Synopsis
Timothy Tolliver and his friend Arnie Rosenberg have a problem-a gang of older bullies called the Stinks. But besides being a fourth-grader, Timothy is also a world-class inventor. He and Arnie get the bright idea of defending themselves with Timothy's science-project robot.
When their first try fails, Timothy finds a way to update the mystical formulae that gave life to the Jewish clay monster, the Golem. The robot comes alive, and it looks like their worries are over-till the robot stops following orders and takes matters into its own hands.
Can Timothy bring his creation back under control? Find out, as the Golem legend replays in a modern American elementary school.
School Library Journal
Gr 3-5-In this story based on a Jewish legend about a man made of clay built to protect the Jews from getting killed several hundred years ago, Timothy creates a Golem out of his science-fair robot to protect himself and his friend, Arnie, from a group of bullies. A few computer commands saved on a disk do the trick. "Joe" is full of surprises, from mowing the neighborhood's lawns to sending bullies flying through the air. Unfortunately, it's suddenly Golem meets Frankenstein as Joe gets out of control, which includes mistakenly tying up the teacher. While many children will be intrigued by a mechanical figure that comes to life, it may be asking too much to suspend disbelief over the fact that the robot was fairly easy to create by a fourth grader, and that it fooled adults into thinking it was a real person. Expressions such as "Holy Hanukkah" and "Perilous Passover" sound campy and might be lost on readers who are unfamiliar with the Jewish terms. A couple of books that explain the legend are included in an endnote.-Kelly Czarnecki, Bloomington Public Library, IL Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.