Robo-teacher by Charlotte Barkla. Illus. by Gabriella Petruso

Miss Horrid is the meanest teacher at Plonkton Primary.  She forces her class to do all manner of awful tasks, she could even be the meanest teacher in the whole world! When Miss Horrid cancels the Fun Park excursion, it’s the last straw for Class 5H.  Led by the industrious 10-year-old Hazel and her breakdancing pal Aki, the students plan to rid themselves of the school’s meanest teacher.  With the help of Hazel’s next door neighbor, the trio build an AI controlled robo-teacher, using bits of junk from around the house and throwing a dress on it for good measure.  Initially the students embrace this new teacher but soon the AI powered robot begins to spiral out of control and decides to take over the world!! 

What follows is a brilliantly engaging story about evil teachers, a principal with no backbone and a group of students who are facing the consequences of their actions (in the form of a robot with major dictator tendencies).   

No teacher wants to read about an evil teacher making their students unhappy all the time, but this book was a joy to read, funny, silly and with a great outcome, thankfully!  I loved that the students weren’t all stereotypes and in fact all had quirks that made them relatable and engaging.  Miss Horrid is truly unlikeable so readers will understand the need and want of the students to find a solution. 

This will be a favourite on bookshelves as readers share it with their friends, it would be good as a read aloud but the illustrations and “Bonus Bits” lend itself more to being an independent read.

Themes: School, Friendships, Robots, Computers, Evil teachers.

Mhairi Alcorn