Monday 31 October 2022

Max Magic by Stephen Mulhern with Tom Easton and Begona Fernandez Corbalan


The MAGICAL debut children's book from superstar TV presenter and magician, Stephen Mulhern! ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE! Max Mullers loves doing magic tricks - his gran has taught him everything he knows! But his tricks aren't enough to keep Bottley the Bully off his back. Then a run-in with Bottley at his parents' market stall gets Max into even bigger trouble - now the notorious East End gangsters the Crayfish Twins are after him! If Max is going to get out of this one, he'll need A MIRACLE. Fortunately for Max, with magic . . . anything is possible! An unforgettable adventure celebrating friendship, family and . . . MAGIC! Engaging black-and-white illustrations throughout and a dyslexic-friendly layout make this perfect for every child. Ideal for fans of Greg James & Chris Smith, Noel Fitzpatrick and David Baddiel. Inspired by Stephen Mulhern's incredible story of his journey to becoming a magician, performer and TV star.

If you watch light entertainment at all, you've probably seen Stephen Mulhern. (My favourite of his shows is Catchphrase, which I'm quite good at!) He is a very able TV presenter, able to set people at ease and chat happily about absolutely anything, but those skills don't necessarily translate to writing for children. Some people think it's easy - after all, children will read anything! - but children are very discerning, and they won't stick with a book they aren't enjoying the way an adult might. With a celebrity author, you can never be quite sure what you're getting - and Stephen's co-author, Tom Easton, is best known for a YA dystopian that killed everyone in the world apart from 78 people.

I needn't have worried. Max Magic is clever, funny, and immediately sweeps the reader into the story. Max is a great main character, and I can't wait to find out more about his family - each of them could easily be a main character in their own book. The story is brilliant and  wraps up nicely while still leaving loads of room for more stories to come. The illustrations are fabulous and really help with the story.

This is a great read and I think it'll do really well.


Max Magic is available now. I received a free copy and am giving an honest review.

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