Review: Boot – The Rusty Rescue

The second book in the Boot series, The Rusty Rescue, is just wonderful:  an incredibly heart-warming adventure, full of action and humour.

Boot and his new friends have found a home at Dr Twitchy’s Emporium of Amusements.  Poor Gerry has a tendency to lose body parts and, when his nose is lost through no fault of his own, his friends are on hand to help him find a replacement.  They venture to the Testing Lab, where damaged robots carry out monotonous testing of goods for humans, to locate a replacement nose.  However, things don’t go quite according to plan, necessitating a hasty and rather dangerous escape … with a new rescued friend, Rusty.

The robots are determined to cheer up their new friend who has never been outside … cue bouncing, sky-high views and a barfday party, none of which work.  Why not?  Well, Rusty is broken … but the friends are determined to fix him.  This leads them on an exciting, perilous mission, but will they be in time to save their new friend?

Although Boot and his friends are broken or damaged in some way and are no longer of use to humans, they are perfect models of the bond of friendship.  They allow each other the freedom to be themselves, respect each other’s differences and offer support when needed.  

Boot is an utterly adorable character.  He is kind, caring and has a great deal of empathy, thinking about others before himself.  He feels saddened and angered by Rusty’s plight and is determined to help his new friend even if this means putting himself at risk.  Rusty is an incredibly sympathetic character and his situation lent some poignant moments to the story.

The gorgeous illustrations by Ben Mantle complement the story perfectly.

This action-packed, exciting adventure is perfect for children of 7+ who will adore Boot and his friends as they welcome another friend to their home.  I’m really looking forward to Boot’s next adventure.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an e-ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.