Gavin Bell and his sister Fleur become immersed in mystery and adventure when their new, child-like household robot EGR3, a.k.a. Eager, makes a startling discovery about the high-tech, humanesque BDC4 robots. - (Baker & Taylor)
Unlike Grumps, their old-fashioned robot, the Bell family's new robot, Eager, is programmed to not merely obey but to question, reason, and exercise free will. - (Baker & Taylor)
It's the end of the 21st century where technocrats rule and robots take care of humans’ every need. Your house watches you, knows your secrets, and talks to you. And your closest friend can be—a machine?
Gavin Bell and his teenage sister Fleur come from a middle-class family. Their much-loved, old-fashioned robot, Grumps, is running down and can’t be repaired, so a scientist friend loans them EGR3, an experimental new robot to help Grumps. EGR3, known as Eager, learns from his experiences, as a child would. He feels emotions—wonder, excitement, and loss. When the ultra high-tech, eerily human BDC4 robots begin to behave suspiciously, Eager and the Bells are drawn into a great adventure that is sometimes dark and often humorous. As Eager’s extraordinary abilities are tested to the limit, he will try to find the answer to this question: What does it mean to be alive? - (Random House, Inc.)
Helen Fox lives in London with her husband, who is a scientist. Before she became a writer, she worked as a primary teaching assistant, and trained and worked as an actress. This is her first novel. - (Random House, Inc.)
Booklist Reviews
Gr. 7-9. It is late-twenty-first-century England, and the Bell family's robot butler, Grumps, is wearing out. The family decides to keep Grumps but to take on a new robot named Eager, who is programmed to learn about the world as a human would by making mistakes and searching for the answers to life's questions. Most of this entertaining novel centers on Eager's often funny efforts to come to grips with a multitude of problems, although he and the Bell children also uncover a rebellion by highly sophisticated, humanlike robots. In her debut, Fox creates a futuristic world that doesn't fit the usual sf mold. For example, some problems from the present day (such as a dependence on a nearly exhausted supply of oil) still persist, for example. Appropriately, Eager hasn't learned all life's answers by the story's end. In fact, the conclusion suggests that readers will be hearing from Eager and the Bell family again in a sequel, which will be welcome news to sf fans who will undoubtedly enjoy this effort. ((Reviewed June 1 & 15, 2004)) Copyright 2004 Booklist Reviews.
Horn Book Guide Reviews
The Bell family's new robot, Eager, has been programmed to experience the world much like a child, learning and growing from each new adventure. Eager experiences joy, sadness, and—in helping Gavin and Fleur Bell investigate a new breed of robots that are staging a revolt—discovers his own courage and bravery. The endearing Eager makes a memorable, and occasionally poignant, protagonist. Copyright 2004 Horn Book Guide Reviews.
Horn Book Magazine Reviews
Grumps has been a reliable servant for many years. He's prepared meals, cleaned house, and taken Gavin and Fleur to school each day. But when the aging robot's timer goes haywire and he begins serving tomato soup and vegetable pie for breakfast, the Bell family knows something has to be done. Enter Eager. This prototype robot (design name EGR3) has been programmed to experience the world much like a child, learning and growing from each new adventure. Brought into the household to assist Grumps, Eager develops a capacity for joy and friendship, experiences sadness and loss, and--in helping Gavin and Fleur investigate the BDC4s, a sleek new breed of robots behaving in increasingly questionable ways--discovers his own courage and bravery. The novel presents a fascinating portrait of a future rife with technological marvels yet crippled by a shortage of oil and governed by corporations and "technocrats." Some of the subplots (including one involving a group of young "marauders" at war with the technocrats) are not fully developed, and the climax (in which the BDC4s stage a revolt) is a bit muddled. But the endearing Eager makes a memorable protagonist. Readers will empathize with his dawning awareness of the world, admire the sense of wonder that imbues his continual growth, and be touched by the underlying poignancy of his repeated question, "Am I alive?" Copyright 2004 Horn Book Magazine Reviews.
Kirkus Reviews
The Jetsons in a lightweight dystopia. In siblings Fleur and Gavin's world, where robots do all of the manual labor, there's no starvation or homelessness. Still, something is wrong in their class-stratified society. Like all professional families, theirs has a sentient house and a robot butler. They don't have the latest technology reserved for the wealthy technocrats who work for LifeCorp, but at least they don't live in the city with all those made unemployable by robot labor. Their parents decide to replace the faithful but flaky robot butler Grumps, so maybe Fleur and Gavin won't be so embarrassed in front of their technocrat friends who have fancy new BDC-4 robots. Grumps's replacement is the experimental prototype Eager-a robot who has been programmed to think instead of following orders. While contemplating the definition of life, Eager, Gavin, and Fleur discover something frightening about the BDC-4 robots and about LifeCorp in general. While Eager's adventure isn't thrilling, his discoveries about life, formed through amusing conversations with virtual reality Socrates, are thought-provoking. (Science fiction. 9-13) Copyright Kirkus 2004 Kirkus/BPI Communications.All rights reserved.
School Library Journal Reviews
Gr 5-8-In Fox's futuristic world, starvation and homelessness don't exist but the boundary between the haves and have-nots is vast. The best jobs and latest technological inventions go only to the economically elite technocrats and government leaders. Curfews are enforced because marauders often attack these wealthier citizens. LifeCorp, a huge conglomerate, controls much of the new technology. Even though Gavin Bell's parents are only middle-class professionals, they, like most people, have a family robot. Unfortunately, Grumps is an older model that's beginning to malfunction. They can't afford a BDC4, a sleek new robot that is almost unnaturally clever, so they take on Eager, an experimental model secretly produced by a former LifeCorp scientist. Although his older sister is embarrassed by Eager's unattractive appearance, Gavin is intrigued by the robot, which can learn, reason, and even lie. Before long, the siblings notice that there is something strange and frightening about the BDC4s. The machines begin rebelling against their owners, and when they take the head of LifeCorp hostage, it's up to Eager to save him. There is a lot of warmth and humor in this engaging, Jetsons-like novel (complete with talking houses and appliances). The characters are well developed and the action moves quickly. The author also raises thought-provoking questions about what it means to be human, the dangers of technology, and the concept of free will.-Sharon Rawlins, Piscataway Public Library, NJ Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
