As someone who appreciates well-crafted narratives with clever protagonists, I found this book to be both heartwarming and engaging. Voigt’s storytelling captures a sense of adventure and curiosity, making it a delightful read for anyone who enjoys a mix of whimsy, mystery, and clever problem-solving.

Thank you to NetGalley and Random House Children's for the egalley of this book to read and give my honest review. All opinions expressed here are my own.
What a delightfully fun book! It gave me Home Alone vibes, and I love that movie! It makes a crazy situation totally believable!
Max's parents leave him behind when they leave to pursue an invitation to India. Max must fend for himself while they are gone and try to find out what happened to them when he learns their departure might be more sinister than he thought.
I like Max. He's resourceful And he kind of gathers people along his journey. People who will help him and who teach him something that moves him forward. Max is also a doer and a solution seeker. His character will definitely appeal to young readers as he is relatable. He becomes a sort of detective in this book and I think kids will love his penchant for wanting to solve the mystery.
I liked the pacing of this book. It was almost like having stories within the main story. There was hilarity and magic that really moved things along, as well.
Overall, this was a fun read.

What a fabulous story by Cynthia Voigt. Imagination, mystery, and adventure collide in this engaging tale of a young boy left to stay with his grandmother while his parents are off on a trip. I did not know this was expected to be a series when I requested it, but now I need to read the next ones.

This was a fun mystery for middle grade readers. Such a great premise. Mister Max is a character I will be following through all three of his stories!

All the world certainly is a stage.

It's the early 1900's. William and Mary Starling own their own theatrical company. Maximilian is their twelve year old son. Inexplicably he's left behind on their journey to India. His father has said that they would not leave without him. What happened?
Max's father is a strange man. He uses words his mother declares are 'just teasing.' It seems I and possibly Max are unsure.
Left with his grandmother who encourages Max to make his own way Mac decides to take up detecting which he terms solutioneering. Finding solutions to problems, including the mystery of Max's parents location.
Cynthia Voight has always been one of my go to children's and YA reads.

A Random House Children's ARC via NetGalley
(Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.)

My Thoughts:
I like the idea of the story more than the story itself.
Max has been left behind. He and his parents are separated and Max has no idea what happened. In the process of trying to figure out the mystery, Max begins helping others. Max becomes Mr. Max, a detective. He has a few jobs doing detective work. Each assignment builds with importance.
I like the form or structure of the story, but feel something is missing. It's possible I was looking for resolution about Max and his missing parents in book 1. I definitely wanted a strong adventure story and this one fell flat.
I love Grammie. She's a cool librarian.
I wrestled with an okay or good rating. I settled on good.

This is an enjoyable book. Max is endearing and lots of fun. He's clever, resourceful and able to solve other people's problems better than finding his missing parents.

I did not enjoy this one, unfortunately. I got so frustrated with this story because Max was supposed to be looking for his parents, but the plot did absolutely nothing to support that motivation and make it happen.

This book was added to my shelf five years ago. I was initially interested in reading it with 9-year old son as I thought it would be a fun book to read together, but we never got around to it. I discovered reading print books together was what he preferred. I am therefore no longer interested in reading it and apologize for any inconvenience this may have caused.

An excellent mystery with lots of twists and turns. I will recommend this book to my friends.

I enjoyed this title and recommend it often to the kids.

This title is popular at our library.