What happens when the person at the front of the classroom is replaced by a machine programmed only for test scores?
In Schoolbot 9000: A Graphic Novel, Sam Hepburn introduces readers to eleven-year-old James Gordon, an artistic student living in a near-future where robots handle everything from household chores to childcare. When his local middle school decides to pilot the Schoolbot 9000 program, James watches as his supportive human teachers are swapped out for machines that care only about efficiency and standardized results. This story follows James as he joins forces with an unlikely partner to save the school from a full robotic takeover. Specifically aimed at readers between ages nine and twelve, the book is a fantastic option for students who find long chapters intimidating. The graphic novel format uses dialogue balloons and narrative boxes that rely on simple and compound sentences, keeping the pace fast and the reading manageable. Hepburn, drawing on her own background in the tech’ industry, uses colorful illustrations to break down abstract ideas like AI interfaces and corporate flow charts. This visual support allows readers to grasp complex technological themes without getting lost in dense blocks of text. The book has already earned a starred review from Publishers Weekly and praise from the New York Times for its approachable look at human ingenuity.
Beyond being an engaging sci-fi adventure, this title serves as a perfect entry point for discussing UN Sustainable Development Goal 4: Quality Education and the IB Learner Profile attribute of being a thinker. The plot forces students to look at what actually makes a school “good”: is it just high scores, or is it the empathy and creativity that human teachers provide? By James questioning the new robotic status quo, the story models how young people can advocate for their own learning needs and work with their community to protect their values. In a classroom setting, James’s journey could be used to kick off a research project on ethical AI or have students design their own guidelines for how technology should be used in their situation. Because the illustrations provide so much context, English language learners and struggling readers can join these high-level discussions about corporate influence and ethics right alongside their peers. This book asks young people to think critically about the tools they see and use in their own lives. It stands out as a way to build reading confidence while showing students that they have the agency to protect the things that make their communities human.
