Nerd culture has its roots dug deep in giving power to the powerless. It provides comfort in times of bullying and feeling like you don’t belong. However, being a nerd doesn’t mean that you won’t be bullied by other nerds and that can’t be corrupted by that power.
Author Paul Clarke has written an action/adventure story just for the nerdy kids of the world where they get to play the heroes and put their expertise to good use. And in doing so, they learn that a strong sense of morality is just as important as the interests they pursue and the friendships they make in his middle grade novel, Bot Camp.
Check out my review of Bot Camp followed by an interview with Clarke. Then, enter to win a paperback copy via the Sweep Widget Form below!
Bot Camp plot summary
Daniel is a 12-year-old boy whose hobby is participating in bot battles with his custom made robot, Flippy. When he is invited to tech billionaire Bernard Barker’s remote island to battle other tech savvy kids for the grand prize of becoming Bernard’s apprentice, Daniel is beyond excited.
However, introductory tests don’t go so well, and Daniel is thrown into a group of other subpar kids, one of whom is Mary, the girl who beat him in his last tournament. They are known as the Red Team, and Daniel sees that, not only do they have a lot to prove, but they also don’t initially have the teamwork skills that it’s going to take to show Bernard what they’re made of.
On the evening of their first night, Daniel and his team sneak into the workshop to fix their broken bot. While there, the facility suddenly goes into lockdown. With the rest of the kids locked in their dorms, it’s up to them to find out who has compromised the AI robots who run the facility and save the others, including Bernard, from the attack.
The story
Bot Camp feels like a modern-day Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with a down on his luck boy becoming an unlikely hero and thwarting the tricks and traps of the facility in which he finds himself battling with other kids for a life-changing grand prize. From the time the system goes down, it’s a fast-paced, action-driven story that is full of planning, problem solving, and bravery with twists and turns that keep you guessing as to how this sabotage will end.
I love how the story clicks all of the elements into place. While the attack is unexpected, these kids have the skills necessary to fight the villains. They just need to find the courage to execute a counterattack.
It’s not about being the best and the brightest. It’s about being the most determined. This sends a great message to young readers who might question their own bravery and leadership skills in tense situations.
The characters
Clarke remains dedicated to the action while working characterization in organically. Daniel comes from a broken home. His now absent father got him into bots, and now it’s his obsession. However, it has deterred him from building meaningful relationships, particularly with other kids, and he struggles to make friends even among the other kids like him at Bernard’s retreat.
When he gets to the facility, the only one Daniel knows is his arch enemy, Mary, also 12 years old and very large for her age and with a bad attitude. His initial interactions with two of his other teammates, Raj and Steve, are cold as well. Then, there’s Timmy, the small and precocious kid, and Yuri, the focused and talented girl who Raj and Steve crush on.
Everyone seems to have their own agendas and a lack of a desire to interact socially or even work together, at least until danger hits. Even then, their initial attempts to thwart the enemies are rocky, and Daniel becomes the unwilling but necessary leader that they all need
The situation brings out the coward in Bernard, and Daniel finds his hero disappointingly useless in a crisis. At the same time, he learns a lot about himself as he rises to the occasion and comes up with spontaneous and effective plans to save the day.
The writing
Clarke’s writing is very kid-friendly and does a great job of balancing the story and the characters so that the reader can root for this unlikely group of heroes while understanding the action and the stakes. There are nods to famous sci-fi stories scattered throughout the book to show how this book intends to carry on their legacies for a new generation.
There are also very distinct characters who show readers the different shapes and sizes that heroes, and villains, can come in. These are kids who should cower at the thought of being under attack. And while they are scared, they don’t freeze up. They fight in their own ways.
I particularly loved the line, “Daniel would rather be interesting and lose than boring and win.” I used to tell a version of this to myself whenever other kids made me feel less than for being a nerd. Because at the end of the day, the cool kids aren’t very interesting. It’s the nerds whose interests give them the knowledge and tools they need to be the heroes, and it was so much fun to root for these underdogs.
I did struggle a little with the bot attack scenes. Because the bots are so distinctly built and are controlled so specifically, I sometimes had a hard time imagining what was going on in these battle scenes. But I got the gist and was able to make my way through the story with a full understanding of what was going on.
