We are thrilled to share that Raining Robots: A Boy and His D.O.G. has been honored with the Silver Award from Reader Views — Reviewer’s Choice Awards (Young Reader Category).
This recognition celebrates stories that spark imagination, encourage curiosity, and inspire young readers — and we couldn’t be more proud.
Blu and D.O.G. were created to remind kids that imagination is powerful, friendship matters, and sometimes heroes come with four robotic legs.
To every parent, grandparent, teacher, and young reader who believed in this story — thank you.
The adventure continues.
If you missed Reader Views review….here it is.
Ben is an 11-year-old kid who yearns to have a dog, but because he and his mom live in an apartment and hardly anybody is home that much during the day, he isn’t able to get one. One day he goes to a dog park hoping to adopt a regular dog, and he gets paired up with a robot dog instead! Then aliens swarm down to Earth, and the adventures between Ben, AKA B.L.U., and D.O.G. begin in Raining Robots, book one in the A Boy and His D.O.G. series by Jordan Hines. When he must go on a mission with D.O.G., Ben transforms into Blu, which is an acronym for B.L.U.: Biological Lifeform Utilization. As Blu, he suddenly has blue spikey hair, a neat blue uniform, and nifty gadgets. When he and D.O.G., which stands for Dynamic Operational Guardian, are fighting evil to save the day, the two are an unstoppable team with a strong bond.
Blu and D.O.G. are a great team! Yes, Ben is confused about everything at first, but once he understands what is going on and that Earth is under threat, he is ready to accept his new role as Blu and his role as D.O.G.’s Whisperer. A Whisperer is supposed to be controlled by D.O.G. robots, which are known as TechPals, but the relationship Ben/Blu and D.O.G. have is not negative at all. There’s no controlling or dominating going on. They work together and protect each other.
Through their bond, D.O.G. is able to communicate with Ben/Blu mentally. This helps him to understand things better, as well as devise a strategy to escape when they can’t communicate orally. D.O.G.’s mental, visual, and verbal messages also help the readers, because readers will get to understand where D.O.G. comes from and more information about the portals and alien worlds.
Ben has a lot of adventures with his new robot dog. I like how he has to learn responsibility both in his role as a dog owner and in his new role as a superhero. His mistakes teach him the realities of both new roles that he has to live with.
It’s not too difficult for Ben to accept this new reality. For him, it’s almost like being in a video game. In fact, there is one part of the story where he actually is a character in a video game, which I thought was really cool. But at the same time, D.O.G. keeps Ben in check, reminding him not to be careless and to use better judgment before taking action.
While this is a story that teaches responsibility to young readers, it also emphasizes the importance of friendship. Ben struggles to keep his new identity a secret, choosing at first to reveal everything only to his best friend. But then other people in his circle start to become suspicious of things happening around him, and he has to choose whether or not he can trust other people with his secret. Through the events that happen in this story, time and again, Ben is challenged with being honest with his friends, as well as learning just how important his friends are.
Filled with adventure, excitement, and awesome creatures, Raining Robots: A Boy and His D.O.G. by 10-year-old author Jordan Hines is a story kids of all genders and interests are sure to love. This story may also appeal to gamers of any age, readers interested in robotics, and readers who enjoy stories that show the bond between human and animal. This is an impressive and unforgettable first book in a series, one that is sure to leave readers waiting for the next book to enjoy, as well as many others.
A Boy and His D.O.G. 
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