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MAX MEOW by John Gallagher

MAX MEOW

Cat Crusader

From the Max Meow series, volume 1

by John Gallagher ; illustrated by John Gallagher

Pub Date: Oct. 6th, 2020
ISBN: 978-0-593-12105-4
Publisher: Random House

Meow-za! There’s a superhero in the city of Kittyopolis known as the Cat Crusader—but who is he really?

Max Meow, an orange-and-white cat who dons clothes and a bow tie, is visiting his scientist friend, Mindy Microbe, a curly haired human with brown skin, when he eats a bite of a meatball that Mindy found in outer space. All of the sudden he has superstrength, an electric tail, and the power to fly! With his new skills, he might as well become a superhero. Agent M, an evil mouse, and Big Boss, a shadowy creature, want the meatball for their own nefarious purposes, so they send Robot Reggie to retrieve it. Meanwhile, Max and Mindy have an argument and stop speaking. Just as everything seems at its most dire, Max realizes it’ll take more than superpowers to save the day. Full of humor and action, this new series opener will be catnip for fans of Dav Pilkey’s Dog Man. Bold, bright colors are used in busy, cartoon-filled pages. The layout is crisp and easy to follow, and short, quickly consumable chapters end with questions that entice readers to continue. Although the plot is a bit overly drawn out near the end, the pace remains zippy. The ending includes a big reveal, and an epilogue sets up intrigue for the next book.

A superhero cat and an intrepid girl scientist: What’s not to like?

(drawing instructions) (Graphic fantasy. 7-10)