DEAR MAX

Nine-year-old Max strikes up a friendship with his favorite author, D.J. Lucas in this epistolary novel. The letters fly, from January to December, as Max shares his school challenges, family sadness and medical woes. D.J. is a good listener and knows how to respond to a little boy’s concerns. And she has her own worries—from her fears over sky-diving to the challenges of writing a novel that does not want to be written. Ross’s childlike illustrations dot many of the letters and are a perfect light touch. Grindley stays true to the letter format, asking few probing questions, which let D.J. (and the reader) fill in the unspoken spaces. This should inspire children to write letters to authors—and others in their lives. The friendship that develops is real and honest and sustaining to both child and adult. A tribute to the power of letter-writing and imagination. (Fiction. 6-9)