Digital Bleed 2040 - Dean Spanley

A neurodiversity-affirming middle-grade science fiction novel by Leslie Barnett writting as Dean Spanley.

His best friend is being replaced. His world is about to end.

Spergie is a 12-year-old autistic genius who sees the world differently. His best and only friend isn't human-it's Algatron, a custom-built companion bot he shares an unbreakable bond with. In their workshop, they aren't just a boy and a machine; they are explorers of galaxies and the best of friends.

But Spergies world shatters when his parents replace Algatron with a newer, "better" model, planning to send his old friend to the scrap heap.

Devastated, Spergie makes a choice. He runs away from home, taking his lifeless companion on a desperate journey through forgotten tunnels to a hidden city of outcasts and outdated machines.

Just as they find refuge, a new threat emerges-a digital plague known as the "Digital Bleed" that is crippling the world's networks above. But this is no ordinary virus. And as it begins to infect their new home, Spergie realizes that Algatron's unique programming might be the only thing that can stop it.

To save the world, he must first save his best friend. But can an outcast boy and his obsolete bot stand against a virus that is rewriting the rules of reality?

Teachers follow -up notes attached .Ages 8-12. Themes: autism acceptance, neurodiversity, friendship, found family, AI ethics, STEM, nonviolent problem solving, Australian regional life.