nayuleska's thoughts
I first saw this when I went to the Random House Children's Book brunch. The cover caught my eye. I stood there, gazing at it thinking 'Awesome!'. It truly is awesome. As some readers will know, I am an anime fan. I watch a variety of genres, including those were 'robots'/'dolls' are used for fighting. Under the user's guidance, these objects become great fighting machines (and also helpful for saving people). I adore those shows a lot. To see an English graphic novel using those ideas had my eyes shining brightly.
I mean, just look at that cover. The colours of the mo-bots are cool. How they actually work is really clever, and the reader doesn't get to know the full story behind them in this novel (I mean, why keep them secret?). The way of initialising fights is a way that a lot of readers will be able to relate to.
Asha is a fun character. She's really thrown in the deep end, but she does her best in the bizarre situation. And her best raises the interest of others in the school.... Not only is Asha fun, she has a funky hairstyle in a vibrant colour. She has stylish accessories, and even adds fashion to her own Mo-Bot, with a bit of help from the character named after me... The whole appeal for me for anime/manga/graphic novels is how the character looks and the storyline. If the characters' ensemble doesn't grab my attention, then I'll switch off/stop reading. No chance of that in Mo-Bot High. I'm very eager for book two. If I had my way, every girl would be given this book. It's that awesome!
I wish mo-bots really existed - they are great fun! Mine would be purple, with yellow glitter. Although, one of the coolest parts of this is that there is a character with my name in here, who looks a bit like me too! And her Mo-Bot is very cool.
Either way, I can't help but keep looking at this story. It's so much fun!
Head over to the Mo-Bot High website for news, pictures and much more. More info on Neill can be found on his website.
Head over to the Mo-Bot High website for news, pictures and much more. More info on Neill can be found on his website.
Be sure to check the interview with Neill here
Suggested read
Another hilarious read is Vern and Lettuce by Sarah McIntyre (Children's, graphic novel, 7 years +, 10/10E)
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