Max's Castle

K-Gr 2—Benjamin and Karl continue their condescending attitude toward their younger brother in this third adventure about Max. They are incredulous when he enthusiastically unearths a lettered block from beneath his bed. After finding other long-abandoned toys in the stash, he begins to construct a castle. Always one to see the potential of words, Max now trains his imagination on the letters within. As "moat" becomes a "boat" and "pirates" become "rat pies," the siblings are swept into the pretend world, and the scale transforms to life-size. When danger presents itself, quick-thinking Max rearranges the letters to alter the course of events; even when they fall into a "catastrophe" (a dungeon), the boys find "hope" and a "star." Brimming with clever wordplay, humor, and mixed-media scenes worthy of any child's dreams-come-true, the full impact is clearly the result of seasoned collaboration and experience; e.g., when Banks writes that the "drawer" contains a "reward," Kulikov's painting of a mirror proving the point is an inspired response. The perspectives are more dramatic, the contrast between light and dark is heightened, and there are more full-bleed spreads than in the earlier titles, especially at moments of tension. Those who have seen the previous books will recognize objects in the brothers' castle rooms. Emerging readers will enjoy deciphering the words formed by the blocks before they hear the text. Everyone will delight in the imagined world, and some children may be inspired to look under their beds.—Wendy Lukehart, Washington DC Public Library