Malcolm Montgomery s definitely not the luckiest kid. He’s been through multiple foster homes, burps when he’s nervous, and even though he’s just started at a new middle school he’s known as the weird kid. His goal is to find the perfect adoptive family before his next birthday, but that’s looking more and more difficult to pull off. When his school invites the head of an AI company to speak his school, Malcolm gets a chance to meet Dr. Alphonse Hatch. As the president of Hatch-Ed, Dr. Hatch is in charge of an AI company that is moving quickly; maybe too quickly. Accompanied by his AI-powered robot, Malcolm is about to experience “The Incident.”
The new Middle Grade novel The AI Incident by J.E. Thomas explores what it means to be human while also highlighting the struggles of children in the foster care system. Malcolm’s need to constantly watch his step and be as unobtrusive as possible is heartbreaking and entirely understandable. The AI Incident tackles the uncomfortable new world of AI and how it affects schools and the lives of middle schoolers. As this book is written for middle graders, there’s no way for J.E. Thomas to capture every dark part of AI’s impact. The book does do an incredible job of getting the reader to empathize with Malcolm and see the world through his eyes.
The AI Incident is now available in hardcover, digital, and audiobook.
