Max's Wild Night

by Meg Welch Dendler

Max didn’t mean to run away, but when he found himself alone in the moonlit woods, he saw his chance for freedom. No humans to tell him what to do. No cats running the house. No one to call him Bad Dog. No fences and no rules. He could be wild and free and never have to answer to anyone again! But will that freedom turn out to be the fantastic journey he was expecting? What adventures and strange creatures will Max discover in the Ozark forest on a full-moon spring night?

“Max’s Wild Night” is a companion book to the best-selling, award-winning Cats in the Mirror series.

132 pages, Paperback

First published April 15, 2015

About the author

Meg Dendler has considered herself a writer since she was honored in a picture book contest in 5th grade. Beginning serious work as a freelancer in the '90s while teaching elementary and middle school, Meg has over one hundred articles in print, including interviews with Kirk Douglas, Sylvester Stallone, and Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. She has won contests with her short stories and poetry, along with multiple awards for her best-selling Cats in the Mirror alien rescue cat children's book series. “Bianca: The Brave Frail and Delicate Princess” was honored as Best Juvenile Book of 2018 by the Oklahoma Writers' Federation, and "Snickerdoodle's Shenanigans" won that same honor in 2024. Now a retired teacher, Meg holds a BA in Journalism/Public Relations, an MA in Early Childhood Education, and has been teacher certified in three states. Meg is also an editor/proofreader for independent and self-publishing authors, with over 90 books completed since 2015.

Visit her at www.megdendler.com for more information about upcoming books and events and all of Meg's social media links.

Reviews

[The Styling Librarian]

Max’s Wild Night by Meg Dendler – Animal Fiction – Prepare yourself for the adventures of a runaway dog! Max is tired of being told off at home and decides that he should go and enjoy life outdoors. He hears his owners calling him home but he goes the opposite way. The adventures he experiences and dangers he puts himself into are all pretty tame and believable. I know that this is a fun, safer book to read with children who might be sensitive to the dramatic depressing animal fiction books that are out there. Meg Dendler is wonderful at creating entertaining books about cats and their crazy adventures but I’m now looking forward to more of her dog stories now!

[Erik This Kid Reviews Books]

Synopsis- Max liked his owners. They were always good to him. But one day, Max’s daily routine got mixed up. His play-times were cut short, and his owners were busy. When he was in the yard, he caught a scent-trail. So, as any sensible dog would do, he followed it. But soon, the trail led into unfamiliar territory. Max was lost. So began Max’s wild night. What I Thought- This was a fun book. It involves characters from Ms. Dendler’s other books, but it doesn’t mention the cat-aliens at all . It was just a story about a dog running through the Ozark Mountains on an adventure. It was cool getting into a dog’s perspective. It was realistic, and reminded me of my dog, Clyde. I felt like I was there with Max and his new-found friends. Ms. Dendler knows how to draw you into a story. Max was a nice character, and you feel kind of sorry for him and you can’t wait for him to succeed. The black-and-white illustrations throughout the book are done really nice. They have a cool sketched feeling about them. I think younger kids will love this series! I give this five out of five bookworms!
*NOTE* I got a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Stephanie (Gorelenore) Cover2CoverBlog]

Max's Wild Night is the first companion to the Cats in the Mirror series featuring Max, or the Big Black Beast from Cats. On night Max decides that he is going to chase a smell and ends up running away from home. He loves his home and his people but tonight he just wants to explore and so he does. The story follows him as he meets strange creatures, other lost dogs, a few people and explores the forest. It is a fun-filled adventure from the point of view of Max and it is very fun to read.

Max is a funny, imaginative character who wants to live life to its fullest in this night. And given that Max is a dog, and I love dogs, this book kept me riveted as I read what happened next. There were even a few nods to the Cats series which were cute.

I really like these books and the series - they are based off of real pets and the books often include photos of them to help the reader visualize them. The books are fun and I think any animal lover will enjoy reading about Max and the cats.

[Joood Hooligan]

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

First thing I think when I see this book is how amusing it looks. I was also quite excited to get a new book to read with my son. I also didn't know what to expect with this story. I've read a couple children's books that featured a real dog... and they weren't good.

So, I started it. We'd read a bit each night, but I would read ahead even when I knew he had fallen asleep. Because I do what I want! *cue evil laughing* It was much better than anticipated. I was surprised with how much I enjoyed this story.

Max is a hoodlum, like any normal dog. I thought the story from his point of view was done rather well. It reminded me of my dogs, in a lot of ways.

Although this was written more for kids, I found it to be a fun and quick read for myself. Highly recommended for anyone who loves dogs and would like to see what shenanigans they're up to when they go off on their adventures.

http://www.platypire.com/j-hooligan/m...

[Cat McMahon]

Sure to be a Classic!

Award winning author, Meg Welch Dendler, has done it again . . . only this time, she’s gone to the dogs!

"Max's Wild Night" is an engaging story sure to become a classic. This page-turner appeals to a wide audience, you might even say it’s ageless.

Children adore Max and adults lose themselves in his rollicking tale filled with suspense and sentiment.

True to his breed, Max takes to wild as only a Border Collie can. He’s a keeper that will win your heart.

Even cat aficionados, like me, fall in love with Max.

You will want to keep this timeless story on your bookshelf to read time, and time again!

--Cat McMahon
CatsStories.com

[Riley K.]

I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Max’s Wild Night by Meg Welch Dendler was an amazing read. I read this to my furbabies especially my little hoodlum Demon. Reading to him at night seems to make him sleep easier.

I really enjoyed reading the story from Max’s POV. I am a dog lover, and I thoroughly enjoyed this story even though it is geared to younger people. Good books don’t come with age limits.

I thought the story flowed. It gave me a chance to bond with the furbabies. They all sat quietly to hear about the shenanigans Max was up to.

I would definitely recommend this book to others. I give it 5/5 Platypires.

[Jeannie Platt]

Max's Wild Night is about a dog who had a bad day after being called a bad dog all day and ends up getting lost in the woods and running away. He goes on quite an adventure down the mountain, meeting coyotes, other dogs, a badger, snake and even a bear.

A first had some issues with calling his humans/owners Daddy-man & Mama-Lady but then Max is a dog.

He actually reminded me of my dogs who are always under my feet. (House Dogs who like to escape for a bit and worry me).

My son really liked this story and found it entertaining.

Good book to read in chapters before bedtime.

[Kathy Manus]

The book was interesting and very tempting to read ahead. - Erin I enjoyed reading this book with my daughter and we look forward to reading the Cats in the Mirror series.

[LEA Kivell]

I really enjoyed Max's Wild Night because it is exciting and breath taking sometimes. It was very detailed. Max was so funny sometimes! He thought being free was going to be great, but was it? I liked this book better than my favorite series. Once you pick up the book, it's sooo hard to put it down! Because of this, I finished the book in less than a week!
A.
age 10

[Ronda Boccio]

I have to give you a trigger warning for this book because if you ever had a dog be out all night, this book will stress you out. But it is a really good story and no harm was done in the end, so that's good!

[Bob Platypire]

I bought this book (as well as the others that were out) for my little girl at a book signing in Houston. Never too early to start her signed collection, right? It was so much fun to read to her! We did voices for each of the dogs, had growling contests when growls happened in the book, and just had a blast with it. We read a chapter during bath time, splitting the larger chapters into two nights. It was amazing.

The book is well written and highly entertaining. While she may not have understood what was going on so much, my older kids would sit outside of the bathroom in the hallway to hear, as well, always a little disappointed when we were done for the night! So, all in all, it was a lot of fun for the whole family.

Bob and the Bobling Pugglepires give it: 5 Big Stars!