What does it mean to be human? We find out as we read part Wizard of Oz, part Pinocchio – Tin.
Tin – the blurb
Christopher is ‘Proper’: a real boy with a real soul, orphaned in a fire. He works for an engineer, a maker of the eccentric, loyal and totally individual mechanicals who are Christopher’s best friends. But after a devastating accident, a secret is revealed and Christopher’s world is changed for ever … What follows is a remarkable adventure, as Christopher discovers who he really is, and what it means to be human.
Yellow brick road
I thought at first (from the cover mainly) that I was going to be reading a Wizard of Oz esque tale and in a way we were. A journey is undertaken by a group of misfits all in need of something (eyebrows and equal length legs mostly). They meet a man who is not what he first seems to be and the word ‘home’ is mentioned a lot. But there is no Emerald City, no yellow brick road and no witches. There is however plenty of robots. The book takes place in a world that is same but different. London and the Great War are mentioned but this is a place filled with robots and laws as to their governance (no adult sized robots and no ‘ensouling’ them).
Proper humans
There is much emphasis on what it means to be ‘proper’ with one engineer particularly taking a dislike to the word. Kenny thoughtfully explores this whilst not letting up on the action. The books publisher actually describes Tin as Pinocchio meets Wizard of Oz and I can see why. If you wanted to you could spend much time discussing the benefits of robots v humans, adults v children, innocence/evil. The book in that respect would make a very good book club book. The adult humans certainly didn’t come off very well!
Friendship and family
Tin also explores what it means to be a family. Is it who you are related to or who you choose? The friendship between the group was just lovely to read. I wanted all of them to be my friends. It was quite sad in parts but there was humour, warmth and was overall very enjoyable to read. I can’t finish this review without giving a special mention to Round Rob. I totally loved this character, his eyebrows, his approach to life, his never give up attitude. We should all be a little bit more Round Rob.
The book is beautifully put together, both in writing and presentation. I just love Chicken House books, not only are the covers always splendid (nod to Katie Hickey) but they always come with a little message from Chicken House. I even love the font!
If you liked Tin why don’t you try The Boy at the Back of the Class. It’s robot free but full to the brim of friendship and feel good vibes.