Max and the Midknights

October 1, 2018
In the 14th century, young Max yearns to buck convention and be a knight.In this fictional, European-esque kingdom, Max lives with Uncle Budrick, a comically terrible troubadour. Children in Byjovia follow in the career footsteps of their families; Max however, dreams not of songs and lutes but of becoming a knight. When Budrick is captured by the nefarious usurper King Gastley, Max finds a crew of like-minded kids and forms the Midknights. Together they fight an evil sorceress, zombies, and winged rats in their efforts to save Max's uncle and, ultimately, the kingdom from Gastley's evil grasp. This middle-grade graphic/prose hybrid plays with gender conventions, mixing in a feel-good theme reaffirming that everyone should be able to follow their dreams and defy pre-existing gender constructs. Plucky, gender-nonconforming Max makes a heartfelt soliloquy imploring the king to allow both girls and boys to pursue what they love, be it magic, knighthood, or writing. The zippy mix of prose and comics panels rockets along with quick plotting and lots of funny medieval madcap antics. Peirce's black-and-white illustrations will be stylistically familiar to fans of his Big Nate series and should resonate with fans of Jeff Kinney's Wimpy Kid. Main character Max presents white, as are most of the Midknights with the exception of one dark-skinned boy; one other is chubby, and a secondary adult character uses a leg prosthesis.A knight's tale in shining armor. (Graphic/fantasy hybrid. 7-11)

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November 1, 2018

Gr 4-6-Set in the Middle Ages, this hilarious illustrated novel centers on Max, who is often mistaken for a boy because of her short hair and assertive personality. Max wants to be a knight, not an entertainer like her uncle. She finally gets her chance when her uncle is kidnapped by the evil and aptly named King Gastley. She and several and other courageous children dub themselves the Midknights and come to the rescue. Aided by the retired wizard Mumblin, Max and her team try to restore peace to the Kingdom of Byjovia. This is a story of magic and adventure. Comic panels with Peirce's signature black-and-white art are expertly placed amid small paragraphs of text. Readers will be drawn into this fun setting. While this novel stands alone from the "Big Nate" books, the opening page references the series, as Nate's teacher chastises him for submitting "Max and the Midknights" as his nonfiction book report. VERDICT A solid purchase for all middle grade collections, especially for fans of "Big Nate."-Marissa Lieberman, East Orange Public Library, NJ

Copyright 2018 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

November 15, 2018
Grades 3-5 Peirce delivers a medieval adventure epic with a progressive social agenda woven into the tapestry, as followers of his Big Nate character won't be surprised to hear. Though Max is apprenticed to Uncle Budrick, the troubadour, he's got no interest in singing and story-telling; he wants to be a knight. But wait a second! It turns out Max isn't a he at all but a young lady who is prophesied to save the kingdom of Byjovia from the evil usurper, King Gastley. Joined by a motley crew, including a pack of can-do kids and a bumbling wizard, she frees her captured uncle, braves a darksome forest, and rides a dragon toward the final showdown, managing to give authority a piece of her mind on unfair gender rules along the way. With tough, spunky female heroes and loads of derring-do, the concept is already a winner, but Peirce's cartooning?comics sequences intercut with occasional blocks of text � la Jeff Kinney's Wimpy Kid?is top notch. The charming characters, smooth visual flow. and snappy gags prove irresistible.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)