Max Magic: the Sunday Times bestselling debut from Stephen Mulhern!

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He had his fair share of trials and troubles, that he was able to overcome with some self discovery and help from friends which in itself is a great message for a debut book.

The plot is fun, quick moving and highly imaginative, and the reader is drawn in to the magical adventure that Max and his band of loyal friends have. An UNBELIEVABLE new book in the MAX MAGIC series from superstar TV presenter and magician, Stephen Mulhern. There are very few throughout the book which is a shame as magic could be so much fun to play around with and add some extra excitement to the story however most of the illustrations were just characters not doing anything, just standing there either holding something or looking at someone. Young Max's unquashable optimism, sense of humour, loyalty and sheer good nature make him an unforgettable character together with his staunch friends and a quirky family (all the way from wise Gran to Lucky the dog).I would have thought that this would appeal to children who like David Walliam’s books or the Treehouse series. Full details of your rights under the Distance Selling Regulations are available in the UK from your local Citizens' Advice Bureau or your Local Authority's Trading Standards Office. Conjuring and 'real' magic are mixed together in a pacy tale full of affectionately comic domestic detail, vivid street scenes and quick-fire patter. I like the sound of this book and was intrigued by Stephen Mulhern's input in the book but unfortunately I found it was very basic and both the plot and writing style were lacking and I didn't think much of the illustrations either! I think the illustrations really helped to add to the story and capture the events being described and it also has a cute little flip-book element of a top hat changing at the bottom lower right-hand corner of the page.

Polly Crosby tells ReadingZone about her novel, This Tale is Forbidden (Scholastic), a fractured fairy tale set in a dystopian world. Tom is joined by his friends and they are on a mission to save Max’s Dad’s market stall from the characters of the evil Crayfish Twins. Aimed at probably the over 8s market - I'm obviously too old for the tales of Max Magic - but I enjoyed it none the less. I hope this will be a series as I feel its one they would love to collect and have the entirety on their bookshelves to go back to time and time again. Many younger readers will also appreciate Max’s desire to be doing the thing he most enjoys rather than his school work.

As it’s clear that this is the first story in a planned series so I’m sure that any child who has enjoyed it will be eagerly anticipating joining Max and his friends on future adventures. I also read it as though it was a mini Stephen Mulhern narrating, even the illustrations looked like a young Stephen!

What follows is a magical adventure where Max, his friends and his dog, Lucky, create the greatest plan to get the money and save Max's dad's stall. There are a few illustrations within the book, similar to those you’d find in any book for readers of this age (I’d say anywhere from 7-12 years, depending on reading level). Max is an ordinary boy growing up in East London with aspirations of becoming a magician one day having been taught by his beloved gran. My daughters thoughts: The book is good because max magic is really good and chapter 8 the mind-reading mayhem.Stephen Mulhern is one of the most in-demand television presenters today, with a string of smash-hit television shows including Catchphrase, In For a Penny and Rolling In It. Unfortunately he does not apply the same determination to his school work much to the frustration of his friend Sophie. 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.