The Wild Robot meets Sweet Tooth in the first book in a sweeping adventure series packed with robots, smugglers, battles, and a lonely boy trying to find where he fits in the world.

Eleven-year-old Noah has grown up in a mysterious house that grows larger every night with only his mother and a robot-boy for company. He spends his days building robotic devices for the city of Liberty, a place he’s not even allowed to visit—not since his father almost destroyed it when Noah was only a baby.

When Noah discovers a message hidden in one of his father's inventions, he decides to run away to find him. He’s sure that at his father’s side he’ll finally get the recognition he deserves. With the help of a band of smugglers (especially unofficial second in command, young Winona), he sails to Singe to rescue his father, who he’s certain is as misunderstood as he is, but the man he finds there is even more  of a monster than his mechanical creations. And when Noah returns home, he accidentally leads his father’s robot army to Liberty once more. 

Now, it’s up to Noah to rescue the city—but to do so, he’ll have to make a terrible choice.

“A boy’s determined search for his father lends emotional heft to this steampunk-inflected series starter. . . . Tackling questions about sacrifice and sentience, this speculative enterprise, accompanied by Carter’s moody illustrations, offers melancholic refinement. . . .”—Publishers Weekly

“Ferrell opens this exciting new middle-grade adventure series with a bang. . . . Lush world building and an action-packed storyline will prove perfect for fans of book franchises such as A Series of Unfortunate Events. With a plot that never fails to lose steam, accompanied by Carter’s eerie illustrations, Noah’s origin story is one that fans of adventure and mystery ought not to miss.”—Booklist

“This high adventure veers between fast action sequences and stolid instances of emotional development.”—Foreword Reviews

“An impressively descriptive story. . . .”—Kirkus Reviews

“A rollicking adventure featuring a lonely, clever boy choosing to take great risks, face family struggles, and forge found family in the face of tremendous obstacles. Recommended for middle grade adventure shelves.”—School Library Journal