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A review by literarymarvel
Your Robot Dog Will Die by Arin Greenwood
4.0
This was such a different book from anything I’ve read in the past few years. Kind of reminds me of a Carl Hissan “Hoot” type story but with a futuristic, dystopian feel.
Essentially, in the near future, dogs are nearly extinct after a failed genetic experiment wipes them out. On Dog Island, six sacred “organic”dogs remain secluded. Nano, one of a small population on Dog Island, lives a happy life with her two friends and a new robotic dog every year. But when one of the six dogs has puppies and Nano witnesses domestic attributes not seen in generations of dogs (like tail wagging for humans), she secrets one of the puppies away to save his life.
This leads to many huge revelations for Nano and upsets the quiet life she leads in such a short book. It definitely all happened TOO quickly. The main topics highlighted, animal cruelty, ethics, mortality, are all just glossed over but not delved into as deeply as they could have been.
You rarely see the topic of ethical animal treatment in YA, and I was pleased to see this short novel cover many big philosophical questions teens begin to deal with. But it could have been MORE.
Essentially, in the near future, dogs are nearly extinct after a failed genetic experiment wipes them out. On Dog Island, six sacred “organic”dogs remain secluded. Nano, one of a small population on Dog Island, lives a happy life with her two friends and a new robotic dog every year. But when one of the six dogs has puppies and Nano witnesses domestic attributes not seen in generations of dogs (like tail wagging for humans), she secrets one of the puppies away to save his life.
This leads to many huge revelations for Nano and upsets the quiet life she leads in such a short book. It definitely all happened TOO quickly. The main topics highlighted, animal cruelty, ethics, mortality, are all just glossed over but not delved into as deeply as they could have been.
You rarely see the topic of ethical animal treatment in YA, and I was pleased to see this short novel cover many big philosophical questions teens begin to deal with. But it could have been MORE.