"What We Found in the Corn Maze and How It Saved a Dragon" by Henry Clark is an absolutely wonderful book! I'll admit upfront that I am a good bit older than the target demographic, but I enjoyed it every bit as much as my son. We actually made quite a game of stealing it back and forth from each other to read the next part!

What I Loved:
1. The plot! It was lots of fun, with quirky magic, entertaining characters, and great world-building, both in the regular world and in the parallel magical one.

2. The characters! The main characters were well-drawn and believable. It's nice to see middle-school-aged kids portrayed as clever, loyal, and caring. In real life, most of them are, and it's nice to see something other than the complete brats that usually populate books and tv shows. Modesty's quirky family (who are mostly off-screen) are described well enough to provide plenty of laughter for the reader. A spin-off book along the lines of "Modesty and Her Sisters Shop at the Mall" could be hilarious! Regardless, kudos to the author for getting middle school kids just right!

3. The subtle humor! Yes, there was plenty of not-so-subtle humor, which I also enjoyed. But how can you NOT love a magical world in which people enjoy reading about "Mary Potter, Girl Scientist"?

4. The positive messaging! In a real world full of doom and gloom, it's nice to see a book that shows kids using their brains, working together, and actually making a difference. I loved how they made the "Magical Minutes" work for them, despite the apparent uselessness of some of the spells. The "take-care-of-the-environment" and "stand-up-to-bullies-even-if-they're-the-ones-in-charge" messages were also timely and age-appropriate.

Overall, I 100% loved this book. I recommend it to everyone, regardless of age or ability to enjoy stories about magical-doorways-in-refrigerators.

Five out of five extra-large chunks of Monterey Jack! ( )

Author: Henry Clark
Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Pages: 352
On Sale: May 2020
Genre: Children's Fiction, Fantasy, Middle Grade
Stars: 5/5

From the Publisher:

When three kids discover a book of magic spells that can only be cast during a few short minutes a day, they'll need all the time they can get to save a dying magical world, its last dragon, and themselves.

An ordinary day turns extraordinary when twelve-year-old Cal witnesses his neighbor Modesty summon a slew of lost coins without lifting a finger. Turns out she has a secret manual of magic spells . . . but they only work sometimes. And they're the most boring spells ever: To Change the Color of a Room, To Repair a Chimney, To Walk With Stilts, To Untangle Yarn. Useless!

But when Cal, his friend Drew, and Modesty are suddenly transported to the world the spells come from -- a world that's about to lose its last dragon -- they'll have to find a way to use the oddly specific incantations to save the day, if only they can figure out when magic works.

From the inventive mind of Henry Clark comes a hilariously wacky adventure about magic, friendship, a lookout tower come to life, a maze in the shape of a dragon, an actual dragon named Phlogiston, and lots and lots of popcorn.

From Me:

I received an early reading copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for a review. I loved every minute of it. I was laughing out loud at my desk and I never knew what was coming next. It was absolutely my sense of humor, it was witty and creative and original and clever. My favorite part was Modesty talking about her sister's cooking mishaps. "Why are the chocolate chips green? Because they're peas" and "Why is your cat starting at the fridge? Because she made icecream yesterday and that cat loves anything with fish in it" were the highlights. Some parts in the middle felt a little slow, but there was always something new about to happen to liven things up. I would definitely seek out more books by Henry Clark. This also fulfills the "A Strong Friendship Theme" part of my 2020 reading challenge. ( )