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3.53 AVERAGE
3.53 AVERAGE
Max is fun and clever in this first book in a new series. Max's parents have left him behind while they set sail on an adventure to India. Unfortunately, the boat they were to have sailed on never existed. While Max and his Grammie try to solve this dilemma, Max searches for a way to keep himself occupied. Luckily for him, he has his father's trunk of costumes and the ability to take on just about any appearance. I'm looking forward to the next book in the series. Recommended for grades 3-6.
eARC provided by publisher.
eARC provided by publisher.
Yeah. I think my kid would enjoy this. Kid problem solver, but not in a cop/detective kind of way. Cool grandma character. Art. What I liked about this book is the lesson that it's okay for solutions to be good enough if not perfect. It also teaches about flexibility and adaptability, being open to doing things in new ways and accepting opportunities when they arise.
Wow. What an awesome first book! Maybe not in my target audience, but I really enjoyed it and the only thing I have to complain about is that I wish Mas was at least 13 because then it would be a bit more believable. I mean, yeah, kids are tall, but mistaking him for a grown man? A little far-fetched.
3 1/2 maybe; I liked Max and his adventures. I liked some of the supporting characters. There were plot points that annoyed Adult Me, which I suspect wouldn't have bothered Kid Me. I kind of wanted to strangle his parents. I don't like it when it feels like books are pandering to librarians. But, there's a really endearing quality to this, so.
Really enjoyed this one. I will recommend to others in the library.
I found The Book of Lost Things (Mister Max #1) by Cynthia Voigt to be an interesting and entertaining read after I got past the beginning. I may just not be used to Middle Grade (MG) books with such a high and full vocabulary, but after it got going, I saw it worked.
Voigt was able to paint quite a full picture of young Max's efforts to be independent after his parents left (went missing). Max helped a lot of other people along his journey which was nice to see.
While not being able to recommend the book to a reluctant reader, average or experienced readers will enjoy it. The story was well written, and each chapter's end almost demanded further exploration of the next chapter and the next and so on.
I look forward to reading books 2 and 3 of the trilogy.
Voigt was able to paint quite a full picture of young Max's efforts to be independent after his parents left (went missing). Max helped a lot of other people along his journey which was nice to see.
While not being able to recommend the book to a reluctant reader, average or experienced readers will enjoy it. The story was well written, and each chapter's end almost demanded further exploration of the next chapter and the next and so on.
I look forward to reading books 2 and 3 of the trilogy.
Max is twelve and "ready to be independent," according to his father. That independence comes about unexpectedly when his parents set sail for a new theater job and Max is accidentally left behind. He's not too worried at first. His grandmother lives next door and he is very capable. But there are so many things to worry about as time goes on - making sure the authorities don't find out he's living alone, the strange woman who tries to move into his house, the strange man who breaks into his house and ransacks the dining room, the lost child he finds in the park ... Those are just a few of the problems he tackles.
I enjoyed the way Max uses costumes and characters from his parents' plays to handle different situations. When he's looking for a lost dog, he dresses in pieces that resemble a dog catcher's uniform. When he's talking to the Baroness, he puts on a suit and stuffs a pillow under his shirt to look like a middle-aged detective. He may not want to be a stage actor like his parents, but he is good at assuming small roles for his own purposes. And he is very good at solving other people's dilemmas, even while he is trying to figure out his own.
I would recommend this to mystery readers who enjoy stories like The Mysterious Benedict Society, The Name of This Book Is Secret, or Chasing Vermeer.
I read an e-book provided by the publisher through NetGalley.
I enjoyed the way Max uses costumes and characters from his parents' plays to handle different situations. When he's looking for a lost dog, he dresses in pieces that resemble a dog catcher's uniform. When he's talking to the Baroness, he puts on a suit and stuffs a pillow under his shirt to look like a middle-aged detective. He may not want to be a stage actor like his parents, but he is good at assuming small roles for his own purposes. And he is very good at solving other people's dilemmas, even while he is trying to figure out his own.
I would recommend this to mystery readers who enjoy stories like The Mysterious Benedict Society, The Name of This Book Is Secret, or Chasing Vermeer.
I read an e-book provided by the publisher through NetGalley.
Listened to the audiobook.
Audiobook factors:
I really liked the production. The narrator was really good, having a Jim Dale-esque quality, bringing the right balance of gravitas and fun to the narration. Additionally, how he did the different character's voices was good -- the were distinct and portrayed a lot of character, but were never over the top. I can be very picky about this, especially how sometimes male narrative does female voices, but this narrator did both adult and child female characters without any nasally-ness or clichness.
Book factors:
Cynthia Voigt's prose is fun and clever in the ways one would hope from the author of fun and clever children's novels, espically one who has been on Newberry lists before.
Plotwise... the story was very episodic. Although the episodic elements were intertwined, they were still episodes. The hook of the story, where the tension comes from, which is our lead's -- Max -- parents go missing under mysterious circumstances is not the main focus of the story, although I feel like it should have been. Because of that, there was very little tension to keep the story going, because the trouble never felt very evident. While his parents are gone, his grandmother is still around to help, house, and parent him. The nature of his parents going missing (on a voyage), means that this mystery is inherently delayed and slow paced. Because of this I often found it hard to pick up the story again after setting it down, because of the lack of tension. By the time I got to the end of the book, it feels like it was a prequel for the rest of the series, but I'm not sure I'm that interested in continuing. Additionally, a lot of the small issues Max gets involved as a sort of amueter detective/fixer (or solutioneer as he comes up with, which is really cut) were low stacks and slowed a lot by chance or chance-like elements.
Ultimately, I would have a hard time recommending to a child reader not because of the lack of tension and central plot to keep them engaged in the story.
Audiobook factors:
I really liked the production. The narrator was really good, having a Jim Dale-esque quality, bringing the right balance of gravitas and fun to the narration. Additionally, how he did the different character's voices was good -- the were distinct and portrayed a lot of character, but were never over the top. I can be very picky about this, especially how sometimes male narrative does female voices, but this narrator did both adult and child female characters without any nasally-ness or clichness.
Book factors:
Cynthia Voigt's prose is fun and clever in the ways one would hope from the author of fun and clever children's novels, espically one who has been on Newberry lists before.
Plotwise... the story was very episodic. Although the episodic elements were intertwined, they were still episodes. The hook of the story, where the tension comes from, which is our lead's -- Max -- parents go missing under mysterious circumstances is not the main focus of the story, although I feel like it should have been. Because of that, there was very little tension to keep the story going, because the trouble never felt very evident. While his parents are gone, his grandmother is still around to help, house, and parent him. The nature of his parents going missing (on a voyage), means that this mystery is inherently delayed and slow paced. Because of this I often found it hard to pick up the story again after setting it down, because of the lack of tension. By the time I got to the end of the book, it feels like it was a prequel for the rest of the series, but I'm not sure I'm that interested in continuing. Additionally, a lot of the small issues Max gets involved as a sort of amueter detective/fixer (or solutioneer as he comes up with, which is really cut) were low stacks and slowed a lot by chance or chance-like elements.
Ultimately, I would have a hard time recommending to a child reader not because of the lack of tension and central plot to keep them engaged in the story.