What's the Name of That Book??? discussion
This topic is about
Andy Buckram's Tin Men
SOLVED: Children's/YA
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SOLVED. children's sci-fi about a boy who built a robot [s]
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I remember this one! Unfortunately not the title...I remember in the end the robot was rowing everyone to safety and the boy said "stop a minute." At the end of a minute the robot started to row again and the robots rowed off into the sunset, never to be seen again. I was always bothered by that...
Oh, I had forgotten about that, but I remember being bothered too.
Found it! Andy Buckram's Tin Men
The novel, intended for children/young adults, follows the adventures of an inventive pre-teen named Andy Buckram who lives on a farm alongside a Midwestern river and had decides to build four robots out of tin cans, wire, and spare junk. Each robot has some particular skill; one could play records and another could row a boat, for example. Andy has two main companions in the story, a young neighbor child named Dot which he baby sits occasionally to earn money for his projects and a neighbor girl, Sparrow, who is slightly smitten with him. The story gets exciting when an electrical storm hits the farm and the robots are struck by lightening. This energizes the robots, and they are able to respond to Andy’s verbal commands. As the farm floods, Andy saves Dot and Sparrow with the help of his robots and a leaky rowboat. The group end up on an island in the middle of the river and through Andy’s knowledge and skill, along with the help of the others, they learn to survive on the island until they can be rescued.
argh! forgot how to move to solved...really good at reading, not so good at posting~
Karin, Thanks for posting the above alert. I'll move it to solved for you.Edit: It's changed. For future reference: Just to the right of the topic title there's a link: (edit) and if you click on the link (edit) you can change 1. the topic title so that SOLVED!: appears before the rest of the text and 2. there's a drop down menu of folders and you can choose the correct folder, in this case Children's/YA Solved and then you click save. And it's done.
Edit again: Actually, I should have read this thread: It's up to the original poster, in this case Corbett, to let us know if it's the book they were looking for. So, I'll undo my edits so Corbett can find this thread!!!
Corbett, when you do, please post and let us know if it's the correct book.
Oh right! I only solved my search! Sorry Corbett...:)
This sounds similar, but it is not the one I read. I know the word Flood was in the title. I need togo to that website and search myself. I guess not too many people read that book. It was a library book we got from the school library, which had very few new books (in the 60's). Thanks for trying Karin.
Check this site on Wikipediahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_...
It has a section for robots in literature from different decades.
Deborah wrote: "Check this site on Wikipediahttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_...
It has a section for robots in literature from different decades."
Thanks, Deborah. I will check it out. What I remember about the book is that the boy first built a robot out of a coffee can and a lightbulb. It had arms and had to be plugged in. Then he built a bigger robot that got hit by lightning and helped him save his family from a flood.
Have you reread it to be sure, Corbett? Because I think it is Andy Buckram's Tin Men by Carol Ryrie Brink, too. Spoilers below that mention the flood, lightning, safety ...
From reviews found via Google Books:
Andy Buckram's tin men. ... He operates his robots with batteries and switches or at least he has until the night of the flood when lightning apparently electrifies the robots and they begin responding to spoken orders sometimes with startling ...
Andy Buckram's Tin Men. ... When a thunderstorm and flood separate Andy, his two-year-old cousin, and a neighbor girl from their parents, the tin men, electrified by lighting and guided by Andy, help them to safety.
Andy in Andy Buckram's Tin Men is a twelve-year-old who builds four robots out of tin cans, but not until they are struck by lightning during a storm do the four come alive and save Andy's life during the flood caused by the storm.
this reveals losing the robots.
No, it is not Tin Men. It was written by a woman and the word 'Flood' was in the title. Thanks though. I haven't re-read it because I can't find it.THe first robot was made out of a coffee can and roller skate wheels, with a light bulb for a head. It had a 3 foot cord so it could not go very far. The second robot was larger and may have operated from a battery. They did get hit by lightning which animated them and they helped the boy, who was separated from his family in a flood, save his family. It does sound a lot like Andy Buckman's Tin Men, if I get time I will read that one.
Thanks.
I cannot find the book to confirm. I did find a very expensive copy on amozon and it is out of print. It was published in 1966. I read the book in 1967 so it could be that book with a new cover and title.
Check your public library.They may be able to get an
inter-library loan if another library has it.
bookfinder.com shows copies for sale on various sites.
Corbett, do you have an account with OpenLibrary? It's connected with Archive.org and allows you to read books online. It's a free service. I found the Tin Men book there
https://openlibrary.org/works/OL16479...
Here is the scene w/ the robots sailing off (please ignore the color; previous owner probably colored it in)
Here is the link to the book on Goodreads Andy Buckram's Tin Men
Bookel,Thanks for the links. That is probably the book I read, though I don't remember an island or 4 robots, only remember 2 robots. It was a long time ago and I have read so much since then.
Thank you all for your help.
And here's the back cover.The hardcover pictured here (put the mouse cursor over the little pictures on the left).
From an amazon reviews, "One day while babysitting his baby niece and amusing her with two soup cans, he hits upon the idea of building a robot, or, `Tin Man' from the shells of old cans. Working quickly and inventively at home, in quick succession he builds four robots that he names, Campbell, Bucket, Lily Belle and Supercan. The robots are all of different sizes and each has its own separate personality. Some run only when plugged into the wall while the others are powered by old car batteries. It is a little vague on just how the robots operate and are able to walk around, and it is mentioned only that they contain "wires and pulleys.... and gadgets of every kind".""One night during a storm that floods the farm completely, lightning hits the shed where the robots are stored and they become magically alive, able to understand and to follow instructions and to move around by themselves."
"One day a lightning and flash flood storm hits. Andy's Dad is injured and cannot help his family when suddenly, due to a lightning strike, the Tin Men come to life. Freed from their need for extension cords, they obey Andy and get the family to safety via a canoe."
I very much doubt there is another book with all these elements together. The reviews prove there are cords and batteries. Lightning. Flood. Rescues. Andy Buckram's Tin Men by Carol Ryrie Brink comes up again and again in 'boy builds a robot' queries as the answer. I hope you find a copy to read as others have also suggested. Keep an eye out on bookseller sites and ebay, too.
As for thinking 'flood' was in the title, I've come across other queries where people were sure a certain word was in the title, only for it to be a chapter heading, or a major part of the plot they recalled.
Thanks.