Weekends with Max and His Dad

by Linda Urban, Katie Kath (Illustrator)

Overview

From acclaimed author Linda Urban comes a younger middle-grade novel about the weekend adventures of a boy and his dad, who each see "home" in new ways as they adjust to changes in their family. 


 

Max and his dad love their weekends together. Weekends mean pancakes, pizza, spy games, dog walking, school projects, and surprising neighbors! Every weekend presents a small adventure as Max gets to know his dad’s new neighborhood—and learns some new ways of thinking about home.

Acclaimed author Linda Urban deftly portrays a third-grader’s inner world during a time of transition in this sweet and funny illustrated story that bridges the early reader and middle grade novel.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781328900197
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	04/17/2018
Edition description:	Reprint
Pages:	176
Sales rank:	133,544
Product dimensions:	5.00(w) x 8.70(h) x 0.60(d)
Lexile:	630L (what's this?)
Age Range:	6 - 9 Years

About the Author

Linda Urban 's debut novel, A Crooked Kind of Perfect, was selected for many best books lists and was nominated for twenty state awards. She is also the author of Hound Dog True, The Center of Everything, Milo Speck, Accidental Agent, and the chapter book Weekends with Max and His Dad, which received two starred reviews. A former bookseller, she lives in Vermont. Visit Linda online at lindaurbanbooks.com and on Twitter at @lindaurbanbooks.

Katie Kath is the illustrator of many middle-grade novels and several picture books. She lives in North Carolina. Visit her online at ktkath.com.

Read an Excerpt

CHAPTER
ONE

When Max’s dad came to pick him up on Friday night, he said, “Tomorrow, I will show you my new neighborhood.”
     “Sorry, Dad,” said Max. “Tomorrow I have spy duty. You’ll have to call me Agent Pepperoni.”
     “Oh,” said Dad. “Okay.”
     “But you can be my helper spy,” said Max. “You can be Agent Cheese.”
     “Not Agent Lightning? Or Agent Super-Cool Guy?” asked Dad.
     “Agent Cheese,” said Max.
     Max had it all planned out. He had been reading The Sneaky Book of Spy Skills and had been waiting until the weekend to try what he had learned. As they drove from the house Max lived in with Mom to his dad’s new apartment, Max imagined himself sneaking through dark shadows and collecting top-secret information. He imagined Dad sneaking alongside him. Dad would not be wise in the ways of spies like he was, but Max didn’t mind. He would tell Dad what to do.

When Dad opened the door, the new apartment was dark. He flicked on the lights. “What do you think?”
     “It is very clean,” said Max. He thought that sounded nicer than saying it was very white. The kitchen had a white counter and white tile floor and a white breakfast bar between it and the living room. The living room was white too, except for a black TV and an orange armchair Max recognized from Grandma’s house. The rest of the room was empty. Max thought it would be perfect for practicing spy moves like leaping into action and falling from tall buildings. “I like it,” said Max.
     “I haven’t had much time to unpack,” said Dad.
     He showed Max a white bedroom with white walls and lots of cardboard boxes and a mattress on the floor. “This is my room,” said Dad. “And this is the bathroom.” The bathroom was white too, but there were two pale-green towels hanging on hooks and two very new-looking toothbrushes on the white countertop.
     Max opened a door under the sink. There was nothing in the cupboard. A good place for hiding, he thought. “I like this, too,” he said.
     “Would you like to see your room?” asked Dad.
     Max expected another white room with cardboard boxes, but when Dad opened the door, that is not what he saw. He saw a room with blue walls and a bed with a silver blanket. There was a blue dresser and football-print curtains and a lamp with a Detroit Lions football helmet for a base. And two framed photographs: one of Max and Mom at Cedar Point Amusement Park and one of Max and Dad at a football game.
     “Do you like it?” asked Dad.
     “It’s very blue,” said Max. He didn’t want to say what he was really feeling. What he was feeling was like somebody was sitting on his chest. Max had liked the Detroit Lions last year, when he was in second grade. He still liked the Detroit Lions now, but not as much. And he did not think he liked blue very much at all. He could not imagine a spy with a blue room and football curtains.
     “Are you okay?” asked Dad.
     Max did not want to hurt Dad’s feelings. “I’m tired,” he said. He pretended to yawn.

