Minjy the Robot: A Story About Goodness That Prevails: Minjy the Robot, #1

By Steven Michael Krystal

Minjy the Robot is a fiction e-book for middle grade readers ages 8 to 12.

 

Have you ever wondered why people like robots? Maybe it's because they seem to help people and appear to be good.

 

What about Minjy the Robot?

 

Is Minjy a good robot that helps people? Perhaps there is a mysterious side to her that no one knows about. What will Minjy do when she meets the villain? Will their plan succeed?

 

From a faraway place where robots come from, Minjy now finds herself in a beautiful, new land where people are happy and good. Minjy is faced with a challenge which she is determined to overcome. While she tries to help people, Minjy nevertheless struggles with a strange secret that could harm her. She sets out on her fascinating journey and meets a host of characters – some good, and others not so good.

 

This unpredictable story unfolds with many twists and turns along the way. Readers will be introduced to some meaningful life lessons while learning that goodness ultimately prevails.

 

This e-book is the first in the series. Readers who enjoy this story can continue to follow Minjy's adventures in the sequel, Minjy the Robot Returns; in the third e-book, Minjy the Robot - A Pirate's Life; in the fourth e-book, Minjy the Robot in Glitter City; and in the fifth e-book, Minjy the Robot and the Search for Wing Wong.

 

Happy reading!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Steven Michael Krystal
• Release date: Sep 15, 2015
• ISBN: 9781386793168

Steven Michael Krystal

Steven Michael Krystal is the author of the Minjy the Robot series of fiction e-books for middle grade and young adult readers ages 8 to 16. "I'm a true believer that goodness prevails." This theme is consistent in all of the Minjy the Robot stories. He wrote his first e-book, Minjy the Robot, in 2015 and hasn't looked back since. "It's really great to now have the time to write. It's something I've always loved to do." The sequel, Minjy the Robot Returns, followed shortly afterwards. Steven's third e-book, Minjy the Robot – A Pirate's Life, was released in August 2016. In May 2017, Steven released, Minjy the Robot in Glitter City, which is the fourth e-book in the series.  "It's very exciting to release my fifth e-book, Minjy the Robot and the Search for Wing Wong. As always, this story is a completely new adventure for Minjy and readers alike." Steven's favorite fiction is the 1939 fantasy / adventure movie, The Wizard of Oz. "This classic is for the young and 'the young at heart' – very true. Stories that can touch the hearts of both kids and adults really appeal to me. I try to aspire to this kind of writing." It has now been several years since Steven wrote his first e-book and he reflects on how his character has evolved. "One of the many enjoyable aspects of writing the Minjy the Robot series of e-books is to see how Minjy has changed – for the better of course! Her behavior and appearance has evolved from story to story. The creativity in developing Minjy's changing demeanor and the way she looks have been a fun experience." For this Canadian author, life lessons are commonly full of twists and turns, and are really great teachers. "I've learned that at times, some things have a funny way of turning out. To have faith and hope that all will work out for the best is a motivating concept for me. I've also learned from the experience the importance of kindness and compassion. I try to incorporate all of these thoughts and feelings into the stories that I write." Happy reading!

Book preview

Chapter 1

There was a beautiful, vast land that was filled with lots of sunshine, clear water, and tall mountains that stretched up to the sky and were home to many fluffy, white clouds. It was a place that was strong and free, and while there were not too many people who lived there, nonetheless, they were all happy, good souls.

However, in this beautiful land there also lived a robot named Minjy.

Minjy the robot was short and thin, and her skin was made of metal that was dull and grey. There were small cracks on Minjy’s face that were beginning to rust. On the front of Minjy there was a large, round light that did not seem to work very well. It did not light up too often, but when it did, the glow was fiery red. For some unknown reason there was a large, black ‘X’ on the back of Minjy’s head.

Minjy came from a land that was far away across the sea. It was a place where there were many robots, all with unusual sounding names. She was made in a large electronics factory. Each day it made hundreds and hundreds of robots just like her. Everything about the factory and the robots that it produced were routine and ordinary.

High technical standards were maintained in order to build these robots, and as a result, they functioned identical to one another. They were programmed to perform a variety of simple tasks which they could do over and over again. Collectively, all of these robots were unique because they operated the same way and with no mistakes. Individually, there was nothing unique about each robot – they were all made to be exactly alike. 

The building that housed the employees and equipment to make these robots was huge. Machines, which were enormous and spotlessly clean, were arranged precisely to produce the robots in a specific sequence. Assembly lines linked one machine to another, and well over a thousand workers labored silently as they assembled the robots, piece by piece.

The employees that worked in the factory were very skilled at their jobs. Each one knew exactly what needed to be done and they went about their tasks, oddly enough, in robotic fashion. There was no social interaction among them, meaning that they did not look at eachother or make personal conversation.

It was not that they did not want to – they were good, honest, hard working employees. Yet they were trained to believe that casual talk led to inefficiency and their productivity would suffer. As a result, the workplace lacked a sense of feeling – the human touch. Unfortunately, this impersonal mindset carried over into most aspects of people’s public lives, but their homes were filled with love and kindness.    

Minjy was unlike the rest of the robots in the factory. After being built, she and the other robots were checked to make sure they operated properly. The factory’s quality control department noticed that Minjy functioned better than the other robots. She was more adept at doing tasks and completed them faster. In particular, her ability to calculate numbers was strong in comparison to the other robots. A department technician brought this to the attention of the quality control manager.  

Yes, this robot is exceptionally smart, responded the manager, and it is not an issue. It demonstrates the excellent quality from our factory and the customer who gets this robot will be very satisfied. Our boss will be pleased with our performance.  

It was unclear why Minjy functioned better than the other robots, yet it did not matter. The factory produced so many robots just like her, and as long as Minjy met or exceeded operating standards, there was no reason to question her optimal performance.

While testing Minjy, the technician vented his frustration at struggling with a mathematical calculation. She offered to assist him and completed it with ease. It pleased Minjy to help the technician, but