What if every fear had about your creepy next-door neighbor turned out to be true?
10- year-old Zeke Langley has become the target of his nasty new neighbor, Maxwell Grover. For reasons known only to him, the unsavory stranger seems determined to make Zeke's life miserable and force his family out of their home. Inevitably, Zeke and his best friend Winks set out on a journey to discover what Grover is hiding. What they find sends them down a road they never imagined … and on a mission they may never return from.
I really liked this book. The first night after it showed up I only had time to read the first few pages. A few days later when I got back to it I couldn't put it down. It kept me up until way late reading the whole thing. I can't wait to see what happens next in the second book.
What an exciting and suspenseful children's story! We follow wimpy Zeke as he moves to a new town, makes his first real friend and becomes the target of his monstrous neighbor's evil plans. Maxwell Grover, the nasty little man, wants Zeke's house. And what's more, he wants the magic hidden somewhere within...
Well written and fun, this story about a grown-up bully will have you rooting for the children, even when they execute their vicious and poorly planned pranks. In the end, even Zeke's parents find out just how evil their neighbor truly is.
I loved this book from start to finish! It was so exciting and every page had me gripped. The characters are fantastic – particularly the disgusting Maxwell Grover himself. As a teacher of 9-11 year olds, I imagine that every kid in my class would just adore this book, but it isn’t just for kids. The idea of a sadistic, bullying adult picking on kids is something everybody can be afraid of. It locks into something inside every one of us, and you just can’t help but root for the kids to come out on top.
Surprisingly, even though I knew the ending (it’s the title of the book for goodness sake!), I actually didn’t expect what happened! And I was definitely left wanting more so I can’t wait for book 2 to be released!
I've begun a few books aimed at a younger audience and found I've had to put them down - perhaps I'm simply too old to enjoy them. Not here, though. The ten-year-old Zeke is immediately likeable, as is his sidekick Winks, as they embark on a mission to outwit the nasty old troll-like Maxwell Grover, who wants to take over Zeke's house. There was no issue about whether I was too old to read it: I was sucked in straight away and enjoyed every moment of the book. The author's writing style is transparent, so for the vast majority of the book, I forgot I was reading. There are pranks, funny gross-out moments, it has the greatest bedroom any young kid could want, and there is plenty of tension-filled adventure and even a cool treasure hunt.
No doubts from me you'll enjoy this one. The writing is fantastic - simple but not simplistic - the characters sympathetic and believable, and the villain and his cat are scary and a lot of fun to follow, and the darker part of my psyche sure did appreciate that ending!
The name Maxwell Grover sounds harmless enough, right? Wrong. Maxwell Grover is the epitome of a grumpy old man-- inside and out. If you're expecting a heartwarming oh-he's-just-a-lonely-and-misunderstood-man-who-needs-a-friend twist from this book, you won't get it. The author's descriptions of Maxwell are disgusting (in gross-out mid-grade appropriate ways) and a couple of times I regretted trying to eat lunch while reading a chapter.
The ten-year old protagonists acted their age which frequently frazzled my helicopter-parenting nerves . The children repeatedly antagonized Maxwell and invaded his personal space without understanding the potential danger they were placing themselves in. Multiple times I wanted to pull them aside and tell them to stop doing what they were doing because it wasn't safe. I'll admit it. I'm getting old.
Mid-grade readers will get a kick out of this one, as long as they can accept not all books have to have a happy ending. BTW, this is not a spoiler. You find out in the first chapter that things aren't going to end well.
... I read this to my seven year old daughter and she loved it! It is a delightful story of childhood fun and pranks that my little girl found hilarious. She loved the two main characters and instantly hated Maxwell Grover for being so unkind. We were both shocked at the ending but it fitted well with the story and was quite funny. My little girl and I are looking forward to reading more adventures with Zeke and Winks. If you have a child who loves getting up to mischief then they will love this.
(See full review at http://www.girl-who-reads.com/2015/05/review-how-maxwell-grover-stole-my.html)
Not only is this a great story, but it is very well written. The author has a talent for putting words together. I loved reading it and hope she writes many more. I am anxiously awaiting the next volume.
Poor Zeke is being bullied so his parents move out into the countryside for peace and quiet. Then along comes a creepy neighbour after a secret hidden in Zeke's house. Cue an engaging story for children with plenty of excitement and twists along the way.
Wow! Not how I thought it would end. This was a great book with amazing characters, great details, and a HUGE twist. I couldn't put it down. When I wasn't reading it, I was thinking about it. You gotta read this book, when does the next one come out?
This book is the best, most imaginative book I have read and I read a lot of books. The author writes dynamic characters. She will have you laughing so hard and then so nervous all in the same paragraph. Great book for all ages and the whole family can enjoy it together. I am looking forward to the next book in this series.
My son loved this - he's 8 so slightly below the target age range, but has a reading age of 10.
This book is fun to read and kept my interest throughout. Great book for kids the author has a real talent for getting you involved in the characters.
This book was amazing. It kept my interest from the very beginning. It really picked up after Zeke's family moved to a new place and he befriends Winks. Their adventures went from harmless fun (who didn't go toilet papering as a kid?) to, I can't believe you did that and got away with it! However, I was disappointed in the ending. To be fair, I really shouldn't have been because the first paragraph of the book tells the reader exactly how it's going to end. But I got so caught up in the storyline that I forgot about that part until it reminded me in the Epilogue. It does leave it open for a possible sequel that hopefully ends better.
This was this author's first book and she is an amazingly talented author! She's extremely descriptive and weaves a fabulous story. Again, the reason I didn't give 5 stars is because I'm old-fashioned and like a happy ending that this just didn't provide. I can't wait for her next book, though. If it's a sequel that gives me my happy ending, I will definitely be reading more from this author!
I bought this book for my nephew who is a struggling reader. I am amazed how both my nephew and I are enjoying the book. C.E. Vance has a natural ability to tell children's stories and to tell them well. She used suspense, humor, and language in a way to evoke the most natural feelings in story-telling. I look forward to finishing this book with my nephew. Already we have enjoyed Vance's uncanny ability for description and emphasis on unraveling the story. Thumbs way up
I loved this story! I wasn't sure I would since I tend to read more adult books, but the storytelling is brilliant and characterisation spot on. I instantly wanted the young Zeke and his friend Winks to succeed in their "mission," and hated Grover on sight. I'm sure you will too. This is a great read for adults, but I know children who seek adventure and magic will just love it. I thoroughly recommend it for both you and your children, you will not be disappointed.
FOR GROWN UPS TOO
I really enjoyed this story, and older children from 8 years and upwards will too. It’s not your usual children’s tale, it has too many twists, and in the early pages a complete sense of realism before we move, towards the end into the land of fantasy. This book is well written, easy to read as it flows beautifully and this author certainly knows how to build up suspense – I found myself reading faster and faster to see what was going to happen. A delightful book, and it’s not only for children. I hope this author will be writing books for grown ups as well, I will buy them
Although aimed at an audience much younger than I am, I enjoyed every minute of this book.
It was well-written, with age-appropriate language and some great gross-out moments.
The children in the story were likeable and acted their age during their adventures. The villain of the piece was disgusting and scary, but not too much for the younger reader.
A fun read that you and your kids will love.
I loved this story! I wasn't sure I would since I tend to read more adult books, but the storytelling is brilliant and characterisation spot on. I instantly wanted the young Zeke and his friend Winks to succeed in their "mission," and hated Grover on sight. I'm sure you will too. This is a great read for adults, but I know children who seek adventure and magic will just love it. I thoroughly recommend it for both you and your children, you will not be disappointed.
