Max the Madagascan cockroach is no ordinary pet. “When most people see him, they do not talk baby talk. They do not try to pat him. Mostly they back away. Sometimes they scream.” Two brothers try to avoid a disaster when Max breaks out of his tank in their mother’s bug lab just before a fancy ceremony to rename the building. With visions of screaming reporters and a fleeing Ruby L. Gold — the building’s benefactor — the boys hunt down their beloved cockroach with the help of a mysterious older woman called One-Shot Lil. Who is she really? It’s a satisfying, not-too-surprising revelation at the end of this lively transitional reader illustrated in full color. (Ages 5–7)

Max, a Madagascar cockroach, is as big as a bite-sized candy bar and hisses like a snake when he is mad. Leo and his brother are fascinated. Out of all of the bugs in their mother's bug lab, Max is definitely the best. But now, Max is on the loose in the lab! To make matters worse, there's a party there today. Leo and his brother have to find Max before he makes people scream-or worse.

"A book in which everything is just right." (School Library Journal)