Max brushed his teeth with one of the new toothbrushes in the new bathroom. Dad said there were new pajamas in his new dresser, but Max put on the soft old ones from his big weekend bag. He got out The Sneaky Book of Spy Skills and got into his new bed.
     “All set, sport?” asked Dad.
     “I’m not a sport,” said Max. “I am a spy.”
     “That’s right,” said Dad. “You are Agent Pepperoni and I am Agent Flash.”
     “Agent Cheese,” said Max.
     Dad grinned. “Thought I could sneak that past you.”
     “You can’t sneak things past a spy,” said Max.
     “So I see.” Dad tilted the book in Max’s hands so he could read the title. “Does this book say what a helper spy does?”
     “A helper spy does what the main spy tells him to. He jots down notes. He takes pictures. He is on lookout,” said Max.
     “Sounds good,” said Dad. “When do we start?”
     “Tomorrow,” said Max. “First thing.”
     “Then we’d better get some shuteye.” Dad kissed Max on the forehead. He tucked the silver covers under Max’s chin. He pulled shut the football curtains and turned off the helmet lamp. “Good night, pal.”
     Gray light filtered through the space between the football curtains and made shadows on the walls. Max heard a thump and a rumble that were probably the heat turning on.
     Probably.
     There were footsteps overhead and a clicketa-clicketa-clicketa sound. There was a clank and a whoosh and voices. Max knew that these sounds were probably other people in other apartments.
     But Max was a spy. He knew the sounds could be other things. Dangerous things.
     “Agent Cheese?” called Max.
     Dad appeared in the doorway. “Yes, Agent Pepperoni?”
     “You don’t have to wait until tomorrow if you want. You can be on lookout now.”
     “You got it.” Dad saluted.
     Saluting was for the army, not for spies, Max knew, but he could tell Dad that tomorrow. Tonight Agent Cheese was on lookout, and that was good enough.

Editorial Reviews

Bulletin Blue Ribbon 2016
Raleigh News & Observer Best of 2016

"Fans of Clementine and Ramona have a reason to rejoice: there's a new kid on the block (at least for the weekend). Bighearted, hilarious, and tender, Weekends with Max and His Dad is an absolute charmer." —Katherine Applegate, Newbery medalist

* "Urban’s subtle and perceptive take on divorce will resonate with children facing similar predicaments as she blends Max’s worries and “someone-sitting-on-his-chest” feelings with a vivid imagination and good intentions that take father and son on some very entertaining adventures—with future ones planned."
—Publishers Weekly, starred review


• "Urban excels at credibly presenting this situation from Max’s third-grade point of view... Urban’s writing is both crisply specific (a basset hound “sniffed as she walked through puddles, dragging her ears like flat-bottomed boats”) and simple enough to be accessible."
—Bulletin, starred review

"Urban’s touch is light throughout, and with likable characters... and a story just right for budding chapter-book readers, she’s off to a good start."
—Horn Book

"The cast of characters grows throughout, but at the heart of the story is Max’s warm, easygoing relationship with his father."
—Booklist

From the Publisher

★ 01/11/2016
In this delightfully funny and realistic story, third grader Max Leroy embarks on escapades with his newly divorced father. During their first weekend together, Max decides that he, as Agent Pepperoni, and his father, as “helper spy” Agent Cheese, must dress with fake mustaches and scars, bandanas, fedoras, and sunglasses to uncover suspicious local activity. “This disguise is so good even I don’t know who I am,” says Dad. The two bond as they surreptitiously take photos, follow unsuspecting characters, and even save the day when a tourist wanders away from his tour group. In subsequent weekends, Max helps his father meet neighbors, face his fear of performing in public, and buy new furniture. Urban’s (Milo Speck, Accidental Agent) subtle and perceptive take on divorce will resonate with children facing similar predicaments as she blends Max’s worries and “someone-sitting-on-his-chest” feelings with a vivid imagination and good intentions that take father and son on some very entertaining adventures—with future ones planned. Final art not seen by PW. Ages 6–9. Author’s agent: Jennifer Laughran, Andrea Brown Literary Agency. Illustrator’s agent: Justin Rucker, Shannon Associates. (Apr.)

Publishers Weekly

Life has become a bit more complicated for third-grader Max and his Dad. Each weekend Max goes to stay with his Dad in his new apartment. They go on adventures, eat pancakes, and solve mysteries. Max is happy, especially after adjusting some room décorl but it still feels weird trying to think of Dad’s place as home. Urban gently explores what it’s like for parents and their children trying to adjust after a divorce through a narrative that is broken into anecdotal weekend experiences. Young children will enjoy reading about Max’s adventures and should easily relate too many of his feelings. While the divorce is not blatantly stated or discussed, it’s ever present in the background. Those who have experienced what Max and his Dad are going through will find bits and pieces of their own stories woven throughout the book. The book tenderly explores a difficult and painful topic on a level that children can understand. Reviewer: Natalie Gurr; Ages 8 to 12.

Children's Literature - Natalie Gurr

2015-12-22
During a series of visits with his dad in his new apartment, Max begins adjusting to his parents' recent separation. Max's pain, "like somebody was sitting on his chest," is palpable as he explores the apartment. He understands that his father has tried to make it feel special, but the paint is too blue, and his football-themed bedroom feels wrong. The tale is broken up into a series of weekend vignettes, each ending on an upbeat note, as Max and his father adjust to their new lifestyle. They explore the neighborhood while playing a spying game and shop for just the right sofa. An elderly neighbor and other lightly sketched but believable characters are warmly helpful. When Max worries about his father's disappointment at not attending an open mic night with his ukulele, neighbors come to the rescue, creating a new sense of community for father and son. Finally, on the third weekend, Max's friend sleeps over, and he realizes that he can have two places to live and that both of them can be home. Kath's preliminary sketches match well with the warm humor of Max's tenderly portrayed experiences. Race goes unmentioned in the text, but though Kath depicts Max and his dad as white, some of the secondary characters, including Max's best friend, have dark skin. A sweet, empathetic look at a common situation. (Fiction. 6-10)

Kirkus Reviews