Maya and the Robot

Eve L. Ewing’s Maya and the Robot (2021) is an illustrated middle grade novel that follows Maya, a fifth-grade girl who feels distanced from her best friends when they are put in different classes for the first time. To help deal with her overwhelming emotions, she puts all her energy into fixing a robot named Ralph. This coming-of-age experience teaches her a lot about herself and drastically improves her sense of self-worth, which in turn makes her a better friend. The novel explores themes such as The Difficulties of Childhood Friendship, The Ethical Use of Robots and Artificial Intelligence, and The Joys of Scientific Discovery. Through the novel, the author also supports the importance of encouraging diversity and representation in S.T.E.M. fields. While Ewing has published several other works—she is an accomplished journalist, academic, poet, and educator—Maya and the Robot is her first middle grade novel. It was critically well-received, and she has since gone on to co-write Colin Kaepernick’s graphic memoir, Colin Kaepernick: Change the Game, and in 2023, she became the first Black female author of the Black Panther series for Marvel.