The House That Max Built

Jean Free, a library consultant, is a retired public-school teacher and
librarian in Whitby, Ontario.

Maxwell Holman III is in Grade 6 and about to begin a long summer
vacation when he and his friends Perky and Amanda decide to build a
house out of cardboard boxes. The house soon begins to take on a life of
its own; with the assistance of riddle-solver John Marmalade, they begin
a marvelous adventure that takes them back in time to the days of Merlin
and King Arthur.

The House That Max Built is a fun book that strikes a believable
balance between fantasy and realism and reads aloud very well. Its open
ending would make it useful for a creative writing activity: students
might, for example, be asked to write further adventures for Green’s
vacationing characters. The novel is written in a brisk, humorous style,
with plenty of dialogue that moves the story along quickly, and should
appeal to reluctant readers.

Green is the Oshawa author of There’s a Dragon in My Closet, Junk
Pile Jennifer, and Alice and the Birthday Giant. This is his first novel
for junior-grade students.