48 pages 1 hour read

Eve L. Ewing, Illustr. Christine Almeda

Maya and the Robot

Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 2021

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Chapters 1-4Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 1 Summary: “The Worst Science Fair Ever”

Outside it is a perfectly normal day, but inside, the school cafeteria is in complete chaos. As Maya tries to keep calm, she notices Zoe Winters—the most popular girl in her class—screaming because she and her science project are covered in chocolate pudding. Maya attempts to help Zoe but is blocked by cans of creamed corn that are being launched across the room. A scared kindergartener tries to flee but ends up slipping on the mixture of corn and pudding that now coats the floor. Trying to prevent herself from falling, she grabs and upends a nearby table that was displaying a scale model of a suspension bridge made by Maya’s best friend, Jada. The model is destroyed, and Jada begins to cry.

Teachers unsuccessfully try to gain control of the situation, and Maya reveals that the cause of the mayhem is her robot uncontrollably launching food out of industrial sized vats at the center of the room. The school principal approaches Maya to tell her that she is in big trouble. Before Maya can respond, she is smacked in the face by a glob of flying pudding. She explains that she is not a troublemaker and never meant for any of this to happen.