THE BOOK OF LOST THINGS

In the monologue of his play As You Like It, Shakespeare says: “All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players. Maximilian Starling, AKA Mister Max and Mister Max Solutioneer, could say the same thing about his life. And he’s only twelve years old.

MISTER MAX: THE BOOK OF LOST THINGS, Award Winning Author Cynthia Voigt’s latest novel for MG/Tween readers, is a story that will have you laughing, crying, and waiting to see what young Max does next to solve his problems. His life is not running too smoothly at the moment. His troubles all start when his parents, William and Mary Starling, owners of Starling Theatrical Company, receive an invitation to India from the Maharajah of Kashmir, along with two ship tickets and a brooch. Things go wrong from the beginning and Max soon finds himself alone, with only his grammie for help, as he tries to piece together the situation. A delightful cast of characters adds mystery and confusion for Max in his quest to discover what has happened to his parents. He also needs a job if he plans to eat. Having a variety of costumes, thanks to his actor parents, Max disguises himself and goes about job hunting. Along the way he discovers he’s good at finding lost objects and that people are not always what they seem.

Cynthia Voigt’s tale about Max, who is quite the clever young man, should appeal to young readers that enjoy adventure, a hero who’s not perfect but does the best he can, and doesn’t back down when he believes he’s right, no matter what the adults around him may say. Beautiful imagery brings each scene to life. The author leaves Max with an even bigger problem to solve, making the reader (at least me) wonder when the second book in the series will be out. Recommended for school libraries and classrooms and for all readers from ten to a hundred.

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An ARC of the book was provided to me by Random House Children's Books and Net Galley.