In What We Found in the Corn Maze and How it Saved a Dragon introduces the reader to Calvin, a very relatable young man who lives on a farm. We also meet his best friend, Drew and neighbour, Modesty, all living in the town of Disarray. The boys discover that Modesty has a book of spells, but there are a couple of catches. They are for simple household type chores (gathering lost coins, opening doors, changing the colour of a room) and only work at certain times of day. While trying to figure out ways to use the spells, they discover the land of Congroo. This is an alternate universe that is in danger and dragons are on the brink of extinction. The kids see just how the two worlds are reliant on each other, and quickly realize that the fate of both worlds is in their hands. Soon, he and his friends must try to save the dragons, the magic and Congroo. This book will be a hit with children who love fantasy and have a quirky sense of humor. It will be fun to try and catch all the hidden (and not-so-hidden) puns and literary references. II also enjoyed the humour in the story, most coming from Modesty when she shares stories about her sister. There are some great themes in this book dealing with bullying, friendship, relationships with family, trust, and teamwork. It also has a larger focus on the impact that large corporations have had on smaller agricultural farms as well as the difficulties faced in farming and agriculture. It touches on topics such as global warming, wildlife conservation, and endangered species. This book has a some minor violence so I recommend it for students in grade 5 or above. The reason I knocked off one star is because it lagged a bit in the middle and some kids might give up at that point.

“What We Found in the Corn Maze and How It Saved a Dragon” turned out to be quite an adventurous middle-grade novel of magic, farms, and even a dragon, and I liked reading it!

I adore reading middle-grade novels because it provides a form of escapism without making it too serious. This book turned out to be the perfect blend of fantasy and magic set for the target audience. I liked how creative the author made the plot in terms of the Magic Minute and the world of Congroo. The way the author merged our world with the world of magic was interesting, and I also enjoyed the various Harry Potter references mentioned.

Moreover, the author paces the story where you feel like something new happens in each chapter. There are also some exciting moments, like when they find themselves walking into high voltage electricity or realizing that someone is an imposter. The story has a few twists and turns that I did not expect and made the book entertaining to read.

Similarly, the main characters are also friendly and blend well with the plot. I particularly like Cal and Modesty, and even Preffy. However, I sometimes felt like the story was plot-driven, and we didn’t see much connection between the characters. For instance, Cal and Modesty pretty much remain the same throughout the story, and Drew doesn’t appear for a significant portion. It would have been nice if the author also focused on the characters and expressed their emotions.

Nevertheless, the book is still unique, fun, and creative. Overall, “What We Found in the Corn Maze and How It Saved a Dragon” is a delightful middle-grade fantasy that you would love to read if you are a fan of the genre.

What a delightful book. This is a fantastic choice for read-alouds with really likeable kids and a fun story. I'll look for more by the author to read with my kids and recommend for my readers.

Cal’s family owns a corn maze and a farm, but their family business is in trouble. A machine is printing vegetables of all kinds from tomato juice! When Cal discovers her classmate, Modesty, can practice magic, they hatch a plan to save the farm. Finding a secret book of spells, they summon all of the lost nearby coins. As a side effect, they find themselves transported to a neighboring world where all the dragons are dying. With the help of Preface Arrowshot, a Congruent librarian, the kids discover that the local entrepreneur who’s trying to take Cal’s family’s farm is the culprit. To stop the entrepreneur, they will have to save both of their worlds and a dragon named Phlogiston, Can Modesty and Call save the farm, the dragons, and the corn maze? This adventure-filled story is unique and engaging. The characters are easy to relate to and add a slapstick comedic element to the novel. This bizarre, offbeat adventure will capture the imaginations of middle grade readers who enjoyed Chris Grabenstein’s novels, Phantom Tollbooth, Wayside School, Pennybaker School is Revolting, and Secrets of Topsea series.

Please Note: A copy of this book was given to us by Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All opinions expressed are our own. No financial compensation was received.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for a review copy in exchange for an honest, unbiased review.

That title is a mouthful, and I don’t recommend saying it five times fast, because who knows what could happen? You might end up opening a wormhole that the Earth falls into, thereby destroying all of creation, and you wouldn’t want that one on your resume, now would you?

What We Found in the Corn Maze and How It Saved a Dragon is a funny, punny adventure that extols the virtues of science in a sneaky, engaging way, wrapped up in a whole dragonload of fun.

I’m not entirely sure how to describe this book, because while the blurb does a good job, it doesn’t quite capture the heart in this story. I just had so much fun with this book, more than I imagined I would. Definitely one I would recommend to kids, and I think the easy humor would draw them right in.

