Max Goes to Jupiter: A Science Adventure with Max the Dog

by Jeffrey O. Bennett, Nick Schneider, Erica Ellingson

Scientifically-accurate illustrations and information-packed sidebars enrich this fascinating tale, the third in this acclaimed series about diversity and space exploration. Set in the future, Max the Dog’s friend Tori is all grown up and is the chief scientist of the Jupiter Mission. In order to reach their spacecraft, Max and his crew must take an amazing ride on a new device called the Space Elevator. Once they’ve probed the planet’s atmosphere, Max and friends begin exploring two of Jupiter’s moons—the volcanically active moon Io and the ice-encrusted moon Europa. On Europa, Max once again saves the day by locating a weak spot in the ice to launch a submarine and explore the ocean below.

Genres: Science, Picture Books, Nonfiction

32 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2008

Reviews

[Lagobond · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wow. What is this, some 8th grader's after-school project? "Hmmm, let's see... how many different font types and sizes does my word processor have?" I have never seen such a poorly made book before. The pictures are fuzzy and out of proportion, and look like something out of a fever dream. The text boxes are haphazardly slapped together, printed in a very hard-to-read-font, and don't go with anything else on the page. There is zero formatting consistency between the different parts of the book.

I can see and appreciate what the creators were trying to do with this book/series, and I can tell that some of them poured their heart and soul into this book, so I feel a little guilty for this review. But my goodness! What was the editor thinking? Was the graphic designer / artist drunk? What is up with this book? I didn't even bother to read the text, because everything is presented in such poor fashion that I wouldn't believe anything they tell me anyway.

One thing I find amazing is the following claim in the flap text: "Michael Carroll is an internationally acclaimed space artist and author. One of his paintings orbited Earth on the Russian Mir space station and another (in digital form) is part of a time capsule aboard the Phoenix lander on Mars." Well... I suppose the upshot of that is that nobody will ever see them there?!

And what's up with the dog? Such a handsome guy. But, but, but... his real name is Cosmo! How fitting for a series of books about space! Why on Earth would they change his name to Max for these books. Talk about a missed opportunity. By the way, in case you need a laugh or some new nightmare material, check out the picture of the pup on page 17. The artist really failed him there.

I kept checking the book to see whether perhaps this really was a school project, but I can't find any indication of this being the case. Therefore I have to assume that this book was indeed put together by adults. Which is a crime against art, bookmaking, humanity, Cosmo, the trees that had to die for the paper, and who knows what else.

[SaraKat · Rating 3 out of 5]

Max goes to explore Jupiter and its moons in this volume. I like how Tori is getting older and becoming a scientist and such. The dog in this story is the grandson of the original Max. That is more realistic than book series where the protagonist never ages, but it is also sad.

I liked the way the author used the geocentric and heliocentric theories of the universe to compare to children growing up and realizing that you aren't the center of everything! So many people never get that far in their development.

The authors of this book believe that wars, crimes, hatred, and other bad things are often caused by people who act as though they still think the universe should revolve around them.

Boom! Take that, people! I also liked the little tidbit how Max could hear the astronauts through his radio but he couldn't tell which direction it was coming from. That is an interesting problem that I didn't think of.

[Amanda · Rating 3 out of 5]

My four year old chose this during his library class. It is pretty advanced for his age. I did a lot of skimming. He loves all things science so was happy to hear some of the facts mixed in with the story. Probably a great book for advanced second or third graders.

[Miss Sarah · Rating 2 out of 5]

An elementary level picture book about Max the dog's grandson headed to the planet of Jupiter to visit it's moons along with a now grown up owner. Lots of nonfiction facts.

[Clara McIntosh · Rating 3 out of 5]

This would be a fun book to read when talking about the planets. While it is science fiction, it includes lots of side bars with facts about Jupiter and its moons.

[Hsa Lei · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a great book we could read aloud to kids when teaching them some concepts about Earth Science.

[Kelly Connelly]

Engaging and educational about science topics

[Anna]

Read by Astronaut Mike Hopkins on the International Space Station, in a video from Story Time From Space

[Paula Griffith · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have not read the other "Max" books, but what I liked about this one is the scientific possibilities that could be investigated. Imagine taking an elevator into space or walking on one of Jupiter's moons. Living within spitting distance of NASA and growing up with so many whose parent worked at Mission Control has made me appreciate the scientific principles that are so clearly explained in this book. While it may read like Flash Gordon at the moment, who knows where we will be in twenty or thirty more years. It is books like this that will keep kids interested in space flight and future discoveries that will propel us farther from home. This book will appeal to those kids who are scientific minded and paying attention to the space program. I think this book is more aimed at the grades 3-6 readers. The reading level is a bit high, so expect this to appeal to very able readers who have some background about this topic.

[Pinky · Rating 3 out of 5]

Max travels to distant planets in the far future when space travel isn't that difficult.

[Kaethe · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eh. We didn't love the fictional aspect and didn't even want to read the non-fiction sidebars.

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very good mix of fact and fiction for elementary age readers.