Max by Prue Mason

In a very powerful way this book enables us to experience the awful disaster of flooding as we walk alongside Max and his family during the Brisbane flood of 2022. Max lives on a street where everyone gets along well. They share the big and small joys of life, and Max has even spent a year being home-schooled alongside his near-neighbour, Bianca. He is now at a new High School and enjoys sport and riding his bike, and occasionally hanging out with Bianca, who is a bit of an environmental junior-warrior. When the weather events of late 2021 and early 2022 send a combination weather-bomb to South-east Queensland, dams are already full, creeks can’t take any more water, and yet the heavens have opened and dumped an enormous volume of water in their environment. Flooding is the only consequence for Brisbane suburbs on the floodplains. Max tells us what this is like, through his eyes. He also rescues a young boy that he has recently befriended, and we feel the impact of rising mud and displacement for his community.

This series is so powerful in giving an empathetic view of disasters and how they affect real people. This story is fiction, yet it is based on the real experiences of people from the time. (Max’s mother is a News Helicopter pilot, and her experiences during this huge weather event give an insight into this work role, particularly during a horrific weather event.) I was impressed with the way Prue Mason built the tension in this story as the water rose and was gripped by the real-life dilemmas for each character in the face of an unstoppable weather event. Every character was engaging and  the cross-cultural customs for Max’s Eurasian family added another interesting insight. This is a book to recommend to readers aged 9-14 who enjoy real-life adventures. Teacher's notes are available.

Themes: Floods, Brisbane, Friendship, Community, Rescue.

Carolyn Hull