THE SECOND LIFE OF SNAP

Twelve-year-old Zuzu Santos does not like robots.

Zuzu and her friends, who call themselves the Valleycats, have been taking care of themselves for years. They live in dusty Barren, Texas, in bare-bones trailers at a campground they’ve dubbed the Bright Valley, where water is tightly rationed by the Lockwood Corporation. Across the shelterbelt lies Bountiful, a wealthy township with actual trees and plenty of water. When Zuzu’s father is laid off, his severance comes in the form of an old Lockwood guardian robot without a working charger. Zuzu knows that automatons are always listening, and this particular one (a Secure Network Android Processor, Snap for short) is programmed to look after her. But after her crafty friend Elias illegally reprograms him, Snap changes. Everyone knows robots can’t lie, so why does Snap tell a small fib to protect the Valleycats? As Snap proves himself to be more than a machine, Zuzu grows attached. But with his battery slowly draining, she is afraid her time with Snap is running out. Filipino American Zuzu emerges as a richly drawn protagonist amid the racially diverse Valleycats. Set in a convincing near-future shaped by climate change, two-time Newbery Medalist Kelly’s latest feels both urgent and deeply humane, pairing survival and grit with achingly moving moments of tenderness. Final art not seen.

A profoundly relevant dystopian tale powered by one resourceful girl and a robot worth rooting for.