The Misadventures of Max Crumbly is the latest diary-style series for middle schoolers by Rachel Renee Russell. Her previous series, the Dork Diaries, featured a female character, Nikki Maxwell, who portrayed the “nerd” type; this time Russell has written a series with a male protagonist, who is targeted by the school bully and dreams of becoming a hero. The Dork Diaries has been very popular with younger readers, and the new Max Crumbly title: Locker Hero, looks to follow in the same vein, (it is currently #5 on the NY Times Children’s Bestsellers List). The professional reviews have not been very approving of either series, but that brings up the age- old question: how important is the level of writing if the stories entice children to read?
Locker Hero
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