Rox’s Secret Code

Rox, a girl in a fitted flight-style jacket and a pink tutu, is a whiz at computer coding. When Rox’s father insists she clean her room, she whips up an AI “Chorebot” that resembles a deranged vacuum cleaner. What could go wrong? Von Innerebner works in bright art that first shows Chorebot being helpful, then terrorizing the town by reorganizing everything in sight, including people. When Rox’s friend Amar dons her tutu, Chorebot is stumped: “Did he go with the boy batch, the girl group, the skirt pile, or the hat pack? CAN. NOT. COM. PUTE.” Rox uses her ingenuity to reconfigure Chorebot’s coding and save the day. Archambault delivers upbeat (if unsubtle) messages about the advantages of coding know-how, girl power, and gender stereotypes. Ages 4–6. [em](Nov.) [/em]