My Thoughts:

- This book has a delightful, charming, easy-to-read voice that’s full of humor and easily relatable. Do I think kids will love it? Heck yes. I loved it. The plot is a little all over the place at first, and I wasn’t really sure what to expect or where it was going, but around the 30% mark, the quest really kicked into gear, and the plot was a little more focused on something other than I found a book of useless magic. Normally, this would drive me bonkers. I’m a very plot-centric gal. But here, the voice was just so fun and relatable that I was fine just going along for the ride. Yeah, sure, let’s meander here and there. I was just sort of fine with it, because Cal makes for a funny, engaging narrator.

- There’s a little of everything in this book: magic spells, endangered dragons, puns (oh so many wonderful puns), a quest, a conspiracy, new friendships. Yet, none of it is quite as you might expect. This book follows a very Pratchett-like (Pratchettian? Pratchettish?) habit of twists and turns. Just when you’re sure X will happen, the very improbable Y will happen instead … and probably make you laugh, at the same time. This was so freaking effective, because the book incorporates a lot of tropes that you think might end up being tired and cliche, but it twists them in a way that makes them recognizable yet fresh and fun.

- The characters in this are just absolutely delightful. You’ve got our main guy, Cal, who is the child of farmers … and farming can be a difficult life. I really appreciated how the book tackled this, in the midst of everything else, because legacy farms are hard. Staying afloat as a farmer? Also hard. Cal’s not what I would call brainy, but he’s a problem-solver, and his heart’s in the right place (mainly, his chest … I APOLOGIZE FOR NOTHING. Cheesy jokes galore with this book! Own it.)

Modesty is the go-getter of the group. She’s a leader, unafraid to take charge in a situation and just do the thing. Not exactly the stop-and-think-before-charging-in sort of character, but hey, that’s what she’s got the guys for, right?

Then there’s Drew, who’s the more book-smart, logical one. I didn’t feel like I got to know Drew as well as the others, which is a shame, because he’s probably the one who’s most like me. I loved how matter-of-fact he could be, though.

Last but not least, there’s Pre, who is a librarian who just wants to be a scientist (and on behalf of librarians everywhere, I’d be offended, if being a scientist wasn’t so stinking cool in its own right.) To be fair, science doesn’t exist in his world, which makes it more exotic. It’d be the equivalent of me wanting to be a witch and … well, duh. So I can’t really fault him on this one.

- There’s this super sneaky thing going on here, where the book slips in some really powerful life lessons while the reader isn’t looking. It’s sort of a “drop and go” approach, where they’re slipped into some action, and yet they catch your attention because, one, you’re not looking for or expecting them, but two, they make perfect sense in the context that you’re like … huh. Well, that’s a good point. My favorite examples of this, in particular, are with Pre and his absolute fascination with science, which doesn’t exist in his world. Pre wants very much to be a scientist, so the book shows, in a lot of little ways, how much science can play a part in everyday life. Or, you know, in big quests to save the world, even. It was so fun to see the little ways that Pre did something “scientifical” without even realizing it, because science is just that broad and that powerful.

- This book is super punny and with the cheesiest sense of humor, and I absolutely freaking loved it. It’s witty, in a simplistic way, and makes the story so much more enjoyable to read. The best thing about this type of humor is that it allows the author to slip in all sorts of little Easter eggs that younger kids may not understand, but which older readers and adults will appreciate even more. Basically, it’s accessible to all ages. There’s a little something for everyone. The book is obviously targeted to kids, but this would be a super fun one for parents to read out loud with their youngsters, too.

This story is told with in the classic style similar to Bruce Coville. Students that enjoy fantasy and adventure books will like this story. The use of mundane spells is entertain older students while making them feel in control of the narrative and on the same accord as the characters. Friendship plays another huge part in the book, children and Middle Grade fans alike will enjoy this book. I would recommend to families looking for a book to share with a large age range of children.

Cal’s family owns a corn maze and a farm. But their family business is in trouble due to a machine that prints vegetables of all kinds from tomato juice! When Cal and Modesty find a secret book of spells, they accidently summon all the lost nearby coins. Soon they are transported to a neighboring world. There they discover that they must save both of their worlds and a dragon named Phlogiston. Can the trio save both worlds, Cal’s family farm, and the corn maze? The characters are engaging and entertaining. The plot is funny and unique. This bizarre, offbeat adventure will capture the imaginations of middle grade readers. For fans of Wayside School, Pennybaker School is Revolting, and the Secrets of Topsea series.

Please note: This was a review copy given to us by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. No financial compensation was received.

