Strong and full of goodwill, Owlbotron seeks to bring knowledge and power into children’s lives through the power of reading. But he wasn’t always this strong. Behind his impressive height, robot armor, and ability to fly lies a young boy named Oliver (“Ollie”) with a set of struggles shared by many other children.

Before Ollie was Owlbotron, he faced challenges in math and science. As much as he wanted to fly with the rest of the birds, he just didn’t have the right skills. And while he was friendly and had cool hobbies like playing instruments, writing poetry, and art, there were a few kids who teased him.

But one fateful day, the wise Northtale, after seeing Ollie’s struggles, guided him to just the right book, meant only for him—and he was forever changed.

Since then, Owlbotron and Northtale are a team, together using their special powers to help children across Houston overcome their own struggles and develop stronger levels of self-confidence and skills to achieve their big dreams. His secret? Drawing upon the power of all the great stories he’s read to brighten their path — and of course, guiding them to just the right books.

As a librarian, Ms. Mapp quietly oversees the school library, helping spark students’ imaginations through wonderful stories. But when a child needs help finding a different, brighter path … watch out! As a superhero, the wise Northtale is dedicated to fulfilling the potential she sees in children, equipping them with the literary tools they need to open doors, discover talents, and dream bigger. And as the primary driver of the Curiosity Cruiser, she always knows exactly where to find them.

While Northtale’s origins remain a mystery, her excellent instincts and problem-solving skills are on full display in every mission. After all, while some simply saw Ollie struggling in school, she saw the true power inside him. And thanks to her background in STEM, her ability to engineer gadgets with nearby resources is invaluable in their shared quest to spread new opportunities and the joy of reading to children around Houston.

The Cruiser has its origins as a plain ol’ Step Van, but with Northtale and Owlbotron’s ingenuity it became a fully customized and powerful vehicle to fight for literacy! With the miles needed to cover all of Harris County, we’ve added three sidekicks in the form of Ford Transit vans to increase our capacity to spread books and literacy all over Harris County!