Author: Dan Bar-el
Publisher: Random House
Rating: WORTHY!
Illustrator: David Huyck
Note that I read this book in Adobe reader, where it was perfect. I also looked at it in my old Kindle and it was horrible. If you're going the ebook route, you'll need an iPad or a Nook HD, or a Kindle Fire or something like that. Just saying!
Nine Words Max is one of the most hilarious books I've ever read. It's very short, and it's really for children, but since I'm an honorary child and way beyond embarrassment, I don't really care! Prince Maximilian cannot stop himself from rambling endlessly on in a mesmerizing free-assocation of trivia and bizarre out-of-left-field observations. Max’s brothers, Kurt, Tripp, and Wilt, are so sick of hearing him that when their parents, the king and queen (of course), pop-off for a bit of a holiday, already dressed for the beach,
the brothers see this as a golden opportunity to enlist the aid of the court magician in muzzling poor Max. The wizard restricts him to saying only nine words on a topic, and since Max isn't able to edit himself, this results in endless unfinished sentences with which he fails to convey anything. The only problem here, is that when Queen Spark from next door unexpectedly arrives with her army in tow, no one knows how to meet the stringent royal protocols she demands; no one except Max, that is - who is unable to explain anything! What are three princes to do? Well, nothing but stand around, open-mouthed, like the rest of the populace!
I laughed out loud at this one, and I recommend it not just for kids, but for anyone who has a bent for the bizarre and an eye for the eccentric! Some of my favorite max quotes:
- "Squirrels are never to be trusted."
- "If all the world's a stage, then we should be wearing more make-up"
- "I was speaking with Matilda, the wool merchant, who believes that yawning is caused by sheep."
Come one! You have to admit there's a certain logic to these pronouncements!
