The Ice Cream Machine
Kids say
Based on 1 review
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A Lot or a Little?
The parents' guide to what's in this book.
What Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that The Ice Cream Machine, by Adam Rubin (Dragons Love Tacos), is a delightful series of funny, wacky, imaginative short stories with one common thread throughout: ice cream. From robots to catapults to magic, ice cream brings together a varied cast of characters for adventures that often have a moral center. The varied pacing of the stories can be good for different kinds of readers, and several deal with bullying, though the lessons can be a bit heavy-handed. Each story is illustrated by a different artist, and their distinct styles are a lovely complement to the words. At the end of the book, Rubin includes a recipe for ice cream, encourages readers to try writing their own ice cream stories, and asks them to send him their work.
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What's the Story?
In THE ICE CREAM MACHINE, author Adam Rubin tells six separate adventure stories linked together by one delicious treat: ice cream. A boy and his robot nanny hop around the world looking for rare kinds of ice cream. A girl with a gift for building mechanical helpers creates the freshest ice cream anyone has ever tasted. The sorcerer's assistant in a small kingdom tries to solve problems for a king when the sorcerer leaves without warning. There's a bully on a beach boardwalk during an ice cream eating contest, another terrorizing neighborhood kids with an ice cream truck, and the lone human on a space ship among aliens, dreaming of things that remind him of home.
Is It Any Good?
Each of the six stories opens a world of delicious imagination, combining a zany premise with messages about empathy and perseverance. The Ice Cream Machine is a little uneven as far as pacing, but that offers readers a variety of storytelling styles and content: an adventurous robot appeals to one reader, while a sorcerer in a tower appeals to another. Having a different talented illustrator for each story emphasizes each story's unique take on ice cream. The story of Rhonda is a glimpse into the mind of a child who isn't neurotypical, and there are likely many readers who relate to her having a hard time reading body language and visual clues. Author Adam Rubin's note at the end of the book is sweetly encouraging, especially the three tips for kids writing their own versions.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about what they would do with a robot like Kelly in The Ice Cream Machine. Would you use the robot's talents differently than Shiro does?
Do you know anyone like Rhonda, or do you ever have a hard time reading people's emotions? What makes it hard to understand how people are feeling?
What would your magical ice cream machine do?
Book Details
- Author: Adam Rubin
- Illustrators: Daniel Salmieri, Emily Hughes, Charles Santoso, Nicole Miles, Liniers, Seaerra Miller
- Genre: Adventure
- Topics: STEM, Magic and Fantasy, Adventures, Friendship, Robots, Space and Aliens
- Book type: Fiction
- Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons Books for Young Readers
- Publication date: February 15, 2022
- Publisher's recommended age(s): 8 - 12
- Number of pages: 384
- Available on: Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
- Award: Common Sense Selection
- Last updated: April 1, 2022
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