This is a first novel by children’s entertainer, Stephen Mulhern writing with Tom Easton. The illustrations are lively, if slightly old fashioned looking ( perhaps intentionally). As an adult without children this is clearly not intended for me but it really is written in the most engaging way. It’s a first person account by young Max Muller, living in a multicultural East End with his talkative and loving family. His ambition is to be a magician and his long-suffering family are his guinea pigs. The humour in his descriptions of ‘when magic goes wrong’ is nicely pitched and allows the use of one’s own imagination. School is not so great though. Max is not an enthusiastic scholar (except where magic is concerned) and likes to be the centre of attention. I did feel for the teacher for whom Max’s lively contributions in class could clearly be a little OTT! But the real problem is the bullies, in school and out. Off course, with the aid of some real magic and some real friends Max gets the better of bully-in- chief, George Bottley and the neighbourhood’ resident villains, the notorious Crayfish Twins! Max is then, we hope, on the way, with the aid of a magic hat, to becoming Max the Magnificent. Indeed the book indicates that there will be more adventures coming soon. The book has a clear, liberal moral message and naturally , good does triumph - equally naturally rather more easily that it could ever do in real life. A charming story with great ( if familiar) characters and - you can learn how to do a magic trick. I received a copy of this book from Readers First.

A great read touching on some tough topics, such as bullying. Max Mullers loves magic and wants to be a magician when he’s older. His dad has taught him a few tricks and his gran is his biggest fan. He loves to try out his latest tricks on his classmates and friends, however there is one particular boy at school called Bottley who is particularly nasty. His go to his stuffing wriggling worms into peoples mouths. One day, whilst collecting Lucky, Maxs dog, from his grans, Max stubbles upon an old chest. When opening the chest, Max is thrown backwards and he hits his head. Suddenly he can understand what his dog is saying, he can also do real magic! Inside the chest is a lovely magical top hat. With his sudden new powers can Max overcome the nasty bully Bottley and save his family business from going down the gutter? Great read for young people, love the illustrations.

My daughter had enjoyed listening to this book. It's fun, light hearted and interesting. It keeps her engaged and keen to read on!

This is probably tailored more to school children but regardless me and my little sister loved this book! The illustrations are great and nostalgic, and the author has written in a very engaging way. Max's character was fun to learn about, and seeing him carry on the family tradition of being a magician. The book also covers standing up to bullies and self-confidence which is great! It is a simple book and somewhat predictable but perfect for children. Messages from the story like standing up for what is right were covered well and are relevant to the children in this time. The cover is very cool, and very attractive to the target audience. Anyone interested in magic or all things fun will be sure to enjoy this quick and exciting read! I am so excited to read more books like this and am hoping that this goes on to becoming a series as i'd love to see more of Max!

I've been reading this book with my 8 year old son and he has enjoyed listening to the tales of Max and the magic tricks he performs. The story is written in a simple way that engages the pre teen age group. It is a story about Max who loves magic (if you hadn't already guessed that from the title) and it deals with school bullies and local gangsters. I love the illustrations featured throughout the book (I find my son engages more with a book that isn’t just pages and pages of text) and love the magic hat that moves if you flick the pages back and forward. My son also loved that the book has instructions for a couple pf simple magic tricks at the end of the book (he insisted on turning to the back of the book as soon as they were mentioned as being at the back of the book at the beginning the story). Overall I think this is a decent book for 7-10 year olds..