The Wild Robot Escapes, written and illustrated by Peter Brown. Little, Brown and Company, Hachette. 2018. $22.49 ages 8 and up

"The children smiled and hugged the robot. They really seemed to care about her. Roz wondered if they cared enough to help her escape from the farm. One of these days, she would have to risk everything and tell them the truth. For now, however, she did the next-best thing. She led Jaya and Jad out to the oak tree and told them another story about the robot on the island."

If you have missed Roz (ROZZUM robot unit 7134), miss her no more! She is back in a sequel that I found to be as good as her first story. At the end of The Wild Robot (2016), she was captured by the RECO robots and quickly removed from the island home she had been sharing with the animals there, and her adopted goose son, Brightbill. Her life on that island was never meant to be. In fact, as you might expect, Roz was never meant to learn how to speak the language of the animals or feel love for the gosling who became her adopted son. But, she did!

After reconditioning, Roz is sent to help a widower and his children maintain the Shareef dairy farm that has been in the family for generations. There she does what a robot is meant to do ... work to make human life better. However she cannot forget her island life or the love she feels for her son. Roz talks with the animals there, sharing her story while caring for them. Her farm work and competence are are highly valued and much appreciated.

She enjoys her farm life, and loves the children. That does not lessen the ache in her heart for home and hearth. She misses her island, she misses her son, and she wants to go home. The children love Roz, and are willing to help her escape. Brightbill also comes to her rescue. The day arrives when the two must take a chance. Their journey is long and arduous; not without tension and danger. With the help of other animals along the way, and a meeting with her inventor who is intrigued by Roz's unusual capabilities, the two finally return to their island.

The audience is always a part of the journey through personal addresses that ensure they are keeping up with Roz. They will have questions. Are the risks she takes worth it? Will she find Brightbill again? Will she miss the farm and the children, and her life there? Will the two escape the many perilous events that challenge them along the way?

Readers, like me, who have loved Roz from her beginnings, will be happy to share the 'rest of her story'!