Max kicks off a word-filled adventure when he pulls some blocks and assorted toys out from under his bed. At first, his two older brothers scoff at his claim that the items are “amazing” and “marvelous,” but the three boys are soon building a roomy castle together. Max uses wordplay to construct his fantasy palace, rotating letter-covered blocks to change “WALLS” to “HALLS.” He also works with anagrams, turning “MORE BONES” to “BEN’S ROOM.” When the three take a BOAT on their MOAT, they’re soon set upon by PIRATES, which Max transforms into RAT PIES. A trip through a secret passage leads to a DRAGON, DOG, and GUARD, all of which can be found in a DARK DUNGEON. The adventures eventually give way to a FEAST in celebration of the boys’ FEATS.
Words rule in this imaginary kingdom, a message that’s both obvious and subtle in this story. When we first meet Max’s brothers, they’re clad in athletic gear, though they soon don capes and robes befitting the castle theme. The two active kids get a lesson in diplomacy, as Max informs them they don’t BATTLE in his kingdom, they BABBLE. He then turns a tongue-tied sibling’s SWORD into WORDS before dismantling any weapons he finds with spelling tricks. Letters fill each page, and often make up the subjects of a picture. A ship with cannons blazing is actually a collection of blocks spelling PIRATES topped with ragged sails. Sharp-eyed readers may spot punch lines and solutions to puzzles coming, such as when the boys are tumbling down a hole amid a shower of blocks. One boy shouts, “This is a CATASTROPHE!” But Max points out, “In every CATASTROPHE, there’s HOPE.”
“What Kids Are Reading” is a regular feature in the Sun, highlighting children’s books available for young readers in Santa Maria. This week’s recommendation was made by Executive Editor Ryan Miller.
This article appears in Apr 12-19, 2012.