My rather fraught relationship with this book begins with the introduction of the technology called the Davytron. This struck me as an absolutely ridiculous name, and not in a good way. Every time it was mentioned, it pushed me out of the world of the story. And it strikes me as a symptom of a larger issue. It doesn't take itself seriously enough. The plot makes jokes at it's own expense. Most of the humor comes from absurd turns and pun names. The pun names are fine, though I'm not sure they'll all land with young readers, based as they are in library terminology. And the absurd turns aren't so much funny as just odd or happenstance. Only a narrow group of kids is going to truly enjoy this book.

Summary: When Cal and his friend Drew see a bunch of coins walking toward a girl in their class named Modesty, they want to know more. It seems as though Modesty is practicing magic, but when they get their hands on her book of spells, it’s not much. They can make a few of the more mundane spells work for one minute at a time during five minutes of the day…or night, in a few cases. What Cal wants most is to find a spell that will repair the expensive harvester he accidentally set on fire and to help save the family farm from the inventor who has found a way to create vegetables with a 3-D printer. When a portal opens up into another world, the three kids find themselves in the midst of an effort to save that world from global cooling–with the help of a green-skinned kid librarian named Preface (Pre for short). When Drew accidentally gets trapped in the other world, and Pre ends up back with Cal and Modesty, it’s up to the kids to save Drew, save the farm, and quite possibly save the world. 352 pages; grades 3-7.

Pros: Fun doesn’t begin to describe this madcap magic adventure with an intriguing parallel universe, clever wordplay, and a few zings about fake news, corrupt leaders, and climate change deniers. The adventures and laughs never stop; this will be an easy book to promote for summer reading.

Cons: I’d love to see more of Cal, Drew, Modesty, and Pre, but everything wrapped up so neatly, I fear there will be no sequel.

What a glorious and truly imaginative adventure this novel truly is!

Right away, the reader is introduced to the very endearing, and relatable, Calvin. He lives on his family's farm in the town of Disarray. Soon, he and his friends must try to save the neighboring world of Congroo (where magic, and a dragon are on the brink of extinction).

I was immediately drawn into this story and could not put it down. I was constantly left wondering what was going to happen next and there is certainly no lack of action and adventure.

But ultimately, what truly blew me away are the underlying themes. This book touches brilliantly on the impact that large corporations have had on smaller agricultural farms as well as the difficulties faced in farming and agriculture. It also hits on topics such as global warming, wildlife conservation, and endangered species.

Other topics this book touches on several times, that i applaud, are bullying, friendship, relationships with family, trust, and teamwork.

I do want to bring up that there is a little violence in a few places and implied violence. While this did not bother me, I know this might be something parents wish to review prior to allowing their younger reader to read this novel.

Once again, I highly enjoyed this magical journey. Thank you so very much for the advanced reader's copy!

This book made me laugh out loud -- being a librarian, I especially loved the librarian jokes. But I think kids will enjoy the characters, story line and clever plays on words. There is just enough character development that you care, just enough world building to privide context, and enough plot to keep you reading -- a good balance of all the elements. This is a quirky fantasy book and will appeal to fans of The Phantom Tollbooth and parallel dimension stories.

Calvin Sap and his friend Drew discover that one of their classmates, Modesty, can use magic – but only at 12:34 pm. After they find her spellbook, they give it a go and discover four other times where magical spells can be said. When the three children use magic to open a locked safe in Modesty’s kitchen, the refrigerator opens instead. And with it, the entrance to the land of Congroo.
What follows is a lot of magical trial and error as these children try to uncover a plot to suck al the magic out of Congroo. A Congroo local, Preffy Arrowshoot, explains that if magic dies, so will the last dragon. Will they find the culprit that is siphoning all of the magic out of Congroo in time? And will they be able to save Calvin’s farm in the process?
The author nailed the art of preteen dialogue. It’s fast. Witty. Natural. Humorous. The amount of puns borderlines the absurd. The premise is creative. While a book full of puns might connect with the middle-grade boy, it cheapens the feel of the book overall. Everything lacks the seriousness or gravity of the situation as the characters move from come back to come back. As for character development, every character feels the same. There might be little differences such as their particular interest (swimming, video games, science). But they are all sassy, chatty, witty, and even humorous. I would have preferred character variance to deepen the impact of the story.
The premise is creative and surprisingly funny. Not only is magic limited to a few minutes per day. Its uses are little more than household chores. And with this surprisingly limited power, the children attempt to save both a dragon and a kingdom in one fell swoop.
On the down, I was disappointed that the dragon in the title received such little time and focus on the book. The characters began to wear a bit on me by the end. Every person seemed incredibly high energy. No one came across as reserved or cautious. The novel just jumped from one-liner to one-liner. Don’t get me wrong – some of those were incredibly funny and clever. But even the best of the jokes felt a bit hackneyed by the end of it.
Also, without the amount of violence, I wouldn’t recommend this to most readers within this age group.

