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A review by mat_tobin
Max Kowalski Didn't Mean It by Susie Day
4.0
No matter how hard Max tries and how good the intentions, he always seems to get in trouble. But then with dad not around as much and his three younger sisters in need of care, for learning to navigate through these life changes is a challenge and a climb.
When Max's dad gets into a fix that he casts him in deep trouble with the authorities and into hiding, Max decides to take the girls and run away – to a different country entirely. Knowing that his friend has an empty cottage is deepest North Wales, Max takes his sisters and a handful of money with him. No matter what he will try to protect and raise his sisters whilst giving them the best Christmas that he can.
Max’s story is one of a whole family attempting to cope with the grief of losing a mother and wife. Whilst dad and the girls each have their own way of tackling this loss, Max seeks to find the answer to his pain by searching for a sleeping dragon stop a Welsh mountain.
Neglect, abandonment and grief are key themes throughout this story and yet Day manages these with a gentle honesty. You can’t help but feel for Max and all his terrible decisions – he’s just a young boy thrown into an impossible situation. Yet the kindness and selflessness of others around him are there to catch him when he returns from his quest.
When Max's dad gets into a fix that he casts him in deep trouble with the authorities and into hiding, Max decides to take the girls and run away – to a different country entirely. Knowing that his friend has an empty cottage is deepest North Wales, Max takes his sisters and a handful of money with him. No matter what he will try to protect and raise his sisters whilst giving them the best Christmas that he can.
Max’s story is one of a whole family attempting to cope with the grief of losing a mother and wife. Whilst dad and the girls each have their own way of tackling this loss, Max seeks to find the answer to his pain by searching for a sleeping dragon stop a Welsh mountain.
Neglect, abandonment and grief are key themes throughout this story and yet Day manages these with a gentle honesty. You can’t help but feel for Max and all his terrible decisions – he’s just a young boy thrown into an impossible situation. Yet the kindness and selflessness of others around him are there to catch him when he returns from his quest.