The Trouble With Max

Why does everything seem to go wrong for eleven-year-old Max?

All he wants is to fit in at school, have a few good friends and not be made fun of by the ‘cool kids’. Even his budding friendship with Cleo, a new girl in his year six class, ends in disaster.

When his mum starts seeing a new boyfriend, Max’s life only gets worse. He doesn’t like Jeff, and Jeff certainly doesn’t like him. Jeff makes it plain Max is in the way, and to make matters worse his mum spends so much time with Jeff she doesn’t have much time for Max any more. His feelings of isolation lead him to befriend a group of older boys and join in some of their activities. But are they really friends?

Then Max meets some-one who takes a real interest in him. Could this be the turning point in his life?

Marjorie Stenning was born in London and brought up in Essex. She trained as a teacher and spent many years teaching primary school children in London and the Midlands. She has always enjoyed writing and wrote short stories from an early age. Her experience observing children in the classroom as they learn to navigate the world has inspired her work. The Trouble with Max is the first in a series of six books, each exploring the various life challenges that many children face. Marjorie now lives in a converted barn with her family and two cats, Luna and George, in Northamptonshire.