Not Quite Human #01: Batteries Not Included

Enik's drawings illustrate high points in McCoy's story, the first of a series about Chip, a 13-year-old android made by a science teacher, Jonas Carson. Carson enrolls his ""son'' and daughter Becky in Harbor Junior High where all three are newcomers. Guarding the secret of Chip's creation, Carson is intent on observing the results of his experiment, but both he and Becky must rush to Chip's defense when trouble threatens the pseudo-boy. He's accused of stealing the school's computer and the situation is exacerbated by an encounter with the class bully, Jake Blocker. In the end, however, Jake proves to be Chip's ally, turning up to help him and Becky expose the real thief. The story is fast and funny, the humor arising from the programmed student's reactions to human speech. Hearing about the boxing team, for instance, he asks ``Do they make boxes?'' (10up) ~