Max & the Midnights

Max & the Midnights
Lincoln Peirce
Crown/Penguin, 2019 279 pages
Grades 3-7
Graphic/Fiction Hybrid

Big Nate introduces the author's new series featuring Max, a want-to-be knight stuck traveling with lame troubadour uncle in medieval times. The duo end up in Uncle Budrick's hometown of Byjovia where they find the kingdom much changed. Good King Conrad the Kind is dead and his evil brother, Prince Gastley is now the ruler. All of the adults seem to be under a spell and behave hostile. Max and Uncle Budrick meet a boy named Kevyn and then two homeless kids who are in trouble. The four form a team called the Midnights and together with Uncle Budrick, who has been turned into a duck by King Conrad's former wizard gone rusty, the group journeys into the woods to fulfill a prophesy to take down Gastley. Along the way one of the Midnights discovers that she has wizarding powers, a secret about Max is revealed, important bewitched weapons are discovered and employed, a boy in a tower is rescued to great acclaim, battles ensue with the evil witch assisting Gastley, and the day is saved. Max, as well as the other Midnights, find their true destinies and campaign for the right to follow them instead of following generational apprenticing.

My most previous blog post featured the critically claimed The Book of Boy, which was set in the middle ages. This new title by the author/illustrator of the Big Nate series is also set in medieval times but could not be more different. Decidedly more low-brow, yet also more readable, this title will enjoy a larger readership. Half graphic novel, half fiction, this new story will appeal to Wimpy Kid, Big Nate, and Dav Pilkey fans. The action and fast moving plot will keep readers turning pages and the humor will keep them entertained. Filled with puns, the story is actually quite clever and made me laugh out loud more than once. Characteristic to Peirce's usual style, the pen and ink illustrations are well drawn and do their fair share of the heavy lifting in delivering the plot. Max's gender appears to be male, yet a surprise about a third of the way through reveals otherwise. Boys will think they are reading a book about a boy having adventures and will be "all in" before they discover that the protagonist is actually a girl. This will help them to realize that books featuring girls can be cool and interesting and it will allow girls to feel that they can have adventures and do exciting things. This story will attract all readers, who are sure to see it through to conclusion. Twenty-one copies out of sixty are currently available in my library system, and both of the copies I purchased for my library are checked out. This is fun story that will be enjoyed by all by and author with legs. A slam dunk!