Book Review

Mechanica by Lance Balchin

Mechanica is an excellent book which goes far beyond gears and wheels and cool contraptions.

The introduction explains how all the species of wildlife disappeared. The solution? To create mechanical animals! However, everything goes wrong when the animals encounter lost military drones and develop into a powerful species called Mechanica. The introduction is very descriptive with the events leading up to the uncontrolled evolution of Mechanica,

Followed by colourful, intricate pictures of mechanical animals. Each animal is unique, and includes a description of the mechanical parts and where it originated from. The story includes animals encounters with Liberty Crisp, the girl who is out to stop Mechanica.

It also carries an important message: if we do not care for Earth, this could potentially be our future. Mechanical animals sound great, but I still prefer real animals. I congratulate Lance Balchin on his creative way of passing on the critical message of caring for our environment.

Mechanica was wonderful and delivered in a bright, visual and beautiful way. Mechanica is suitable for students in Year 5-9, but I recommend it beyond Year 9!

Anastasia 7A