The Brave

Little Toaster
Science Fiction by Cory Doctorow

This summary of the story includes targeted

passages from the text for you to read on
your own.

BACKGROUND
In this science fiction story, the author imagines a future in which home
appliances—and even everyday products like energy drinks—are much
“smarter” than the ones today. “Smart” washing machines and “smart”
refrigerators already exist. You can control these appliances with a
voice command from your smart speaker or by sending a text from your
phone. This story may make you wonder if in the future we will control
technology—or if technology will control us.

NOT ES

SUMMARY
Sometime in the future, Mister Toussaint lives in an
© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company • Image Credit: © Adam Gault/OJO Images/Getty Images

apartment, somewhere in Europe. One day, he gets home and

finds a big delivery of groceries that he did not order. He calls the
grocery store and asks why they sent them to him.
The person at the store says Mister Toussaint’s refrigerator
ordered them. Mister Toussaint gets angry at his refrigerator.
That morning, it had been full of good food. Now, it is empty,
except for one energy drink on a back shelf.
He asks the refrigerator why it got rid of all his food. It says
the food was rotten. He checks his computer, which shows what
actually occurred. He discovers that the energy drink caused this
trouble.
Then the energy drink starts to sing. Mister Toussaint looks
at it with distrust. It sings that it is giving off a bad gas. Mister
Toussaint smells the energy drink.

The Brave Little Toaster 1

 NOT E S
Read this passage from the selection to learn why Mister
Toussaint does not trust the energy drink.

TARGETED PASSAGE

8 “No you’re not,” he said. The label said that

the drink was called LOONY GOONY and
it promised ONE TRILLION TIMES MORE
Internet of Things: devices, such as POWERFUL THAN ESPRESSO!!!!! ONE11!
smart appliances, that are all part of
the same network on the Internet. Mister Toussaint began to suspect that the
pouch was some kind of stupid Internet of
chucked: threw it away.
Things prank. He hated those.
rubbish can: trashcan. 9 He chucked the pouch in the rubbish can
and put his new groceries away.
✔ Reading Check
Why does Mister Toussaint throw
LOONY GOONY—the energy
drink—into the trash?

SUMMARY (continued)
Mister Toussaint comes home the next day. He is angry to see
his rubbish can full of trash.
He yells at the rubbish can and demands to know why it is not
empty. It tells him that there is a toxic, or dangerous, item in it.
The rubbish can cannot empty itself when it has a toxic item in it.
Mister Toussaint takes each item out of the rubbish can and
discovers that LOONY GOONY is the problem. When LOONY
GOONY starts to sing again, Mister Toussaint gets upset.
He puts LOONY GOONY in the microwave to destroy it. But
the microwave will not turn on. LOONY GOONY keeps singing.
Then, he puts LOONY GOONY in the dishwasher. He tries
to flush LOONY GOONY down the toilet. None of his smart
appliances will function properly with LOONY GOONY. He
© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

cannot get rid of it. LOONY GOONY just keeps singing. Mister
Toussaint realizes that LOONY GOONY can talk to all his smart
appliances and is telling them not to destroy it.
Mister Toussaint yells at LOONY GOONY. He puts LOONY
GOONY in his coat pocket and leaves his apartment. He plans to
throw LOONY GOONY away as he goes to work.

2 The Brave Little Toaster

 NOT ES
At the subway station on his way to work, the police arrest
Mister Toussaint. The police are wearing special gear to keep
them safe. They make everyone leave the subway station. They
think LOONY GOONY is toxic, or dangerous. LOONY GOONY
keeps singing.
The next day, the police let Mister Toussaint go. But he has to
take LOONY GOONY home with him because too many people
are having similar problems with these energy drinks.
In a warehouse, Mister Toussaint keeps a storage container,
which is like a big box. He pays the warehouse to bring the
storage container to the basement of his apartment building.
The container is full of old stuff—junk that Mister Toussaint
saved because he gradually replaced “stupid” things gradually: a little at a time.
with “smart” ones. Some of the junk once belonged to his
grandfather, who died a while ago.
Back in his apartment, Mister Toussaint plugs in an old
toaster that he took from the storage container. It does not talk
and is dirty. It cannot be part of the network of smart appliances
in his home. It is just junk, but it will do what Mister Toussaint
wants it to do.

Read this passage from the selection to learn how Mister

Toussaint tries to get rid of LOONY GOONY.

TARGETED PASSAGE

27 “It’s getting hot and sticky and I’m not

playing any games, you’d better get me out
before I burst into flames!” LOONY GOONY
sang loudly, but the toaster ignored it.
28 “I don’t mean to endanger your abode, but abode: home.
if you don’t let me out, I’m going to explode!”
© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

The smart appliances chattered nervously at one

another, but the brave little toaster said nothing
as Mister Toussaint depressed its lever again. depressed: pressed down; pushed
down.

✔ Reading Check
What is Mister Toussaint trying
to do with the toaster?

The Brave Little Toaster 3

 NOT E S

SUMMARY (continued)
The smart appliances in Mister Toussaint’s apartment signal
an alarm. They do not like what is going on and say they will
take actions to stop the toaster from turning on. Quickly, Mister
Toussaint unplugs as many of his smart appliances as he can. By
doing so, he makes sure the toaster can do its job.
Firefighters come to Mister Toussaint’s apartment. They take
away the toaster, which is now all melted. They make holes in his
walls, looking for any signs of fire.
The firefighters are upset. They do not understand why
Mister Toussaint burned the energy drink in the toaster.
Mister Toussaint’s neighbors are upset at him, too. Burning
LOONY GOONY in the toaster made a lot of smoke, which
poured into their apartments.
But Mister Toussaint is happy. He has finally gotten rid of
LOONY GOONY! However, he cannot convince the firefighters
to let him keep the toaster.

TURN & TALK

With a partner, discuss the title of the story. Why do you think the toaster
is called “brave?” Do you think Mr. Toussaint will continue to keep smart
appliances in his apartment? How might he change his home after his
experience with the energy drink and the toaster?

© Houghton Mifflin Harcourt Publishing Company

Excerpts from “The Brave Little Toaster” from TRSF by Cory Doctorow. Text copyright © 2014 by Cory Doctorow. Reprinted by
permission of Cory Doctorow.

4 The Brave Little Toaster