Immortal Max

by Lutricia Clifton

Twelve-year-old Sam dreams of owning a purebred puppy, convinced they are superior to a mongrel like Max, the family's ancient pet. Smelly, disheveled, and affectionate, Max is a walking miracle. Near death's door when Sam's sister rescued him, Max survived and seems immortal. That's too bad, for Sam's mother says no new dog if it's going to bother Max. Undaunted, Sam decides to save enough money to buy a puppy anyway and takes a job walking dogs in CountryWood, the fancy gated community in his rural town. There he clashes with Justin, a rich, pampered burbie who owns just the kind of dog Sam wants: a sable German shepherd. Justin is determined to get Sam fired and destroy his dream. Their feud, echoing the conflict between rich city transplants and the townies, escalates into violence. This heartwarming story of a boy and his dogs is filled with memorable characters--both human and canine.

Genres: Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction, Young Adult

172 pages, ebook

First published January 1, 2014

About the author

Lutricia "Lu" Clifton writes novels for both children and adults. Most of her adult novels are set in southeastern Oklahoma and include a mingling of Native American cultural beliefs and traditions. She became interested in those cultural traditions while tracing her mother’s Choctaw roots.

She was born in and spent her early childhood in southeastern Oklahoma, then moved to the Texas Panhandle with her family. She completed an associate degree at Amarillo Junior College in Texas and a B.A. and M.A. in English at Colorado State University. She now resides in Illinois with a gray tabby named Mary Jane that she rescued from a shelter. Her oldest son and wife life in Oregon and her youngest son and wife live in Illinois.

She is a member of the Oklahoma Writers Federation, Mystery Writers of America, and the Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.

NEW RELEASE: SEEKING GRACE IN BEULAH LAND, A Novel -- April 1, 2019

HONORS/AWARDS:

FREAKY FAST FRANKIE JOE -- 2012 Friends of American Writers Award for Juvenile Fiction

SEEKING CASANDRA --Winner of the 2017 Oklahoma Book Award for YA Fiction

SCALP DANCE--A Sam Chitto Mystery --Finalist for the 2017 Oklahoma Book Award for Fiction

THE BONE PICKER, A Sam Chitto Mystery Finalist for 2018 Oklahoma Book Award in Fiction

THE HORNED OWL --A Sam Chitto Mystery -- Finalist for 2019 Oklahoma Book Award in Fiction

Reviews

[Alex Baugh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sam, 12, really wants a pedigree puppy, but he is told that he must wait until Max, an older, overly affectionate, mangy-looking, smelly rescue dog dies before he can get a new dog. His mother thinks that a puppy might be too much for old Max to deal with.

Trouble is, Max is a miracle dog. Brought home one day from her job by older sister Beth, Max was on his leg and expected to die within days. But with Sam's care, Max recovered and ever since has become known as immortal Max.

But Sam finally gets his mom to change her mind about a new puppy, so now he must figure out how to pay for it when he discovers the high cost of a pedigree dog. With the help of two classmates, Sam gets a job walking three dogs in an exclusive gated community, but unfortunately, Justin, a boy in his class, lives there, too - Justin, who has money to burn AND a pedigree German Shepard. And there is nothing that Justin enjoys more than bullying Sam, especially when he can do it in his father's golf cart.

But when a tragic accident happens, Sam loses his job even though it wasn't his fault. Is his dream of a new pedigree puppy gone?

Lutricia Clifton likes to write stories about character's coming of age and coming to terms with the rotten deal life has dealt them - or so they think that is what they have gotten. Remember Freaky Fast Frankie Joe? Immortal Max is also an interesting story about learning to appreciate what you have and realizing that things in life are always tentative - here today, gone tomorrow.

I think Clifton created a nice contrast between rich, upper class, mean-spirited Justin and his wild untrained German Shepard Bruno, and Sam, whose family is always trying to make ends meet since his father was killed in an auto accident, and Max, his well trained, fiercely loyal and loving dog.

I did find myself getting annoyed with Sam's selfishness in the beginning. And even though he at first resents the $75.00 his mother spends on his little sister Rosie's entry into a princess contest, it turns out to be a very rewarding experience for Sam. And he does care that Beth is driving on bald tires after paying her college tuition and fees.

I am sure we will all recognize Sam's level of desperate desire, in his case, for a pedigree puppy, wanting it so badly he is blind to everything but that. Yet, haven't' we or our kids all wanted something just that badly at some point in our/their lives?

I did like that Sam's school friends are a somewhat diverse group that included an Indian boy and an Asian girl, giving it a nice realistic touch.

And while I do think that the ending may feel a little predictable, it is Sam's journey to that ending that we are really interested in…because, of course, we could see what he couldn't.

