Thomas, J.E. The AI Incident. 2025. 256p. Levine Querido, $18.99 (9781646145089).
Recommended grade level(s): Middle Grades, 4th+
Rating
Buy it for your Adoptee Bookshelf: 4 Stars!
Identities Represented
Foster Care Youth
Review
Malcolm Montgomery is the new kid at Shirley Chisholm Middle School after he finds himself in a new foster placement. However, this time, Malcolm is ready. He has created a checklist and a careful timeline about “how to get adopted” before he turns twelve and a half. According to Malcolm’s research, he is doomed to be stuck in the system after he turns thirteen. His carefully laid plans are instead derailed when a new tech company begins beta testing an AI-powered robot at his school to help improve standardized test scores. When Malcolm and his friends are charged with hosting the robots, the adoption checklist begins to go awry, thus leading to THE INCIDENT. Malcolm and his friends learn that managing an AI robot is more nuanced than they’d thought and experience firsthand how the power of humans holds up to the power of AI. A fast-paced middle-grade novel, both the topic and the narrative voice will attract middle-grade readers. The author has created a story that is a perfect avenue for AI beginners, teachers, and students alike to explore together or independently.
Perspectives:
The author does not appear to identify as a previous foster care youth. However, their background demonstrates significant accolades with experience in STEM and research. This interview in Publisher’s Weekly with the author cites that, in addition to research, the author interviewed a caseworker and drew on the experiences her father had in kinship care. The adoption narrative in this book is equally important to the value of AI education. Readers and Malcolm will have experiences that contradict their stereotypes of what makes a family. Throughout the story, Malcolm matures in his expectations and understanding of what it is he is actually looking for.
Practice:
- Classroom read-aloud grades 4-6
- Digital Literacy and AI education
- Independent Reading Book recommended for fans of The Wild Robot
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