Tin

by Pádraig Kenny

Overview

In this gripping, imaginative, and hilarious adventure -- comprised of an unforgettable crew of misfits -- a boy and his mechanical friends discover the truth about his past.

"Robots never seemed so human. One of a kind and utterly fantastic." -- Eoin ColferIn an alternative England of the 1930s where the laws of mechanics govern even the most talented engineers, a mismatched group of mechanicals want nothing more than to feel human. Under the guardianship of the devious and unlicensed Gregory Absalom, an engineer who creates mechanical children, they have no choice but to help him in his unlawful practice. But through his unethical work, Absalom winds up creating a loyal and lively group of friends who will go to the ends of the Earth for one another. When the story's protagonist, Christopher, discovers a devastating secret about himself and the friends are torn apart, it's up to his friends to find him. What they'll discover is the secret about the dark experiment that ended in disaster many years before... Tin is an adventure story about friendship, courage, and loyalty, and what it means to be human.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781338277579
Publisher:	Scholastic, Inc.
Publication date:	03/26/2019
Sold by:	Scholastic, Inc.
Format:	eBook
Pages:	288
File size:	13 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Pádraig Kenny is an Irish writer who hails from Newbridge in County Kildare. He is a graduate of Maynooth University where he obtained a master's degree in Anglo-Irish writing. He started his career writing radio drama. As an arts journalist he has contributed work to the Sunday Tribune, the Sunday Independent, the Irish Examiner, and several other publications. Tin is his debut novel.

Editorial Reviews

05/13/2019

Echoes of classic sci-fi and fantasy enrich Kenny’s spirited yet flawed debut set in early-20th-century England. The Laws of Mechanics dictate that only registered engineers can confer sentience on Britain’s childsize automatons via inscribed magical glyphs; creating adults or animating mechanicals with souls is illegal. After a car accident reveals a jarring truth about 12-year-old orphan Christopher, he is abducted from the junkyard of opportunistic unlicensed engineer Gregory Absalom by sadistic henchmen Reeves and Dunlop, allegedly on behalf of the law-enforcing Agency. Absalom’s motley band of lovable mechanicals—Jack, Round Rob, Manda, and Gripper—endeavor to rescue Christopher with the help of their Flesh friend, resolute skin-maker Estelle Wilkins, as well as that of peevish, disgraced “father of engineering” Philip Cormier. Meanwhile, Christopher discovers the identity of his true kidnapper, who harbors far more sinister plans than any that the Agency could devise. Unfortunately, the story suffers from anemic worldbuilding and too-frequent perspective shifts, and a dearth of diversity undermines a condemnation of imperialism and themes about the importance of found family. Still, the novel raises interesting metaphysical questions, especially prescient for readers growing up in an age when conversations vis-à-vis the ethics of AI are becoming increasingly relevant. Ages 8–12. Agent: Sophie Hicks, Sophie Hicks Agency (U.K.). (Mar.)

Publishers Weekly

Praise for Tin:Padraig Kenny has written a science fiction story about...tragedy and heroics along with powerful emotions." — School Library Connection"Robots never seemed so human... utterly fantastic." — Eoin Colfer, bestselling author of Artemis Fowl"Full of empathy, anger, sorrow and love... a superlative debut." — The Guardian (UK)"A touching, eccentric story... Kenny is a thrilling writer who knows how to chill his reader." — Telegraph"A big-hearted debut about friendship, belonging and what it means to be human." — The Bookseller

From the Publisher

★ 03/01/2019

Gr 5–8—Christopher works as an engineer's assistant, living with mechanical children who together make up a small but loving family in spite of the illegal nature of their owner's pursuits and the conditions of the workshop. When an accident reveals Christopher's true nature and a rival engineer with unscrupulous aims kidnaps him, the other children search for him and find a recluse in a closed-off town of mechanicals who becomes their only means of rescue. This dark and bittersweet tale of friendship, family, and loss is carried along by the likeable ragtag bunch of mechanical children on which it is centered, and explores complex questions about the nature of a soul and emotions. The nonstop action includes some scenes of mechanicals being injured or dismembered that might best suit mature readers. There is an underlying sadness throughout the story that is reminiscent of Lauren DeStefano's middle grade titles. The ending is happy yet reflective of the young characters' strength as they overcome sorrow to find a home and security, together. VERDICT This inventive, emotionally compelling fantasy is a strong fit for school and public library middle grade collections alike, and would be an excellent choice for book discussions.—Kerry Sutherland, Akron-Summit County Public Library

School Library Journal

2018-12-05

Isaac Asimov's Three Laws of Robotics get a middle-grade twist.

Christopher thinks he's a 12-year-old boy. He lives with Absalom, an unlicensed engineer who uses his robot inventions to grift vulnerable people out of their money, and an endearing cast of other mechanical creations. When Christopher gets hit by a car selflessly trying to rescue one of his metallic friends, he accidentally discovers that he is also a robot—a highly illegal one, as he's clearly "ensouled"—and is promptly whisked away by men purporting to be from the government agency overseeing such matters. Worried, Christopher's friends, constructs and flesh, go on a quest to save him. They even enlist the help of the most renowned engineer in history, the man who created Christopher to fill a void in his own family. Points of view bounce around confusingly, with prose that feels in need of some tightening and oiling. In this post-World War I England, all the nonmetallic characters seem to be white given that even the flesh affixed to robots is described as a "white mixture" that develops "a fleshy pallor." Hard-to-follow action sequences and pseudoscientific terminology blunt the emotional stakes, which are felt more in the side characters than the main quest.

Young science-fiction aficionados will appreciate this story despite its malfunctions. (Science fiction. 8-12)

Kirkus Reviews