Weekend with Max and His Dad by Linda Urban Book Review

Weekend with Max and His Dad by Linda Urban 
Illustrations by Katie Kath
Publisher: HMH Books for Young Readers
Release Date: April 5, 2016

Max spends his weekends with his dad. Weekends mean pancakes and pizza, spy games, school projects, and dog-walking. As Max gets to know his dad's new neighborhood and neighbors, he begins to think of his dad's home as his home.

In a world where there is nothing new under the sun, this book felt unique. I have never read for this age group that so succinctly captures the feelings and reality of shared custody without dwelling on the actual divorce. The story is set with three different weekends with his dad. Each weekend Max deals with something that is the reality of living with one parent on the weekend. For example, when Max first comes to live with his dad, he doesn't like his new bedroom that is decorated with football curtains. He's not really that into football. But he doesn't want to tell his dad this because it is his new house and his dad seemed so proud. Now, the story for this weekend is really about playing spys, but in the end, through their spy play, Max finds his voice and tells his dad he would like a little less football in his room. This is a much needed book, because it is the reality for some children and they too need books that they can relate to.