Max at Night

August 8, 2016
Max, the black kitten from 2015’s Max the Brave, is back, and he’s calling it a night. After realizing that the moon is nowhere in sight, Max heads out into the night, climbing ever higher in an attempt to spot it. It’s a long and lonely journey—the trees, rooftops, and hills Max climbs stay silent when he asks, “Have you seen the moon?”—but Vere makes his travels worth it: when the moon does appear from behind some clouds, it nearly fills a full page, glowing with a pale greenish-white light. It’s a lovely nighttime excursion that delivers just enough adventure to leave sleepy readers imagining semi-magical quests of their own. Ages 3–6.

With matching amounts of determination, exaggeration, and playfulness, narrator L.J. Ganser captures the adventures of young Max the cat. Max tends to his evening ablutions--a hearty "gluugg, gluugg" of milk and an elongated "brushhhhh, brushhhh" of his teeth--and then a litany of good nights to friends, including his fish, box, and spider. But when he goes to wish Moon a good night, moon is nowhere to be found! Ganser shares Max's despair with the mournful words, "Where are you, Mooooon?" And so the quest begins. Over hills, onto rooftops, and atop the highest building Max climbs. Ganser shares all of Max's longing for the absent Moon. Who or what will come to Max's aid? A.R. � AudioFile 2017, Portland, Maine