Customer Reviews

Eager

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3 star:		(1)
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Gavin and Fleur Bell live in a house that wakes them, watches them, protects them, and feeds them. It's the end of the 21st century in England, and EAGER is full of fascinating details of life in the future: clothes and rooms that change color, wristwatch telephone/computers called "jinns," houses that rearrange themselves, and much more. Yet people remain similar to today, with the same emotional makeup.

The Bell family's robot butler, Grumps, is no longer working properly. He's an older model and is wearing out, serving the family tomato soup for breakfast and otherwise acting oddly. Unfortunately, he's not repairable. Grumps tells us in a poignant scene what it's like to have the house tell him that his family wants to replace him. Fleur and Gavin wonder what kind of new robot they'll get: will he be a tall Greek goddess-like BDC4? Or a soft speaking "monk" model?

Mr. Bell works for the most important agency in the world --- LifeCorp, a company providing transport, food, water, learning centers, and other necessary functions. Technology eases the lives of the people. Robots do most menial work. However, technology also threatens people since robot workers cause many human workers to be unemployed.

Professor Ogden, a friend of Mr. Bell's, gives the Bells a robot named EGR3. "Eager" is the professor's latest invention, and he'd like it to be in a family setting. Eager will actually be Grumps's assistant. The two robots are completely different. Eager thinks for himself, is curious, feels emotions, and is intellectual. The Bells' new robot realizes humans "kill" robots they no longer need; he becomes obsessed with death.

In the meantime, Gavin learns of an underground movement against the all-controlling LifeCorp, while Fleur's best friend replaces her with a robot pal. Gavin, Fleur, and Eager notice advanced robots called BDC4s holding secret meetings and otherwise acting strangely. Of course, they must investigate.

This is a stunningly good novel with a quick plot. The characters --- human and techno --- are believable and sympathetic, raising intriguing questions about robots and morality. A thread of ominously building suspense makes the book hard to put down. If we're lucky, there will be a sequel to EAGER. Very highly recommended!

--- Reviewed by Terry Miller Shannon (terryms2001@yahoo.com)

Eager a new robot, developed by Professor Ogden, one of Gavin's friends. What Eager was made for, trying to find out what it means to be alive.

12-year old Gavin Bell and his father are taking the hover bus to Gavin's friend Professor Ogden's house. When they arrive Professor Odgen greets them. He takes them to his science lab and shows them his latest invention. Eager.

A few weeks later Fleur (Gavins sister) calls her friend Chike in Nigeria. He says LifeCorp's (a company that builds robots and other stuff) new line of robots; the BDC4's are locking people in their own home. Fleurs friend Marcia owns a BDC4. It has just locked her parents in her house! Fleur, Gavin, Eager and Marcia go to LifeCorps headquarters and find out what is wrong with the BDC4's while Eager finds out what it means to be alive.

Eager is a really great book. Be sure to read the sequel: Eagers Nephew!



Eager a new robot, developed by Professor Ogden, one of Gavin's friends. What Eager was made for, trying to find out what it means to be alive.

12-year old Gavin Bell and his father are taking the hover bus to Gavin's friend Professor Ogden's house. When they arrive Professor Odgen greets them. He takes them to his science lab and shows them his latest invention. Eager.

A few weeks later Fleur (Gavins sister) calls her friend Chike in Nigeria. He says LifeCorp's (a company that builds robots and other stuff) new line of robots; the BDC4's are locking people in their own home. Fleurs friend Marcia owns a BDC4. It has just locked her parents in her house! Fleur, Gavin, Eager and Marcia go to LifeCorps headquarters and find out what is wrong with the BDC4's while Eager finds out what it means to be alive.

Eager is a really great book. Be sure to read the sequel: Eagers Nephew!

I have a weakness for children's books that take place in the future. Usually I prefer them to be post-apocalyptic, but once in the while I cave in and read a bit of nice sci-fi kiddie lit involving robots. It calms my nerves. "Eager" is my latest read, and while it's nothing we haven't seen before, it has a sweet edge to it. It its worst it feels like a novelization of "Millennium Man". Fortunately, this is rare. By and large, new British author Helen Fox has penned a particularly nice book involving floating spheres, rubberized limbs, and tomato soup breakfasts.

The Bell family has a problem. For years and years they've been served by their faithful old robot, Grumps. Grumps isn't a particularly fancy model, but he gets the job done. Lately, however, the old robot's timer has been off. He has a great deal of difficulty separating night from day and often serves the wrong meal at the wrong time. The family decides it would be best to get another robot to help Grumps, and their prayers are answered by an entirely new (if somewhat unattractive) prototype named Eager. Eager is the first robot to learn like a human, a fact that sometimes serves him well and sometimes ill. The family has mixed feelings towards their new acquisition. On the one hand, son Gavin grows fond of the little guy quite quickly. On the other hand, daughter Fleur (a popular name in children's literature these days) would much prefer one of those expensive and sleek BDC4s on the market. Of course, something particularly strange is happening to the BDC4s. And as Gavin, Fleur, and Eager investigate, their situation grows more and more perilous.

