Heading into the backyard with her little sister Molly on a bright October afternoon, Laura ponders the next plot twist in the sci-fi story she has been writing. She imagines the two of them as Masterpiece Robot and Sidekick, patrolling the outskirts of a dystopian city to guard against interplanetary raiders. Then older sister Amber—aka the Ferocious Valerie Knick-Knack—throws a handful of fallen leaves at them, launching a desperate battle for survival.

In this story within a story, a suburban backyard becomes a futuristic battleground, and Laura and her siblings become heroes and villains. Perhaps the real question in Masterpiece Robot is not who will win this life-or-death fight for a planet’s future, but when Laura’s first major film will be produced.

A child of Vietnamese immigrants, FRANK TRA proudly calls Wichita, Kansas, home. Frank attended the University of Kansas to wrestle and write comic books. While there, he also earned a Doctorate in Pharmacy. He has been a cancer pharmacist for the last ten years. Frank's writing credits include two graphic novels and several comic books. Masterpiece Robot is his first children's book. Dr. Tra resides in a quiet neighborhood with his wife, Katy, and their six children: Amber, Laura, Roman, Molly, Tommy, and Isaac. He spends his spare time writing, fishing, and coaching a high school wrestling team.

REBECCA EVANS worked for nine years as an artist and designer before returning to her first love: children’s book illustration and writing. Her children’s books include Someday I’ll Fly; Friends in Fur Coats; The Good Things; The Shopkeeper’s Bear; Naughty Nana; Amhale in South Africa; Vivienne in France; Mei Ling in China; Marcela in Argentina; Tiffany in New York; and Tatiana in Russia. She lives in Maryland with her husband and four young children, shares her love of literature and art regularly at elementary schools, teaches art at the Chesapeake Center for the Creative Arts, and works from her home studio whenever time permits. Rebecca’s own boundless imagination enjoys free rein at www.rebeccaevans.net.