GIRL PARTS
by John Cusick
Two very different teens find their concepts of love and connection challenged when they meet the manufactured girl of their dreams in this I, Robot–meets-Pinocchio cautionary tale. Golden boy David has everything but a soul, so his parents purchase him a stunning “companion bot” to teach him how to care. But David drops Rose when he discovers she has no “girl parts,” making physical connection impossible. Enter sensitive nerd Charlie, who rescues the bedraggled bot from a suicide attempt. The two lonely hearts connect, and Rose’s burgeoning personality flowers. Meanwhile, the company who made Rose wants her back and tracks the unlikely pair to an illegal chop shop, where Rose hopes to be made into a real girl. What she comes to realize is that she already is one. This modern fable about the breakdown of interpersonal communication skills in the computer age is also a keenly observed and timely take on relationship building, gender roles and the qualities that make us human. Pairs nicely with M.T. Anderson’s Feed (2002). (Science fiction. 13 & up)