Max’s Midnight Adventure by Wendy Leighton-Porter is a short, delightful story
starring Max himself. Anyone who has been following the Shadows From the Past
series will, by now, know a lot about Max. A lilac-coloured Tonkinese cat, big
boned (definitely not fat), with aquamarine eyes, Max belongs to Jemima and
Joe, the twins who’ve been staying with their Uncle Richard after their parents
stepped into a magic book and disappeared. They’re not dead, and the twins know
this because during their adventures back in time, using the magic book that
belonged to their dad, they’ve either caught glimpses of their parents or heard
news that they’re alive but have moved on in time. Uncle Richard, a professor
of Archaeology and a bachelor, is at a loss as to how to entertain his niece
and nephew, but he does his best. Uncle Richard suggests a holiday away down at
the coast, in Devon, for a few days and the kids are very excited about the
idea, as long as Max can come with.
A
holiday means suitcases and they’re in the attic, along with a whole bunch of
old boxes, filled with the stuff one usually finds in attics – old toys, Christmas
decorations, favourite stuffed animals that no one has the heart to throw out.
Max, although short on courage, is long on curiosity and several close shaves during
their time travel adventures have done little to diminish his nosiness. He
follows Uncle Richard into the attic and does his own poking around. He’s
astounded to see the twin’s uncle clutching a shabby old teddy bear and weeping
over the loss of his brother, and realises that just because adults don’t say
much doesn’t mean they don’t feel sadness. It’s all a bit much for Max who
thinks a quick snoozette, while Uncle Richard is pottering about, is in order.
As you can imagine, Uncle Richard finishes up in the attic and goes back downstairs,
leaving Max curled up inside a box, but there’s someone else in the box as
well… How is Max going to get out of the attic? Will he be left there while the
kids and their uncle go on holiday?
I
love author Wendy Leighton-Porter’s style. In just a few lines of dialogue we
meet and get to know a variety of characters, from Colonel Nutcracker (a pompous
regimental sort) to Tinkerbell (aka Stinkerbell) who is particularly nasty and
sarcastic to poor old Max just because he broke her wand by accident (which
could have happened to anyone!), to Action Man who can’t stop flexing his
muscles and showing off, to the entire cast of The Twelve Days of Christmas …
with the French hens going on strike, the nine ladies getting into a huddle
with the football team, to absolute chaos and mayhem. This is a wonderful peep
into Max’s life that affords lots of laughs, largely due to the inventiveness
of the author, the hilarious interactions between the various characters, and the
ultimate charm of Max, the big-hearted (albeit slightly cowardly) hero of the
series.
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