An English preteen's impulsive wish that he'd never been born is granted. For Maxwell, 12, home is anything but tranquil: His parents fight constantly; his nerdy sister, Bex, 15, ignores him. His beloved dog, Monster, provokes complaints from neighbors. Maxwell relieves stress by disparaging his (only) school friend, Charlie Kapoor. (While most characters default to white, Charlie's name and home cuisine imply South Asian ancestry.) Maxwell's prizewinning portrait of an elderly, forgetful neighbor, Reg, earned Maxwell prestige, benefiting his school financially. During an announcement regarding the school's centennial celebration, with the inclusion of the filming of a popular TV show segment that's meant to be an exciting surprise, Maxwell deliberately gives the secret away. After bullying and injuring Charlie in PE, Maxwell's banned from the celebration but disrupts the event with catastrophic results. He flees to Reg, vents his misery, and, via a mysterious artifact, erases himself from his life. He finds himself in a Maxwell-free world where his parents have divorced, his dad is miserable, and Bex shoplifts. Worse, Monster doesn't even exist. The premise closely tracks Frank Capra's 1946 film, It's a Wonderful Life. Like George Bailey, Maxwell's shown the difference his past good deeds made to others through learning their fates in a world where he's never existed. But slapdash execution, inconsistent plotting, and Maxwell himself hinder reader buy-in. His prior good deeds mainly reflect being in the right place at the right time; the Maxwell readers will remember is a selfish, manipulative bully. Unconvincing. (Fantasy. 8-12) Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

Gr 3--6--This middle grade spin on It's a Wonderful Life follows the story of 12-year-old troublemaker Maxwell Beckett. Maxwell loves his dog, Monster, more than anything, and he (usually) gets along with his goody-two-shoes sister, Bex. He has a best friend, Charlie (to whom he isn't very nice), and a close relationship with an elderly neighbor, Reg, who has dementia. But Maxwell's parents fight all the time, especially about him, because Maxwell is always getting into trouble. When he ruins a special event for the whole school, Maxwell decides that the world would be better off without him, and he wishes that he had never been born. Maxwell's wish comes true, and he finds himself in a world where he never existed. His parents are divorced, his sister is the family troublemaker, his school is run-down, his homeroom teacher is heartbroken, and his dog is dead. Maxwell sees how important he actually is and how unappreciative he has been of his loved ones. Together with Bex, Charlie, and Reg, he works to find a way to unerase himself. Dementia, divorce, bullying, and grief are touched on in poignant and age-appropriate ways. In the end, Maxwell owns his behavior and apologizes to the people he has hurt, providing an excellent example for young readers. As a bonus, interesting historical tidbits in the story have the potential to spark curiosity and further research. VERDICT While the plot is predictable, this humorous, character-driven story is filled with depth. Recommended.--Liz Overberg, Zionsville Community H.S., IN

In this uncomplicated tale, a chronic ne'er-do-well turns over a new leaf after his wish that he'd never been born is actually granted. Saddled with a bad combination of poor judgment and ill luck, impulsive 12-year-old Maxwell is used to being in the soup. Still, after a particularly disastrous string of mishaps drives him to make his despairing wish, he is massively traumatized to find himself in a world where his parents (now divorced) and best friend don't know him, his formerly straight-arrow big sister Bex is consigned to permanent detention in school, and his beloved stray beagle Monster is dead. Though Thompson's young lout is so slow to accept that things have really changed that the pacing sometimes lags, he does, eventually, come to see his old life with new eyes. Happily, early hints that he's not quite the bad seed most others take him for presage the altogether admirable way he first orchestrates the chance for a do-over. An uplifting case of getting a second chance and taking full advantage of it.