Hi everyone! I’m Max Crack and this awesome book is all about me and my quests and my best friend Frankie!
Max Crack is new in Piddown.
He decides that a new town means a new beginning and resolves to embark on a series of quests, such as:
Make a new best friend
Win a trophy.
Solve a mystery.
Find hidden treasure.
He meets Frankie on his first day in town (Quest No. 1: tick). Now all he has to do is win a trophy, solve a mystery and find hidden treasure… The story is presented as Max’s diary, and it’s a visual feast: full of speech bubbles, doodles, asides, highlighted words, and crossed-out words.
Buried treasure, new school, doodles, peanut butter and honey toast, best friends, horrible blobs, mysteries, Meddlyslop, spelling bees (hard words, harder words), more doodles, comics, World War Undies … this book has it ALL.
The Quest Diaries of Max Quest is the debut children’s book from cartoonist and illustrator Jules Faber. Faber is well-known as the illustrator of WEIRDO.
This is a great read for a child aged approximately 10-12. The Quest Diaries of Max Quest definitely reads like it’s skewed more towards male readers, but female readers will find a lot to enjoy about this series.
The writing is very much stream of consciousness — chaotic, manic and fun. Young readers will be able to relate to the style of voice, and many parents will recognise the language and the dialogue.
Scattered throughout the book are detailed comics with speech bubbles and intricate diagrams. A lot of the humour actually comes from the drawings, rather than just the text.
“Frankie’s learned how to hide from attacks in his cool hideout. His hideout is in the attic past his bedroom and the upstairs lounge room. His house is really HUGE too. His dad built it using bricks made by convicts when the country was first settled by Europeans. Frankie showed me some THUMBPRINTS and POSSUM FOOTPRINTS still in the bricks.”
Max and Frankie are both really sweet, thoughtful, and imaginative. They’re kind and considerate, and their creativity knows no boundaries.
Even for an adult, it’s fun to follow Max’s quests. The comics are fun to explore and the chaotic nature of the storyline is enjoyable for all readers, not just young.
“Even with his eye problems he might win it. Especially if he does get super spelling powers. I’m going to have to work extra hard if I want that trophy, and I do. It’s the second quest on my list and, because I’ve ticked the first QUEST off already, I want to keep the streak going.”
I think the illustrations are the biggest strength of this book. The writing is good, but the illustrations are what will really entertain a young reader.
A solid children’s book debut, full of laughs and joy for young readers. Parents should feel confident buying this for their young child, and kids will find enjoyment reading the book and scanning the illustrations and comics.
Thank you to the publisher for mailing me a review copy in exchange for an honest review.
The Quest Diaries of Max Quest
Jules Faber
September 2019
Pan Macmillan Publishers
Leave a Reply