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REVIEW FROM CBCA READING TIME NEWSLETTER 

Mitch is a Year Six student and everything sucks. He writes poems about how everything sucks, in fact. He is being bullied at school, and he’s no longer close to Ryan, a good friend. He sucks at footy in some ways, and while he is good at the game in other ways, it’s the sucky part that sticks with him. Stuff is happening with his parents – they are always fighting, and in particular his Dad seems to get angry at every little thing. He doesn’t understand why his Dad is like this, and he can tell that his Mum wants to help him, but his Dad isn’t open to that help. So when Mitch inadvertently injures Jason, the boy bullying him, things come to a head at school. It’s the accumulation of the different things happening at home and at school, but Mitch knows he’s in the wrong and apologies to Jason. It’s then that Mitch begins to open up to his school chaplain and admit he needs help. Through all this, in his backyard he has Maximus, a magpie with whom he makes friends. It’s almost as if the backyard becomes his oasis in a world where things are just all wrong for him. This is a book about allowing kids to feel all the things that it’s not “cool” to feel – being bullied, being worried for your parents, and not understanding why you’re feeling like everything is going wrong. It’s also a book about asking for help, and about being unafraid to have these feelings of loss, and anger – at your friends or your parents. Mitch is given some excellent advice and coping mechanisms, and the author presents this in a way that young readers are going to love – if Mitch can write a poem about how everything sucks, and it’s essentially a list of all the things that suck… and it makes him feel better, then young readers can too if they need to. The resolution of his parents’ issues is particularly important too, because like Mitch, his Dad final recognises he needs help and starts talking to a counsellor, which makes a difference to their home life immediately. Young readers will see that adults need the same sort of help they might too, and that for young and old it’s okay to ask for it. There are lovely friendships, and even an examination of ANZACs and what it means to Australians to honour that history in Maximus. I liked that the author acknowledged refugees in the book as well, by having a young Asian classmate of Mitch’s relate how her family was affected by war as well, and her experiences as a refugee. I almost think there are so many important issues the author tackles in this, that it might be a better read, if some were saved for a second book. I can’t finish without mentioning the lovely illustrations, which will resonate with young readers as they will see their own messy rooms, backyards and family dinners in them too! 

Reviewed by Verushka Byron

REVIEW FROM LOVE TO READ LOCAL

Who would ever be a teenager again? The inexplicable waves of emotions, confusing social situations, family discord; it’s all awkward and frankly exhausting. As Mitch, our main character, valiantly tries to navigate the pitfalls, it’s no wonder he seeks solace in the company of his backyard magpie mate, Maximus. Steve Heron faithfully recreates the experience of early adolescence in an identifiable Australian setting with a story rich in credible characters and events. Sometimes we read for entertainment and fun and sometimes to learn, or find wise counsel, in Maximus, you’ll find it all.

REVIEW FROM SAM AT LAMONT BOOKS

This book will really resonate with readers, particularly those that might be going through a rough patch and feel isolated in their troubles.
Mitch thinks that the whole world is against him. Not only is he having trouble with the kids at school, but his life at home is just as frustrating. His FIFO Dad has changed and is now always angry and volatile, and his relationship and interactions with his little sister just annoy him. The only thing that brings him peace and happiness is the magpie, who he names Maximus, that now keeps frequenting his backyard.
It is not until Mitch has a massive meltdown and lets all his built-up anger and frustration out, that things start to turn around for him. This book really does highlight that there are people around all of us that are there to help, and each and every person has their own struggles that they deal with in different ways.
It has extremely strong themes of friendships, loyalty, family conflict and conflict resolution, bullying and self-confidence, and it is a book that will suit all those aged 9 and above.