To be honest, when I started reading this book I wasn't sure how much I was going to like it - the scene-setting at the start seemed to focus on the negatives and how worried Max was. I know the pandemic was a scary time, but if kids are trying to read this for escapism, it might not help to relax them. Having said that, when the book got going and Max got further towards the end of his count, I found the book really enjoyable and heartwarming. Max didn't seem that likeable to start with, but the pandemic is obviously a tough time to go through and people react in different ways. It was a good record of the pandemic for future generations, but the dates and order in which things happened didn't tie up with my memory of the start of the pandemic. For example, it was mentioned that Boris did his big lockdown announcement on a Wednesday when it was actually a Monday in real life, and Max's school shut before the lockdown announcement, and I don't remember that happening. Just small things that meant I was looking for errors rather than just enjoying the story.
The cover is slightly embossed so feels really nice, and the bright colours draw you in. It took me a while to get into the book, but by the time it ended I had a happy glow!
The cover is slightly embossed so feels really nice, and the bright colours draw you in. It took me a while to get into the book, but by the time it ended I had a happy glow!