FYI: There is a 5 autographed copy giveaway on Goodreads for Immortal Max running from March 1st to March 30th.

Immortal Max will be available on April 1, 2014.

This book is recommended for readers age 9+
This book was an ARC from the publisher

This review was originally posted at Randomly Reading

[Lucas S]

Immortal max
It's about a girl named Sammy smith and her and her friends get bullied a lot at school and she has a dog and she the only one that will stand up. So Sammy has friends that immits thing to her they are fat stuff and only reason is because of these girls and they follow someone name yee because she the only that really bullies them but they be able to stand up them or not you will have to figure out on immortal max.
My favorite part is when Sammy stands up for her friend bailey and even immits thing about her but pushes that to side and about how mean they really are. Iremmoend this to people that like realistic fiction.

[Jacqueline · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well drawn characters. Believable conflicts. This is much more than a dog story, it is a family story of a young boy learning what is most important to him.

[Angie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Sammy wants nothing more than to have a puppy. Unfortunately, he is stuck with Max, a smelly mutt his sister brought home. Even though Max is loyal and well trained, Sammy doesn't want to have anything to do with him. Sammy starts working as a dog walker at CountryWood, the nearby gated community. He has to earn the money for the puppy himself. His single-mom doesn't have any extra money for a puppy and doesn't want one since they have Max. At CountryWood, Sammy has to deal with bully Justin who terrorizes him every time he is walking the dogs.

I'm not sure why this book took me so long to read since it is less than 200 pages. It was a nice story about a boy learning to appreciate what he has. I also liked the fact that Sammy's friends are a nice mix of cultures and personalities. I just found the book to be a bit heavy-handed in its message. I also found Sammy to be a bit selfish and self-absorbed. I identified more with poor Max than with any of the people characters. I am sure it will find appreciative readers, but I wasn't one of them.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I won this book as part of Goodreads First Reads. I entered the giveaway because I like young adult literature and because I love dogs, so I was actually pretty excited when I won it.

This is a book about Sam, a boy of 12 that really wants a pedigree puppy. The problem is he doesn't have the money to buy one and he already has a dog--an old "mutt" named Max. The story focuses mostly on his quest to earn money over the summer. We get to see how Sam treats those around him. As is the case with most 12-year-olds, he isn't always very nice, especially when things aren't going his way. However, by the end of the book he seems to have developed a better attitude (I'll let you find out why!).

Ultimately, I enjoyed this book because it was clean and it taught some good messages throughout. I also found myself feeling irritated, sad, and happy during different parts of the story, which I think is the mark of a good author. I would recommend this book, especially to teen/young adults.

[Teresa Bateman · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sam dreams of owning a pedigree puppy. He's saved money, but it's not enough. This summer he is determined to earn the money to make his dream come true by walking dogs in a nearby gated community. It's not easy, however. He's dealing with a younger sister who's entering a beauty/talent contest, an older sister who's preparing for college, and a widowed mother who's trying hard to make ends meet. A bully in the gated community seems determined to make his life miserable and cut short his chance to earn the money he needs. Then there's that raggedy old dog the family adopted from the shelter. Max isn't a pedigreed anything, but he seems to have adopted Sam as well as a mother bird and her chicks. This is going to be a summer where Sam's going to learn many valuable lessons. This is a solid, competently written novel that would fit well in elementary library collections. Teachers might be specifically interested in the author's excellent and consistent use of metaphors.

[Susan Dunn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story, but not what I'd expected. From the cover and the title I assumed it was something about a dog that had died and come back. Maybe it's just me?! Anyway - what it's really about is a 12-year-old boy named Sam who desperately wants a purebred dog of his own. He already has a wonderful sweet rescue dog named Max who loves him wholeheartedly, but what Sam really wants is a puppy. Money is tight around his house, so if he wants a dog he's going to have to come up with the funds himself. Sam gets a summer job walking dogs to try and save, but many things conspire against him. Is he ever going to get a dog of his own? Or maybe realize that he already has one? A good story of bullying, growing up, and taking responsibility.

[Serina · Rating 1 out of 5]

(BULLY) Boy wants to get new puppy and instead is stuck with the older dog. He works hard and finally learns the value of his current dog. There is conflict with him and another boy, but its mainly about him trying to save to get a puppy. It is a pleasant enough story. On the short side and with an appeal to boys. However, not really remarkable. I'd rank 4 out 10.

[Dee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not sure why this was named after Max. He was in there, but the book was mostly about the main character trying to earn money for a new puppy and his interactions with people/kids in his life. Possibly okay for Golden Sower, but I'm expecting to find books I like better. #bookaday