My recommendation
I recommend Bot Camp to any kid looking for an action-packed read. It’s rare for a middle grade novel to get so intense and for the stakes to be so high. So, I applaud Clarke for taking it as far as he did without breaching the limits of violence and gore that a middle grade novel should contain.
My rating
Enter the giveaway!
An interview with Paul Clarke
How did you come up with the idea for this book? Did you have any of it plotted out in advance, or did it come about as you wrote?
I had only recently discovered the amazing sport of combat robotics, and after watching Battle Bots and Robot Wars and NHRL, I had the urge to create my own fighting machine. But then I realized I had neither the engineering skills, tools, or resources to do so.
So, I turned to what I could do, and wrote a story about it. I have been focused on screenwriting for many years, and I wrote it as a movie. But once that screenplay was complete, I realized it would work also as a middle-grade book, and so, I used the script as the detailed outline, while also learning the skill of writing prose. I am delighted by the finished book but would also still love to see it one day on screen as a movie.
There are several sci-fi movie references throughout the book. When were you introduced to those movies? Which ones most resonated with you and helped to inspire the plot of your book?
I guess it’s not surprising that there would be movie references, seeing as how I have that background in film and screenwriting. I also wanted to include some details for any adults (be they parents or teachers) who might be reading the story to their children. Something that they would recognize.
However, none of the sci-fi movies inspired the story itself. It’s more of a contained thriller in the mold of Die Hard, but of course with children.
Do you have a favorite character?
For now, Daniel remains my favorite because he’s the main character. But I also really enjoy Timmy. And if you get to read the second book in the series, BOTCATION, he plays a much bigger role and is even more of a cheeky handful.
If you were transported into the story, what role would you want to play?
I think I would want to be Daniel. It’s truly his story, and he goes through a lot while also growing. Learning what is important. Finding his confidence and making friends in the process. Although the rest of the kids are all fun in their own way. Anyone but Bernard, who’s mostly useless.
If your book ever becomes a movie and you had a say in the casting, are there any actors that you would love to start in the film, and which parts would they play?
Honestly, that is a dream of mine. But I think given the young ages of the main characters, I don’t know anyone suitable and would love to see it be a breakout role for whoever is cast. Much like the youth cast of Harry Potter was unknown prior to the movies.
There’s a “don’t meet your heroes” element to this story. What advice do you have for kids who worship a particular public figure who might come to find that they’re not as they seem?
I think all of them. Just everyone you see on TV or social media is not the true representation of who they are. Not all will be worse; they’ll just be real, full of flaws and fears like all of us.
It’s nice to have a role model to focus on, but be wary of worshipping an online persona. In BOTCATION, Daniel has a sudden epiphany about who his real hero is, and it’s a wonderful moment.
What direction can you offer to readers who want to get into building and battling bots?
I wish I knew more! I am a writer rather than an engineer, so have stuck to watching from the sidelines. But there are so many wonderful robotics clubs that you can be involved with wherever you are in the world.
Rather than starting with the destruction of combat robotics, I would seek out the FIRST competition, which has three levels of competition, starting with Lego. And it’s more about problem solving with technology rather than destroying each other. But still a lot of fun!
And the FIRST world championship is part of book 3 in the Bot Books series, which I am currently working on. At this early stage, it is titled BOT WORLD, and I would like to publish it before the end of the year.
You tease a sequel at the end of the book, BOTCATION. Is there anything you can tell readers about what to expect from this continuation of Daniel’s story?
Yes, definitely! I plan to write six books in the series, each following Daniel and his friends on some robotics-related adventure. While each will be episodic and contained, it will make more sense and be more rewarding to read them in order.
Book 2 will be called BOTCATION, and I hope to have it published in April. Bernard wishes to apologize for Bot Camp so he invites Daniel, Timmy, and Mary on a vacation in his high-tech six-wheel-drive all-terrain RV (yes, it talks!)
Because of Bot Camp, Bernard insists there be another adult present (more likely, his lawyers insist) and so Daniel’s mother and older sister join them. They get to explore the tranquil wilderness in Bernard’s own nature reserve where absolutely nothing can go wrong. Until it does!
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