From the moment she was born wearing a black mask over her eyes, red-haired Maxine was showered with attention from her white superhero family—her mom, her dad, and her older brother. She received a super cape from her grandma and soft leather boots from her grandpa. Almost as soon as she could walk, Maxine could also fly. An extremely advanced child, she started school four years early, where she met another superhero classmate, Garth Gecko. At school, Maxine begins to notice the mortal children, most especially their non-superhero clothes, which she covets. Maxine doesn’t want the life of a superhero. She just wants to be ordinary, and she manages to talk her mother into taking her shopping for jeans and t-shirts. Although her family is initially mortified, they gradually being to accept Maxine for who she is. Graham’s droll watercolor and ink illustrations are filled with humorous details, such as an ultrasound showing prenatal Maxine wearing a mask in utero and doting police officers fawning over the superhero baby on a day with no crime. His equally witty narrative is filled with understated humor and clever turns of phrase: “Maxine’s first words arrived together just to keep each other company. 'Car keys,’ she said.” Maxine’s story is the sort that is just as much fun for the adults reading it aloud as it is for young listeners. (Ages 3-6)

Max has a little sister! Fans of the late-blooming superhero will thrill to meet super-sibling Maxine, who flies high with style—her own.

Max’s baby sister arrives with two little strands of red hair at exactly the stroke of midnight. Maxine receives a superhero’s welcome: Grandma and Grandpa make presents, Madame Thunderbolt and Captain Lightning show her off at the office, and Max is there for her first steps, her first words, and her first book. Then, just as everyone expects her to, she flies! But not all superheroes wear masks and capes, and Maxine is determined to be herself, dream big, and fly high on her own terms. Fans of Bob Graham’s signature humor and heart are in for a treat in this bright, bold sequel to the recently re-released Max, perfect for any child who wonders, “But who am I going to be?”