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Biography: Stephen Mulhern (Author) Stephen Mulhern is one of the most in-demand television presenters today, w ith a string of smash-hit television show s including Catchphrase, In For a Penny and Rolling In It. There are very few throughout the book which is a shame as magic could be so much fun to play around with and add some extra excitement to the story however most of the illustrations were just characters not doing anything, just standing there either holding something or looking at someone. To make it illustrated as well was very clever, I can imagine that a youngster with dyslexia would find a real comfort in the words they find difficult to read come to life in the pictures.
A zany, fast pace tale that is sure to grab kids attention and also subtly deals with issues like bullying and being different and embracing it. I would have thought that this would appeal to children who like David Walliam’s books or the Treehouse series. Other cancelled products: If you want to cancel products that are not damaged or incorrectly supplied, then you must inform us of this within seven working days following the date of receipt in accordance with the Distance Selling Regulations or otherwise as soon as possible.It could end up being a useful teaching tool to explore these topics with your children as Max faces and deals with all these various issues throughout the course of the book. But sadly he is still a victim of bullying and disaster strikes when one day watching his father's toy stall the local bully Bottley causes trouble. When masked magician Mr Mysterio enters the competition, Max suspects that something strange is going on. Although there is a lot of fun interwoven into the story, there are also themes and references which are dark and disturbing (bullying, intimidation, extortion, the use of knives and guns) and for this reason I’d be concerned about a young child reading it on their own. He had his fair share of trials and troubles, that he was able to overcome with some self discovery and help from friends which in itself is a great message for a debut book.
Max is a great main character, and I can't wait to find out more about his family - each of them could easily be a main character in their own book. With the help of his friends and his trusty dog Lucky, Max is going to give The Greatest Show on Earth everything he's got .The illustrations, Begoña Fernández Corbalán, are amazing and add an element to the story; I love the flipbook-style image on the corner of each page. I liked that there is a trick you can learn in the back of the book, which was part of the story, me and my daughter tried to learn it too. The characters are interesting to read about and you feel that you get to know them well through the book. I was pleased that Stephen and his team have ticked all the boxes and succeeded, with bullying, friendship and family covered and a strong, positive message. Max's character was fun to learn about, and seeing him carry on the family tradition of being a magician.
It would be good if there was more of these books as I think there is a good chance it could do well. There are a few illustrations within the book, similar to those you’d find in any book for readers of this age (I’d say anywhere from 7-12 years, depending on reading level). There are black and white pictures as well as doodles of playing cards and a a top hat on each page.Max lives with his chatty family in East London where he learns a trick each day and shares it with others. Then a run-in with Bottley at his parents' market stall gets Max into even bigger trouble - now the notorious East End gangsters the Crayfish Twins are after him! I would note that guns and knives do get a very brief mention, and that's what's keeping a star off for me. Although I am not the target audience for Max Magic I really enjoyed this entertaining book about friends working together and using their skills to defeat bullies. Then a run-in with Bottley at his parents' market stall gets Max into even bigger trouble—now the notorious East End gangsters the Crayfish Twins are after him!
Tom is joined by his friends and they are on a mission to save Max’s Dad’s market stall from the characters of the evil Crayfish Twins.
I much prefer stories that are fun and you can learn from the characters situation at the same time and this book didn't achieve that in my opinion. I think anyone over the age of ten would probably find some bits a bit too immature and so rather boring, especially if they were higher level readers. There's a World of books to choose from such as: Children's Books, Range includes Baby Books (0-3), Books for Toddlers (3-5), Early Readers (5-7), Childrens Story books (7-11), Young Teens (11-14), Young Adults (14-16) and Childrens Educational Books. Even though this is a children's book, and is clearly intended to be as accessible as possible for young readers given that the font is not too dissimilar to comic sans as well as certain words being emphasised in bold, the "anything is possible" theme is something that adults can relate to and therefore may appeal to them as much as their kids. I think this book will be enjoyed by most children age 7 – 10 years, and for those with an interest in magic, there is also a guide to performing a trick at the end of the book.
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