Spare Parts: Four Undocumented Teenagers, One Ugly Robot, and the Battle for the American Dream
Author: Davis, Joshua
Reading Metrics
Grade Level
Middle Grades Plus (MG+ 6 and up)
Book Level
6.9
Points
10.0
Fiction/Nonfiction
Nonfiction
Word Count
59997
Points per Word
0.000167
Page Count
222
Points per Page
0.045045
Description
Four undocumented Mexican American teenagers from Phoenix, Arizona, build an underwater robot from scavenged parts and compete in the Marine Advanced Technology Education Robotics Competition at the University of California, Santa Barbara, in 2004. The students, who attended an underfunded public high school, ultimately triumphed over teams from prestigious universities in the national competition. The book, a New York Times Best Seller and finalist for the J. Anthony Lukas Book Prize, explores themes of immigration, education, and the American Dream.