HANNAH ENGLAND:I love running. And, I love reading. But, in this book, Robo-Runners, a robot called Crank isn't running for fun, he's running for his life.
HANNAH ENGLAND:No wonder he looks frightened. At the start of this story, Crank's about to be recycled. Shh.
HANNAH ENGLAND:Some robots, like his friend Al, don't think this is such a bad thing. After all, the broken robots go into the recycling plant and come out, shiny and new. But Crank doesn't want to be melted down. Crank wants to be free, but the horrible Tin-Man's got other ideas.
HANNAH ENGLAND:He captures all the old robots… and takes them to a huge recycling plant, Crush 'em and Smelt 'em Incorporated.
HANNAH ENGLAND:Crank does everything he can do to avoid getting caught and, at this point in the story, finally, the Tin-man roars away on his engine-powered Robonaught.
HANNAH ENGLAND:Crank stayed hidden in the alleyway, until the sounds of the engine had disappeared into the distance. The Tin-Man had gone. Crank had spent his whole life working like a slave for other people, always doing as he was told. But, now, for the first time ever, Crank was free to do what he wanted to do. But, what would he do? Where would he go?
HANNAH ENGLAND:Crank decided to head for the centre of Metro City. He felt sure no one would notice one more robot wandering around. And, he'd be able to decide where to go from there. Crank left the alleyway, turned into the street… and came face-to-face with the Tin-Man.
HANNAH ENGLAND:"And where do you think you're going?" growled the Tin-Man, grabbing hold of Crank's neck. He lifted Crank into the air with one gloved hand, and shook him like a ragdoll. "No junk gets away from me." said the Tin-Man, and threw Crank into the transport trailer, where he landed with a crunch.
HANNAH ENGLAND:We don't know what the future's going to look like, do we? The nice thing about stories, is they can give us some ideas. This book's set in the future, where robots are everywhere.
HANNAH ENGLAND:The sad thing is though, people don't really seem to care what happens to them when they get rusty, or a little bit shabby.
The great thing about this book, is it's exciting, fast, and funny. One of my favourite characters, is a little maintenance robot, called Sparks. He looks like a crab, and he keeps getting sat on by all the other characters.
Al and Crank also make a brilliant double act. Al's always trying to be really polite, and helpful, except one time Crank gets his foot stuck, and Al pulls him so hard, his whole leg comes off.
Crank and his friends, soon discover the recycling factory, run by the Tin-Man, and his army of fierce regulators. It's a robot's worst nightmare. Have you ever been picked up by a giant claw, and held over a boiling, stinking bath? Because that's what happens to Crank.
HANNAH ENGLAND:Bubbles erupted fiercely below him, and clouds of foul-smelling gas rose into the air. Crank was sure the bath was full of acid, and he was about to be dissolved. "Argh!" he screamed, as the steel claw lowered him into the bath. "I'm melting!"
HANNAH ENGLAND:And that's just the start of it. There's all sorts of contraptions, with spikes on them, and blades, and a giant crushing machine.
HANNAH ENGLAND:Yeah, just like that.
HANNAH ENGLAND:Reading this book really made me think about what our world might be like in the future. And, wouldn't it be really cool if there were loads of robots. Especially if they were like these ones, and they've got really cool personalities.
HANNAH ENGLAND:I loved reading as a kid, I really liked taking the time to get to know different characters and their worlds, and I think if you put the time in, you'd find it as well. Just find the books you like, whether it's an action book, whether it's something about the future, or something about the past. I think books are great.
HANNAH ENGLAND:If Crank and his friends can escape the Tin-Man, they dream of running away to Robotica - A city where robots can be free.
HANNAH ENGLAND:You'll have to read the first book in the series, Robo-Runners: The Tin-Man, to find out what happens next. But don't stop there, there's all sorts of books with loads of different futures that you can read.
HANNAH ENGLAND:Like I said, reading is like doing sport, and avoiding giant robot-crushers. You always get better with practice. Time to run.
Video summary
Olympic runner Hannah England explains why she loves Robo-Runners by Damian Harvey, and illustrated by Mark Oliver.
It’s a funny book set in the future that tells the story of Crank and Al, two old robots who are trying to avoid being recycled by the scary Tin Man.
Crank and Al embark on a mission to reach Robotika, a city where robots can live freely. Hannah reads some favourite extracts with animation to bring the story to life.
This clip is from the series Bringing Books to Life 1.
Robo-Runners Teacher Notes
KS1 and KS2 English Discussion Questions
Before watching the video:
- Have you ever read a book about robots or the future? What was it called and did you like it?
- What do you know about robots? What do you think they can do in the future?
- If you could be a robot for a day, what would you want to do?
While watching the video:
- Pause at 01:34 - What is the name of the huge recycling plant?
- Pause at 03:10 - Who is Hannah's favourite character from the book?
- Pause at 04:58 - Why did Hannah enjoy reading as a child? What advice does she give?
After watching the video:
- What is your favourite part of the story that Hannah reads? Why do you like it?
- How would you feel if you were in Crank and Al's situation, trying to escape from the Tin Man?
- What do you think the world might look like in the future? Could it be a place with lots of robots?
KS1 and KS2 English Activity Suggestions
- Robot Story Starters: Provide children with a range of sentence starters related to robots (e.g. ‘Once upon a time, in a land of robots…’) and encourage them to build and narrate their own robot adventures.
- Robot Races: If available, use programmable robots for a racing competition, where children code the robots to follow a racecourse, integrating technology and coding skills.
- Recycled Robot Art: Organise a crafting session using recycled materials like cardboard, bottles and paper to create robot sculptures, emphasising the importance of recycling and reusing materials.
Take a look at our 500 Words resources for further inspiration around story writing.
These videos contribute to the current national curriculum requirements in:
- England - KS1/KS2 English: Develop positive attitudes to reading and understanding of what they read.
- Northern, Ireland - KS1/KS2 Language and Literacy: Extend the range of their reading and develop their own preferences.
- Scotland - 1st and 2nd Level Literacy and English: Reading - Enjoyment and choice.
- Wales - Progression Step 2/3 Languages, Literacy and Communication: Literature fires imagination and inspires creativity.
These discussion questions and activity suggestions provide opportunities to develop english, art and design and science and technology knowledge and skills in meaningful contexts across all UK curricula, as well as critical thinking, imagination and environmental education.
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