Made by Maxine

PreS-Gr 2—Maxine likes to invent things from recycled parts and when her class has a pet parade, she searches for a way to create an inclusive device so her fish Milton can participate. Milton is no ordinary fish, but Maxine is not an ordinary girl either. She demonstrates the creativity, resilience, and intelligence needed to tackle scientific inquiry. Digital illustrations are fresh and vivid, employing a collage style that exemplifies Maxine's own philosophy of "making new things…from old things." Each vibrant page follows Maxine as she introduces Milton into her home, building him an incredible tank, a pedal-powered fish-feeder, and even staging a musical jam session for him. Yet when Maxine is faced with the prospect of a class Pet Parade, she faces a wall when it comes to building him a device to march with the other pets. Her plucky attitude prevails, for though she found a million ways to fail, it "meant she was getting closer to finding a way that would" work. Maxine succeeds and, along with Milton, they steal the show. This a great choice for fans of Andrea Beaty's Ada Twist, Scientist and Jenny Offill's 11 Experiments That Failed.