The Trouble With Max

Why does everything seem to go wrong for eleven-year-old Max? All he wants is to fit in at school, have a few good friends and not be made fun of by the 'cool kids'. Even his budding friendship with Cleo, a new girl in his year six class, ends in disaster. When his mum starts seeing a new boyfriend, Max's life only gets worse. He doesn't like Jeff, and Jeff certainly doesn't like him. Jeff makes it plain Max is in the way, and to make matters worse his mum spends so much time with Jeff she doesn't have much time for Max any more. His feelings of isolation lead him to befriend a group of older boys and join in some of their activities. But are they really friends? Then Max meets some-one who takes a real interest in him. Could this be the turning point in his life?