Battle of the Bodkins

October 1, 2020
Max and the merry Midknights return in their second adventure and fight treacherous foes that steal their forms. With a high ponytail and skill with a sword, Max is training at the Knight School of Byjovia. Her favorite teacher, Sir Gadabout, has left to help King Conrad, and in his place arrives a foul-tempered instructor named Sir Brickbat. As if this wasn't trouble enough, a spell gone awry floods the kingdom of Byjovia with bodkins, formless foes from another dimension who take on the form of Byjovian residents. As the denizens of the kingdom are slowly replaced with the evil bodkins, Max and the Midknights must try to discern who is human and who is not in an effort to stop the impending bodkin invasion. Like its predecessor, Peirce's sophomore graphic hybrid carries on its zippy mix of fast-paced prose and visually interesting illustrations, keeping pages flying to the happy ending with its tantalizing cliffhanger. For those new to the series, this adventure is relatively self-contained, rendering it fine for first-time readers (although a recap of the previous volume is included for the curious). While the illustrations are black and white, shading signals different skin tones: Max and two of her best friends read White, and two other Midknights present with darker skin and hair. Secondary and background characters have a range of skin tones. Consistently entertaining and enjoyable. (Graphic fantasy hybrid. 7-12)

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March 1, 2021
This Max & the Midknights (rev. 1/19) sequel finds Max enrolled at KSB (Knight School of Byjovia), Millie learning magic from wizard Mumblin, Simon apprenticed at Kevyn's dad's stable, and Kevyn writing books. His debut, "The Tale of Max & the Midknights" (sound familiar?), leads the friends to their next mission: after Millie casts a spell to produce duplicates of the book, they discover that one of the copies is actually a bodkin, a.k.a. an almost identical evil copy/twin of the original. Bodkins can be people, too, and those living in the shadow world of Knot are planning an invasion of Byjovia. It's up to the Midknights -- including new character Sedgewick (one of Max's classmates) -- to save the kingdom, again. In Peirce's latest comics-novel hybrid, humor abounds throughout the interplay of text, speech-bubble dialogue, and black-and-white illustrations (e.g., upon seeing an ominous-looking face form from the book bodkin's pages, Uncle Budrick quips, "And people wonder why I'm a reluctant reader"). But Peirce also adds emotional depth to Max's struggle with a very relatable anxiety: she wrestles with doubts about her skills ("What if I'm a lousy knight?"). An intriguing final twist for Max promises that fans of this mock-chivalric series will again be "seeing double" in a future installment. Cynthia K. Ritter

(Copyright 2021 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

January 1, 2021
This Max & the Midknights (rev. 1/19) sequel finds Max enrolled at KSB (Knight School of Byjovia), Millie learning magic from wizard Mumblin, Simon apprenticed at Kevyn's dad's stable, and Kevyn writing books. His debut, "The Tale of Max & the Midknights" (sound familiar?), leads the friends to their next mission: after Millie casts a spell to produce duplicates of the book, they discover that one of the copies is actually a bodkin, a.k.a. an almost identical evil copy/twin of the original. Bodkins can be people, too, and those living in the shadow world of Knot are planning an invasion of Byjovia. It's up to the Midknights -- including new character Sedgewick (one of Max's classmates) -- to save the kingdom, again. In Peirce's latest comics-novel hybrid, humor abounds throughout the interplay of text, speech-bubble dialogue, and black-and-white illustrations (e.g., upon seeing an ominous-looking face form from the book bodkin's pages, Uncle Budrick quips, "And people wonder why I'm a reluctant reader"). But Peirce also adds emotional depth to Max's struggle with a very relatable anxiety: she wrestles with doubts about her skills ("What if I'm a lousy knight?"). An intriguing final twist for Max promises that fans of this mock-chivalric series will again be "seeing double" in a future installment.

(Copyright 2021 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)