Saturday Morning Cartoons- Schoolbot 9000

Hepburn, Sam. Schoolbot 9000

July 22, 2025 by Dial Books
E ARC provided by Edelweiss Plus

James does not enjoy the robots that are an increasing presence in his life. Since his dad died, his mother has used the Homebot to cook, clean, and keep tabs on his whereabouts while she works long hours, and his town of City Square has other community robots as well. School is a sanctuary filled with caring teachers like Mr. Hendry, the art teacher who believes in the human touch, just like James' dad. When Mayor Briggs announces that the parents will vote on whether the school should pilot a program with Schoolbots in order to improve test scores, James is devastated to find out that his mother supports this idea. The bots know all of the student data, and offer addictive games to students who are falling behind, so that they spend a lot of time practicing their skills. The initiative is not without pushback; a community organization called Hit the Kill Switch wants the robots removed. James' friend Charlie is one who has been given more practice, and he sees the effect this has on her. The teachers are dismissed one by one, as the Schoolbots take over their classes, processing the information in the textbook in the blink of an eye and coming up with engaging songs to help students remember content. Once the teachers are gone, the bots resort to giving daily exams in order to improve scores. The teachers have been given technology jobs for BuxGlobal, the manufacturer, and use these positions to gain intel. Eventually, the Schoolbots seem to be able to read emotions, and there is some hope that they won't be completely evil... until the founder of BuxGlobal announces the creation of a homeschooling program. 

Strengths: While it's getting easier to find graphic novels that aren't whiny memoirs, that's still the main genre available, so this vaguely futuristic, humorous science fiction title was a nice change. While I personally don't worry about testing, a lot of people get quite up in arms; interestingly, this is a British title, which would explain why the mayor was involved in school issues. The robot incursion takes place slowly, teachers are let go a few at a time, and artificial intelligence has a few moments when it seems like under some circumstances it might be a good idea. But, of course, it's not! James' struggles with his home life impact his school experience, and he and his friends do a good job of banding together to fight against BuxGlobal, which is also turning the soccer firleds into a data center! 
Weaknesses: I'm not sure if there will be a sequel, or what direction it will take if there is one. I'm all for a sequel if I can see more of Ms. Welsh, who wears pleated skirts and looks a bit like me! 
What I really think: Books taking a stand against testing have been around for a while (Buyea's 2017 The Perfect Score), and there have even been some books about robotic school staff (Angleberger's 2016 Fuzzy), but since I read J.E. Thomas' The AI Incident (7/8/25) right after this, there might be more of these books on the way. This was a different type of graphic novel, and I enjoyed Hepburn's illustration style, so I will purchase a copy for school.