Max and the Midknights

by Lincoln Peirce

Overview

INCLUDES A NEW MAX SHORT STORY AND ACTIVITY!

A NEW YORK TIMES bestseller from the creator of Big Nate, now an Emmy-nominated animated TV show on Paramount+ and Nickelodeon.

No one expected Max to be a knight, but when Uncle Budrick is captured, someone has to save the day! Join the hilarious band of misfit adventurers in book 1 of the Max and the Midknights trilogy.

"Max is epic fun!" —JEFF KINNEY, New York Times bestselling author of the DIARY OF A WIMPY KID series

Max wants to be a knight! Too bad that dream is about as likely as finding a friendly dragon. But when Max's uncle Budrick is kidnapped by the cruel King Gastley, Max has to act...and fast! Joined by a band of brave adventurers—the Midknights—Max sets out on a thrilling quest: to save Uncle Budrick and restore the realm of Byjovia to its former high spirits!

Magic and (mis)adventures abound in this hilarious illustrated novel from the New York Times bestselling creator of the Big Nate series, Lincoln Peirce.

"Fantastic! I loved it!" —DAV PILKEY, New York Times bestselling author of the DOG MAN series

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781101931110
Publisher:	Random House Children's Books
Publication date:	01/02/2024
Series:	Max & the Midknights Series , #1
Pages:	304
Sales rank:	151,872
Product dimensions:	5.80(w) x 8.90(h) x 1.00(d)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Max and the Midknights, Lincoln's first book for Crown Books for Young Readers, originated as an unfinished spoof of sword & sorcery tales. Returning to the idea years later, Lincoln rewrote the story around Max, a ten-year-old apprentice troubadour who dreams of becoming a knight. The result is a high-spirited medieval adventure, supported by hundreds of dynamic illustrations employing the language of comics. When he is not writing or drawing, Lincoln enjoys playing ice hockey, doing crossword puzzles, and hosting a weekly radio show devoted to vintage country music. He and his wife, Jessica, have two children and live in Portland, Maine.

Editorial Reviews

A New York Public Library Best Book of the Year

"Max is epic fun!" -Jeff Kinney, New York Times bestselling author of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series

"Fantastic! I loved it!" -Dav Pilkey, New York Times bestselling author of the Captain Underpants series

From the Publisher

Lincoln Peirce, creator of the best-selling Big Nate series, hits it out of the park again…This rollicking, irreverent tale of knights, troubadours and magicians proves Peirce is a middle-schooler at heart. Told in a hybrid comics and novel form, with a fast-moving plot and bad puns aplenty, Max and the Midknights will keep even the most reluctant of readers engaged to the end…Max and the Midknights is a vastly entertaining mix of action, adventure and humor. The lighthearted tale also touches on deeper topics of gender nonconformity, as characters question why girls can't be knights or magicians, or why boys can't write books or tell stories. At its heart, however, it is pure fun.

The New York Times Book Review - Victoria Jamieson

12/10/2018

Max’s uncle Budrick is a traveling troubadour in a 14th-century Europe-like countryside, and he’s the only family Max has. When the two visit Budrick’s homeland, the kingdom of Byjovia, they encounter King Gastley, who kidnaps Budrick and orders him to be his court jester. Max, who has always yearned to be a knight, must figure out how to rescue Budrick with the aid of new friends, the newly anointed Midknights. Thus begins a winding adventure filled with laughs, hijinks, and unexpected revelations, including a few about Max’s identity. Peirce mixes the formats of traditional and graphic novel, conveying much of the tale with panels but including prose passages on many pages. Filled with exciting elements, including wizards, dragons, zombies, and flying rats, this mischievous medieval tale in characteristic cartoons by Big Nate creator Peirce will entertain young and adult readers with adventure and humor. Ages 8–12. (Jan.)

Publishers Weekly

11/01/2018

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

School Library Journal

2018-09-17

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)

Kirkus Reviews