I loved every minute of it. I was laughing out loud at my desk and I never knew what was coming next. It was absolutely my sense of humor, it was witty and creative and original and clever. My favorite part was Modesty talking about her sister's cooking mishaps. "Why are the chocolate chips green? Because they're peas" and "Why is your cat starting at the fridge? Because she made icecream yesterday and that cat loves anything with fish in it" were the highlights. Some parts in the middle felt a little slow, but there was always something new about to happen to liven things up. I would definitely seek out more books by Henry Clark.

Best friends Cal and Drew see a bizarre sight: coins rolling along the ground. This leads them to a girl named Modesty and a book of magic spells she has found from an alternate world called Congroo. The trio, along with a Congroo librarian named Pre, soon find that they must stop an evil plot to drain Congroo of its magic. A fun and original story filled with hilarious gags: Congroo has a Mary Potter series to mirror our world's Harry Potter, Modesty has no modesty whatsoever, and why don't Congroo residents need toilet paper?

My son and I read this book daily and enjoyed the power of togetherness and the ability to work as a team. Thank you for the advance copy, we both truly enjoyed this book.

This was a lovely book with adventure, friendship, courage, and more! I think that my students would enjoy it, especially those that like dragons and fantasy.

What We Found in the Corn Maze and How it Saved a Dragon by Henry Clark
Best friends Cal and Drew team up with their odd classmate Modesty when they find her casting spells from a mysterious three-ring binder. The spells are simultaneously weird and mundane and will only work during very specific minutes of the day. As the group works to figure out how to use the magic, their friendship becomes stronger and the stakes get higher. This book will take the reader into different worlds, evil corporations, the perils of middle school, and yes, a corn maze.
The action starts almost on the first page which will be great for reluctant readers. Clark does a great job of incorporating real-world problems that we’re all facing (monopolization of industries, fake news, gender bias) in an unproblematic way. The intrigue and adventure made this a page turner, causing this rather long book go by quickly. Humor is really Clark’s strong suit. This book may not make you laugh out loud, but it will definitely have you quietly chuckling. The relationships between the three (or four) protagonists didn’t really land for me. Yes, Modesty eventually thawed towards the boys, and yes, Cal said a number of times that he was worried about Drew, but it did not always feel organic.
Overall this was an enjoyable, funny read. I’d recommend this book to grades 5 and up through middle school.

After having been witness to its critical acclaim, this is one book that I can highly recommend.

My son is required to do 20-minutes of reading each night for school. After a month went by in which he was stuck on the same book, I realized that if he had his way, he would never finish it. We switched out that book and replaced it with 'What We Found in the Corn Maze and How It Saved a Dragon'.

After only a couple of sessions, he was going on and on about Drew, Cal and Modesty; about their spells and about the green chocolate chip cookies. At one point while he was reading, he stood and began gesturing with his hand. (I think he was trying his luck with an incantation!) Suffice to say, he loves it! It will be placed on the school's recommended reading list.

Thank you to NetGalley, Little, Brown Books for Young Readers, and Henry Clark for an ARC of 'What We Found in the Corn Maze and How It Saved a Dragon' in exchange for an honest and voluntary review.

Magic exists!
It's this realization in the book, What We Found In The Corn Maze And How It Saved A Dragon by Henry Clark that sends three friends on a whirlwind adventure to not only save a dragon but also save the family farm, rescue an alternate universe, and take down a global corporation.
At first, the magic seems mundane, gathering lost coins, opening doors, etc, but once the door to the alternate universe of Congroo is open (in the fridge, natch) the kids see just how the two worlds are reliant on each other. They quickly realize that the fate of both worlds is in their hands.
I loved the speed and whimsy in this book. From very early on in the read I was reminded of Norton Juster's The Phantom Tollbooth. There is so much fun to unpack in this one that kids will want to read it multiple times just to try to catch all the hidden (and not-so-hidden) puns and literary references.
I am DEFINITELY adding it to my list of recommendations for gifted youngsters and would wholeheartedly suggest this book for advanced 3rd grade up to 8th grade readers.

Henry Clark’s fantasy novel for grades 5 and up has dragons and magic plus humorous references to Harry Potter and a variety of other contemporary icons. The beginning and ending were unique and entertaining, but the middle lagged. However, the book will garner a readership of those who love fantasy and have a quirky sense of humor. No red flags raised in regards to language, violence, or sexual content.