Nijolė Drungilaitė, Laima Matuzonytė. Robotų sala (Robot Island), Babtai: Charity and Support Fund Švieskime vaikus, 2024. – 258 p. 

The teenager Ernis lives in a world where survival without the help of robots is impossible. Robots assist with learning, household chores, and meeting basic human needs. But when faced with personal tragedy, they cannot replace human connection. Ernis was living in Saretai before his parents’ death. Now he is forced to move with his aunt Larotija to Barija, a smaller, more remote town, where he must start at a new school filled with its own challenges and strict rules. One of those rules states that those who break them are sent to Robot Island as a form of isolation. Nijolė Drungilaitė’s dystopian narrative immerses young readers in a disturbing vision of the future, where the line between humans and robots is nearly erased. The intriguing plot and a world recognisable to teenagers make the story both relatable and psychologically impactful. However, whatever the hardships faced by the book’s protagonist, the central theme remains the importance of human connection, which, according to the author, has always been the only true guarantee of survival.

Nijolė Drungilaitė (b. 1960) is a poet and prose writer. She primarily writes for adults. She has published works in cultural periodicals, and in 2003, her play Dviese (The Two of Us) was produced for radio theatre. Robotų sala (Robot Island) is the author’s first book for young readers. This novella won First Prize in the 9th National Children’s Literature Competition (2021).

Laima Matuzonytė (b. 1996) is a young-generation artist and illustrator. In 2019, she completed a bachelor’s degree in graphics at the Vilnius Academy of Arts and was later awarded a master’s degree in graphics from KASK, Ghent, Belgium. She is the author of solo exhibitions and a participant in group projects.
Illustrator’s portfolio: https://www.behance.net/laimamatuzonyte

Contact for rights: direktore@svieskimevaikus.lt