Amazon Official Website of Children's Author Lisa B. C. O'Connell BooksAMillion.com Category:  Children Publisher: American Literary Press, Inc. ISBN-10:  156167642X Type: Fiction Pages: 88 Copyright: Dec 22 2000 "Miracle Max...Missing in Maryland" is a children's fiction chapter book, which also contains maps and facts about the state of Maryland. Miracle Max is a lovable, loyal, and friendly German Shepherd whose curiosity and courage make her a hero in this wonderfully illustrated tale. Children of all ages will find Miracle Max: Missing In Maryland! a delightful children's story. Miracle Max is the consummate pet: gentle, playful, and lovingly protective of her family's children. But when she wakes to find them missing, she leaves the yard to investigate and bites off almost more than she can chew. Her innocent curiosity leads her on a day-long journey of adventure, courage, and canine ingenuity. Excerpt Miracle Max, wide-awake now, alertly stood up as she suspiciously looked around her backyard. The happy sounds of children playing in Max's backyard had been replaced by an eerie silence. The swings moved slowly back and forth, as if ghosts were silently swinging on them...

Miracle Max...Missing in Maryland! Volume I Reviewed by Jo Rogers, a full-time reviewer for MyShelf.com
Miracle Max...Missing in Maryland is the first in a series of fifty books about Max, a beautiful German Shepherd who loves children. Written and illustrated by Lisa B. C. O'Connell, it is set in the state of Maryland. There is a map of the state in the back of the book, and a list of educational facts about Maryland that children will find useful and interesting. Ms. O'Connell plans to set one mystery for Max to solve in each of the fifty states and list facts about each.



Besides being educational, the mystery is entertaining. Miracle Max is the daughter of two police dogs, Miracle, her mother, and her father, Max. Though she didn't follow in her parents' pawsteps as police dog, Max still loves a mystery. She uses her keen sense of smell and hearing to guide her as she hunts for her missing family, and the frightened and hurt child that she can hear crying somewhere in the village where she lives.



Max is a wonderful dog, and the story of her Secret Mission also teaches children the value of following their parents rules, even though those rules sometimes seem foolish. They are rules made for a reason, and unless someone else's life is at stake, they should never be disobeyed.



The illustrations in the book are in black and white, and most of them would be ideal for coloring with pencils. It is a book I would want my children to enjoy, if I had any. I would also let them join the Miracle Max Mystery Club. Those details are also in the book. I would like to see the rest of the series, and even more. Max has a lifetime of mysteries to solve.





Reviewer for Barnes & Noble: Melissa A. Caudill
Meet Miracle Max, a German Sheppard who lives in Maryland with a loving family that takes care of her. In this first book of the new "Miracle Max Mystery" series, we journey along with Miracle Max as she finds herself on a secret mission to find out what is causing the terrible sound she keeps hearing. Miracle Max journeys out of her backyard and follows a trail of scents to a playhouse deep in the woods where she finds a lost and brokenhearted little girl. Miracle Max is able to comfort the girl and understands that she must bring the girl back home, which she does in a unique and fun way. Once the girl is home safe, Miracle Max finds his way home to his concerned family, who have no idea that it was their dog that saved this little girl's life. The author intends to write a story with Miracle Max in every state so that kids can learn about the states in a entertaining way. There is map of the U.S., of Maryland and a list of fascinating facts about Maryland along with information about how to join Miracle Max Mystery Club. Members of the club can access a web page and add their own input into what should happen in upcoming stories. This is an easy, light read that will appeal to dog lovers.