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. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

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 á la Jeff Kinney's Wimpy Kid is top notch. The charming characters, smooth visual flow. and snappy gags prove irresistible.--Jesse Karp Copyright 2018 Booklist

Its the Middle Ages, and redheaded Max is Uncle Budricks troubadour apprentice. Max longs to become a knight, but theres just one problem: Max is a girl, a fact neatly not revealed until almost fifty pages in. Shes shocked when she learns that girls arent allowed to be knights or do most jobs boys do. When the kingdom of Byjovias treacherous King Gastley makes the inept Budrick his fool, Max rescues her uncle with help from new friends Kevyn, Millie, and Simon (who dub themselves the Midknights) and a bumbling magician named Mumblin. Then Max discovers shes prophesized to save Byjovia from Gastley, so Max, the other Midknights, and Uncle Budrick (disguised as a goose) set off on a heros journey, encountering zombies, a real knight, a sorceress, dragons, and a boy with a life-changing secret. Theres much to enjoy in this newest comics-novel hybrid from Peirce (Big Nate, rev. 7/10; etc.). Max is a strong female protagonist who defies gender expectations, and she and her fellow Midknights repeatedly showcase their determination, skills, and bravery. Peirces narrative flows seamlessly between regular text and speech bubbles in the black-and-white comic panels. He offers readers not only a humorous, action-packed story but also enlightening information about life in the fourteenth century in an accessible modern vernacular. Heres hoping there are more entertaining adventures in store for Max and the Midknights. cynthia k. ritter January/February 2019 p 100(c) Copyright 2018. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

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) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Graphic novels provide a uniquely intimate reading experience. Through words and images, readers are invited into homes and schools; they are free to peek into corners and to quietly observe the worlds of the characters we meet, new kid (HarperCollins, 256 pp., $12.99; ages 8 to 12), the cartoonist Jerry Craft's new graphic novel, is a gift to readers who love the genre. Craft invites us into the world of Jordan Banks, one of the few African-American students at a fancy private school. As a realistic graphic novel starring a kid of color, "New Kid" is a desperately needed addition to middle-grade library collections everywhere. This funny, heartwarming and sometimes cringe-inducing take on middle school is sure to resonate deeply with its young audience. Jordan is an art-loving seventh grader who, against his will, is sent by his parents to the prestigious (and mostly white) Riverdale Academy Day School. Jordan's struggle is neatly echoed by his parents: His mother, who works at a largely white publishing firm, thinks Jordan needs to learn how to handle feeling like an outsider if he will ever succeed in corporate America. Jordan's father, on the other hand, runs a community center in their Washington Heights neighborhood and fears his son is losing touch with his roots. Jordan is caught somewhere in the middle, and his coming-of-age tale means navigating the path between his new, more affluent peers and his friends and loved ones in his neighborhood. A timely, and very funny, visit from his grandfather helps Jordan see that he does not need to choose one life or another, but can embrace the aspects of both worlds that bring him happiness. "New Kid" is a classic coming-of-age tale in many ways. Jordan dreams of being more like Batman, and he yearns for a growth spurt. He must navigate new friends, school bullies and fears of being spontaneously kissed by a girl who seems to like him. But Craft also gives us an intimate look at the particular struggles faced by Jordan as a minority kid at a mostly white school. His daily bus ride alone is exhausting. Jordan wears his hood and his sunglasses while he's in his own neighborhood so he appears tough and can feel safe. Once he's in the next neighborhood over, he takes his hood down and pulls out his sketchbook. As he approaches school, however, he must put his markers away again for fear that someone will think he is going to tag the bus. As two of his new schoolmates put it, he must appear kinda cool, yet nonthreatening. In addition to figuring out how to find his way through Riverdale's sprawling campus, he must also deal with garden-variety aggression as well as microaggressions from classmates and teachers alike. His homeroom teacher, Ms. Rawie, continually calls Drew, another black student, by the wrong name. When Drew and Jordan choose to spend a frigid recess indoors together, Ms. Rawie is concerned that they don't "associate" with other students. These aggravations build in intensity until a cafeteria altercation with the class bully threatens to get Drew suspended - but Jordan channels his superpowers and finds a voice to express his point of view about the injustices he's faced throughout the year. While he may not yet be in full Batman mode (after standing up to his teacher, he runs to throw up in the boys' room), he is one step closer to Bruce Wayne: comfortable in the boardroom and in rough neighborhoods, and willing to stand up for the little guy. "New Kid" is at once tender and tough, funny and heartbreaking. Hand this to the middle-grade reader in your life right away. Lincoln Peirce, creator of the best-selling Big Nate series, hits it out of the park again with his newest book, max and the MIDKNIGHTS (Crown, 277 pp., $13.99; ages 8 to 12). 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 is an apprentice to Sir Budrick, who happens to be the least talented troubadour of the 14 th century. Max, however, has no interest in the life of a traveling entertainer and dreams of becoming a valiant knight instead. When Sir Budrick (who is also Max's uncle) is kidnapped by the evil King Gastley of Byjovia, Max teams up with a ragtag bunch of kids to save him. The plot is filled with twists, the most delightful of which is revealed fairly early on. Max, as it turns out, is a girl, not a boy, as readers may assume. (I recommend you don't tell kids ahead of time!) This revelation adds a new layer to her dreams of knighthood, and feels like a deliciously subversive jab at the tired notion of "girl books" versus "boy books." The story moves at a fast clip, and Max, with the help of the magician Mumblin, embarks on a quest with her friends and her uncle (who is now a goose - it's a long story) to restore the rightful King Conrad to the throne of Byjovia. Along the way they encounter zombie warriors, exiled knights, fire-breathing dragons and one truly evil sorceress. Through acts of bravery and with a little help from her friends, Max claims her rightful title of Knight of the Realm. "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. VICTORIA JAMIESON is the author and illustrator of several graphic novels for young readers, including the Newbery Honor-winning "Roller Girl." Her next book will be published in 2020.

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.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.