One day, 12-year-old Toby West stumbles into Orvis, an obsolete robot who is about to shut himself down forever. Toby knows exactly how Orvis feels because nobody wants her either. A spacer all her life, her parents had sent her away to Hillandale Academy on Earth because they had no time for her. But when her controlling grandmother decides to send her to school on Mars, Toby rebels. She's sick and tired of having to move to different places.

One night, Toby sees Orvis outside her room and lets him in because he's frightened. The next day Dr. Ebert, her guardian, and Dr. Milhaus, the dean of the school, discover him in her room. They order the robot to leave because they think it's a type of military robot that's dangerous. Six days later Toby and her only other friend, a lonely castoff named Thaddeous, find the robot buried in a pile of dirt. Toby decides that her great grandmother wouldn't mind keeping Orvis; he will be great company and a big help to her on Fishers Isle. Toby calls her great grandmother and tells her that she has a present for her. She wants to visit her great grandmother and bring along her one friend, so she needs an airtruck. The next morning the airtruck arrives and Toby, Thaddeous and Orvis secretly get in. That's when the journey begins.

On the way to Fishers Isle, the airtruck makes an unscheduled landing where two men steal the plane and kidnap Sanders, the pilot. Now the three friends have to survive in the wild --- hunting for food, looking for places to sleep, and trying to find help. One night they stumble upon a village, and they meet Mr. Milton, the commander. He tells them that he will send for help when his shuttle is repaired, and gives them a place to sleep. But when people from the village start giving them gifts, they find out that the commander lied to them and wants them to stay. In fact, the whole village wants them to stay because they're lonely and they don't have any children. Will Toby and her friends become captives of the villagers?

This book will make you appreciate the fact that you have a permanent home, a loving family, and lots of friends. If I had been Toby, I wouldn't have wanted to go to school on Mars because I would have missed my family and friends too much, and I would have been lonely and bored. If you enjoy books that have a lot of action and adventure, you're sure to like the story of Toby and Orvis.

   ---Reviewed by Ashley