ALA Booklist (Wed Jul 05 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Ferrell opens this exciting new middle-grade adventure series with a bang, with 11-year-old inventor Noah unraveling the mysteries of his ever-growing house, the secrets of his family history, and the true capabilities of his robot companion. Noah, who runs away to find his father, as well as answers to his many questions, soon discovers that his own bloodline may hold darker truths than any outside challenges. Working with robots and unexpectedly teaming up with smugglers, Noah and his allies overcome daunting obstacles to reach his father d then must pivot to save their own city from a dangerous villain. Lush world building and an action-packed story line will prove perfect for fans of book franchises such as A Series of Unfortunate Events. With a plot that never fails to lose steam, accompanied by Carter's eerie illustrations, Noah's origin story is one that fans of adventure and mystery ought not to miss.

Kirkus Reviews

Robots and humans interact in this steampunk adventure.Eleven-year-old Noah has only known nighttime construction noises in his house, as new rooms are erratically built by an unknown creature. But when Noah wakes up to silence one day, his caretaker, humanoid robot Elijah, who is the only friend he's ever known, refuses to answer his questions. Noah's mother also won't tell him anything and goes to work as usual at the robot factory in town, leaving Noah a list of contraptions to fix-something he, like his absent father, has a gift for. As the story unfolds, Noah learns secrets about what creature is hammering each night and why his father is gone. Accompanied by Elijah, Noah sets off to find his father and eventually comes face to face with incredible monster robots. The story's promising beginning introduces readers to a compelling world of retrofuturism full of noise, steam, and whirring gears. But as the story continues, it doesn't maintain this momentum. The initially impressive descriptions of the mechanics of the robots are overused, taking chunks out of what could be a terribly imaginative plot. While a few succinct observations about the morality of relying on the perfection of machines over the imperfection of humans are worthwhile, overall, the story is lacking in heft. Atmospheric black-and-white illustrations add a bit of whimsy. Noah reads White; the supporting cast is diverse in skin tone.An impressively descriptive story hampered by thin substance. (Adventure. 10-14)

Publishers Weekly (Fri Oct 06 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

A boy’s determined search for his father lends emotional heft to this steampunk-inflected series starter, a middle grade debut from Ferrell (The Snurtch). Long overseen by distant mother Marie and robot caretaker Elijah, 11-year-old Noah isn’t allowed outside the family’s home, which grows larger each night, spiraling noisily and by unknown means into an ever-widening edifice at the edge of industrial city Liberty. After stumbling upon the schematics for a robot designed by his absent inventor father—whose “terrible mistake” once cost Liberty lives—Noah wonders if any of the man’s creations remain, and how they might be connected to the domicile’s growth. Noah soon unlocks an emissary of his father, and is swept up in a desperate quest to find his dad, fighting off terrifying machines and joining Winona, a girl his age, and her band of smugglers. Tackling questions about sacrifice and sentience, this speculative enterprise, accompanied by Carter’s moody illustrations, offers melancholic refinement to an otherwise straightforward adventure. Noah reads as white; Winona has copper skin. Ages 10–up. Author’s agent: Alec Shane, Writers House. (June)

School Library Journal (Sat Jul 01 00:00:00 CDT 2023)

Gr 4–7 —This action-driven read with a steampunk twist finds a boy grappling with the consequences of his parent's creations (creatures like the spideratus and octochines). Noah, 11, has lived his life in isolation in a house that mysteriously continues to grow nightly with a robot caretaker and his distant mother, whom he refers to as Marie. A tinkerer and an inventor, his projects are taken to a local factory to go into production for some project in Liberty. When his curiosity brings him face-to-face with a hidden test left by his eccentric, exiled father, a series of events is set up that brings him into contact with the crew of The Abbreviated. With them he embarks on a journey to the island of Singe to see the deluded mechanical world his father built during his exile. When Noah and his traveling companions return to Liberty, the danger of the robot creatures follows, and Noah has to use all his wits to devise a solution to save the town and its people. The book introduces a main character who grapples with the choices his parents made in their work while defining his own values and willingness to make sacrifices. Illustrations intermittently appear in the text. VERDICT A rollicking adventure featuring a lonely, clever boy choosing to take great risks, face family struggles, and forge found family in the face of tremendous obstacles. Recommended for middle grade adventure shelves.—Erin Wyatt