The book commits the particularly heinous crime (perpetuated by more children's books than I can name) of creating its own futuristic slang. Particularly bad futuristic slang, no less. Instead of "cool" people say "euphoric". When someone is being a doofus they are (I kid you not) put down with that most intimidating of insults, "You moonrock". For a book that acts so intelligently on so many topics, the use of the term "moonrock" (better fitted to an episode of "The Jetsons" than a contemporary kids' book) jars horrendously. For better future jargon, try reading "Feed" by M.T. Anderson instead. Unlike "Eager", "Feed" is very concerned with how humanity can lose its freedom over time. "Eager" touches on this idea briefly, but doesn't really explore it any further than a sentence here and there.

As you read this book you'll undoubtedly see characters and scenes from other sources flash before your eyes. Grumps resembles nothing so much as a slightly cheerier version of Marvin the android from "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy". There are intimations of Bradbury and (more directly) Asimov on every other page. The whole concept of a robot being introduced to a family and the machines in that family appeared first in one of the great Diana Wynne Jones's short stories (now found in her wonderful collection entitled "Unexpected Magic"). And then, when it comes to robots being imbued with human memories and questioning their own freedoms there's the best of all go-to robot sources, "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?" by Philip K. Dick (better known to cinephiles as "Blade Runner"). So while "Eager" is quite a readable book, it isn't going to win any points for originality.

Fortunately, kids will love the book. What's not to adore about the idea of robots palling around with children? Most of the loose ends of this tale are cleaned up by the end though not all, sadly. For example, several attempts are made on Eager's life without there being any concrete explanation of who ordered these attacks and to what end. Aside from this detail, however, Fox is very good at bringing together plot points that could easily have remained forgotten by the end. Some adults reading this book will also get a kick over Eager's choice of personal philosopher.

Admittedly, it's very difficult to think of good robot stories for kids right off the top of your head. Teen tales? Piece of cake. Adult stories? You could fill a library with them. But for kids it's different. That's why it's so nice to find a book like "Eager". It's not going to knock you over with its prose or philosophical insights, but it's a fun little title with a nifty plot and plenty of action.

I thoroughly enjoyed this first novel by Helen Fox. I am a K-6 librarian and am always looking for new, interesting stories and authors. This science-fiction story is fresh and humorous. The characters are pleasing and I will especially recommend this book to the boys. I was a little surprised at how easily the problem is solved but perhaps she is planning a sequel...I hope so.

This book is really really good and I'm hoping for a sequel. I picked it off the shelf because the cover was so cute! Then I read the mini bio on the author and found out she was way capable of writing a book. I'm not even done with it but I thought it was so good I had to write a review. I almost cried when, in the story, the butler got run over because the author's writing was so descriptive and you got attached to the characters. I would recommend it to anyone 12 and over (kids under 12 might not have a high enough reading level). :)

I got this book to read aloud to my 9 year old son, but it was so great that I couldn't wait and read to the end of the book after he went to sleep! When I had finished reading it aloud to him we both wanted to read the next book "Eager's nephew" (which was equally addictive!)
The story is about a robot that has been designed to learn from his own experiences. He has emotions just the same as a human. He is a pretty funky design and my son and I had a great laugh about what he is able to do with his arms and legs.
The story is at times touching and other times thrilling.
Eager is sent to live with the Bell family partly for his own safety and partly as a learning experience.
There are some interesting elements such as how he tries to wash a baby when he has never done it or seen it done before, etc. You will have a good laugh.
Social issues of injustice and inequality are important elements for the story.
This is an excellent book in that not only is it a fascinating read but it is also a starting point for excellent discussions on a number of topics including: technology, equality, emotions, reality, family values, social issues, etc.
I could not recommend this book more highly. There are no slow parts in the story at all and it includes wonderful vocabulary that children are not often exposed to these days.
If you enjoy science fiction, you will love this book.

From the cover of the book, you would not be able to guess the greatness of the book. You would not be able to tell if this book will be the best book that you have ever read, or horribly bad. But let me tell you from the start, this is a great book. I don't know if it will make a difference to what I say, but if you read this book, you will love it. The reason why I love this book so much is easy to see, but only if you read the book. I liked the book for many reasons, but the biggest would be that I would really know what was going on in the book at all times. It had so much description that I would feel like I was right in front of it all. I could picture all of the futuristic things in the story, the buildings, the cars (called hoverbuses, most of the time), and all of the things in the story. I would also feel the same way as the characters did most of the time, when they had emotions. For example, when one of the robots that the family owned was run over by a truck, I felt the sadness that they all witnessed.
There were other things that made the story great, but overall, the description in the story conquered all.

I bought this book for my child. She absolutely loved it!! I purchased it "used" there wasn't a scratch on it. Great condition!!

I bought this book for my classroom. It's just what I wanted. Ordering from Amazon was quick and easy as was the delivery. My students love the story. It's Science Fiction and is keeping their attention. There is meat to the story and the reading level is excellent.

Eager is a peculiar book taking place in the 21st century. Its unique style and way of making you laugh at the simplest things is one of the reasons why I chose Eager to read. I recall thinking I wouldn't like the book; how wrong I was!
The actual book is about a middle-class family in, as I have mentioned earlier, the 21st century. It is a time when technocrats, the wealthy people of that era, rule all, and LiveCorp, the company that makes all robots and technology, is prospering. No one ever thought something mysterious and hostile might be stirring up within the factory. Robots are, after all, programed to do only certain things. They are not programed to be curious or enthusiastic. That is, until Eager came along.
I will not bother you by spoiling the ending--even if I did, you probably wouldn't take my word for it. Order this book now, and perhaps you, like me, will discover that even a book from your least favorite genre can become one of your favorites.