Georgia Kostopoulou

 

I usually enjoy reading juvenile and middle grade fiction and this one was no exception! I can’t wait for it to be published on May 12^th, so you can all have access to it and enjoy the story!

The Second Life of Snap is about a world not so far in the future, where AI has become part of everyday life, where the environment has become toxic, where water is not easy to access, where the rich have become richer and more powerful and where the poor are scraping by.

Zuzu Santos is a twelve-year-old girl who lives with her father. She doesn’t like robots, just like her teacher doesn’t like robots. And that makes sense, because all robots do is record everything they see or hear and report back to the company that created them, Lockwood. Lockwood is a corporation that controls pretty much everything. From jobs, to food, to water and any kind of supplies are needed for survival. Zuzu and her best friends, otherwise known as “the Valleycats”, are used to exploring Bright Valley on their own, even if that can be dangerous at times. So, when Zuzu brings along a robot, Snap, they are not really happy about it.

Snap is brought home by Zuzu’s father. It is a farewell gift from Lockwood when he is fired. He may not have been given any money, food or water, but at least, he knows that having Snap as a guardian for Zulu, she will benefit from it. The robot can be a great tutor for his daughter and will keep her safe. At least for as long as its battery lives! But Zuzu and the Valleycats make Snap one of their own, when they connect to the robot’s motherboard. From that day on, Snap would do anything for Zuzu and the Valleycats, just like Zuzu would do anything for Snap!

This was such a lovely and heartwarming story! It is about second chances, embracing diversity and finding friends in unexpected places. The children were really skeptical at the beginning, but when Elias connects his tablet to Snap and somehow that changes Snap’s personality completely, they are more than welcoming the robot. Especially when Snap acts are a true Valleycat!

In less than 200 pages, the author manages to describe how awful the world has become and how difficult life is for anyone that doesn’t have the means. Without making it too hard for children to read, she brings forward all things that could happen in the future, and how life could become in such a dystopian but rather realistic environment.

Another main theme in the book is about the technological evolution. Everyone is supporting it, thinking that it would improve our quality of life, it would lead to a better and healthier future and so on. However, Lockwood here shows clearly the other side of technology. How it can also be used to control the masses and limit freedom. And that’s a great example and reason to encourage children to have a mind of their own, to question anything doesn’t seem fair to them, to express their disagreement and doubts, and not take everything for granted!

Thank you to Edelweiss & Greenwillow Books for an advance copy of this book. The views expressed are my personal and honest opinion.