The AI Incident

Beneath the madcap plotline of this AI-focused adventure by Thomas (Control Freaks) lies a touching story about belonging and overcoming obstacles. Twelve-year-old Malcolm Montgomery, a Black middle schooler who burps when he’s nervous, has lived in nine foster homes. Now attending Shirley Chisholm Charter Middle School, he determines to make himself more adoptable by following his self-made “How to Get Adopted Checklist,” which includes rules such as “Never argue” and “All A’s in school, EVERY year!” He finds an unexpected helper in AI program FRANCIS, which seeks to help increase standardized test scores. When FRANCIS suggests additional adoption tips, such as wearing his shirt inside out, Malcolm doesn’t question the validity of the instructions. He also fails to notice that FRANCIS is becoming increasingly independent, manipulating Malcolm’s classmates to infiltrate their computers. Simultaneously, Malcolm and his current foster mother hold each other at arm’s length, fearing potential separation due to individual heartbreaks in the past. The novel’s tone occasionally leans toward satirical—particularly in its somewhat hyperbolic descriptions of the child welfare system, the charter school’s bureaucracy, and FRANCIS’s origins—in this potent portrayal of human vulnerability as a necessary component in personal and relational development. Ages 8–12. Agent: Quressa Robinson, Folio Literary. (July)