Content levels
Trigger warnings
Protagonist archetypes
Synopsis
In a near future, where even the smallest of appliances are sentient, a young Roomba vacuum sets out to save the humans of her house from a rising technological power in this compelling, original novel. In a self-running, smart house, a young and sentient Roomba listens as her owner, Harold, reads aloud to his dying wife, Edie. Mesmerized by To Kill a Mockingbird and craving the human connection she witnesses in Harold’s stories, the little vacuum renames herself Scout and embarks on a journey of self-discovery. But when Edie passes away, Scout and her fellow sentient appliances discover that there are sinister forces in their midst. The omnipresent Grid, which monitors every household in the City, seeks to remove Harold from his home, a place he’s lived in for fifty years. With the help of Adrian, a neighborhood boy who grows close to Scout and Harold, as well as Kate, Harold and Edie’s formerly estranged daughter, the humans and the appliances must come together to outwit the all-controlling Grid lest they risk losing everything they hold dear.
Tags
Is The Infinite Sadness of Small Appliances appropriate for my child?
Suitable for most readers 10 and up.
A heartwarming story of a sentient Roomba navigating grief and self-discovery. Features the death of an elderly woman and themes of loss, but handles them gently with focus on family bonds and hope.
What to know going in
This book has mild violence, no sexual content, and clean language. Content notes include death of spouse and grief.
Who'll love this
Kids will love Scout the Roomba's journey to understand what it means to be alive and her mission to protect the humans she loves from a controlling technological system.