The Misadventures of Max Crumbly: Locker Hero

Gr 4–6—From the creator of the "Dork Diaries" comes a new series starring a lovable new hero. Max's transition from homeschooling to public school is rocky, especially since he has asthma and an irritable bladder triggered by social anxiety. His plight deepens when a stereotypical bully, Thug, harasses Max and locks him in his locker—twice. The first time, Max is freed by his crush, Erin, and the two forge a connection. The second time, Max is stuck after school for hours. When he finally manages to escape, he discovers hidden sections of the ill-maintained school building. He also finds inept criminals stealing the school computers. With Erin's help, he manages to save the day. The character development is light, and the style is conversational. Fans of Janet Tashjian's My Life as a Book will be drawn to the journal-style format and crisp, manga-inspired line drawings. Those who enjoyed the melodramatic middle school mayhem in Chris Rylander's The Fourth Stall or Varian Johnson's The Great Greene Heist will appreciate Max's chuckle-worthy adventures.