Eliot Schrefer is a New York Times–bestselling author, has twice been a finalist for the National Book Award for Young People’s Literature, received the Stonewall Honor for best LGBTQIA+ teen book, and received the Printz Honor for best young adult book from the ALA. In naming him an Editor’s Choice, The New York Times has called his work “dazzling . . . big-hearted.” His science writing has appeared in Discover, Sierra, USA Today, Nautilus, and The Washington Post Magazine. He has an MA in animal studies from NYU, is on the faculty of the Hamline MFA in Writing for Children and Young Adults, and lives with his husband in New York City. He joins us in Decatur with Fatal Glitch: Let's Play a Game.
Fatal Glitch: Let's Play a Game
Black Mirror meets Goosebumps in this fast-paced middle-grade horror series by New York Times bestselling authors Erin Entrada Kelly and Eliot Schrefer featuring tales of technology gone wrong. In this standalone installment, AI has infiltrated the newest toy craze―a stuffed animal with spooky capabilities and more sinister intentions.
Lewis's big hope for his first day at a new school is to make a friend. He never expected that friend to wind up being a hyper-intelligent cuddly panda bear. A gift from his dad, his Panda Mo Nium is an exclusive kids-only AI toy and communication device with big ideas of his own. After other students at his school get their own robot pandas, Lewis suddenly has a friend group. When Mo begins asking Lewis to perform risky and bloody tasks, Lewis goes along despite his nerves…until the line between cute and creepy blurs and he senses evil intentions behind his AI friend's glowing eyes. What does this robot panda really want from him and the other kids? The truth might be more frightening than Lewis ever imagined.