'When Alfie goes to Airport Lost Property, he finds more than he bargained for. A lot more. Because there's a giant robot called Eric hidden away on the shelves. Eric has lost one leg and half his memory. He's super strong, but super clumsy. He's convinced that he's the latest technology, when he's actually nearly one hundred year's old and ready for the scrap heap.

Can Alfie find a way to save Eric from destruction - before Eric destroys everything around him?'

I was lucky enough to see Frank Cottrell Boyce speak at a literary festival last year. Runaway Robot had just been released and he read a chapter for the audience, complete with all the funny voices! He has since become a favourite in our house and my classrooms; I have shared a number of his books with my classes. I read this book to a Year 3 class of mine and we loved the heart-warming story but mostly enjoyed laughing at Eric's numerous mishaps and poor Alfie's attempts to clean up after him! 

The story behind the book is just as fascinating. Eric is based on a real-life robot created in the 1920s (see the attached photograph) and the scenes in lost property were inspired by Cottrell Boyce's trip to the lost property offices of the London Underground. Can you imagine how many mobile phones, umbrellas and even false teeth they have stored there?!