It’s everyone’s favorite day of winter semester: the class field trip to the museum! Jordan is excited to see the mummies and Max can’t wait for his first trip to the big city without his big sisters watching over him. But when Jordan gets distracted by an extraordinary costume display and Max flies off to the depths of the Bat Cave, the group carries on to lunch without them. Before the two friends know it, their class has left the museum and they’re all alone downtown! Jordan knows they should find their classmates, but it’s hard to do the responsible thing when there is so much to do in the city. With Max at his side, the pair run wild: dancing alongside street musicians and tasting food from every single vendor they can find. Just when they think the day couldn’t get any more interesting, Jordan and Max find themselves in a strange neighborhood after dark where an even stranger ceremony is getting underway…a winter solstice celebration! This is the second book from Suzanne Sutherland featuring Jordan and Max, following Jordan and Max: Showtime! The epub edition of this title is fully accessible. Gr 1-3-In this series sequel, odd-couple friends Jordan and Max are thrilled to go to the field trip to the museum downtown. Told to stick with the group, Jordan and Max break off, first at the museum and then on an adventure throughout the city. A food truck buffet leads to a visit to a nearby university, a fashion show in glitzy vintage store, and meeting a kind stranger they dub Rainbow Woman, before a surprising conclusion at a buoyant Winter Solstice parade, where the duo is reunited with relieved families. While there are notable strengths in this novel-Jordan and Max demonstrate endearing levels of empathy and generosity toward the people they encounter; the friends are shown embracing each other's differences, from Max's irrepressible enthusiasm to Jordan's anxiety and love of dresses; and diverse characters of various skin tones, genders, and family structures are depicted without fanfare-the overall premise of two children breaking the safety rules of a class trip to wander through a populous city entirely unsupervised from day into night is disconcerting. Though the pair is mildly chastised, and they say they won't go roaming again, there is no discussion of the extremely dangerous potential consequences of wandering a busy city with a dead cell phone and no chaperone or adult who knows their location, all the while interacting with strangers. Jordan is depicted in the sparse black-and-white illustrations as white with shoulder-length brown hair, while Max has darker skin and dark brown curly hair. VERDICT A chapter book with strengths in terms of diversity and social emotional learning, but whose overall plot point relies on a lack of key child safety protocol making it tough to recommend.-Ashleigh Williamsα(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. “Jordan and Max demonstrate endearing levels of empathy and generosity toward the people they encounter...A chapter book with strengths in terms of diversity and social emotional learning.” ― School Library Journal (SLJ) “Takes a gentle approach to the topics of gender identity, friendship, and acceptance.” ― CM: Canadian Review of Materials “The themes of friendship and inclusion are lightly handled but elevate the story over many other less substantial early chapter books. I can’t wait to see what Jordan and Max get up to next!” ― Mombian Jordan and Max really did mean to stay with the group... Suzanne Sutherland is the author of a number of books for young people, including the Jordan and Max series. Jordan and Max, Field Trip! was named a Children's Book Council Librarian Favorite and a CCBC Best Book for Kids & Teens. Suzanne lives in Toronto with her family. Michelle Simpson grew up in the woods of Niagara Falls, Ontario, and still resides there today. She is a full-time freelance illustrator, focusing mainly on children's publications, and holds a BAA in illustration from Sheridan College. Michelle has worked as a concept artist at KeyFrame Animation for kids cartoons such as Ollie: The Boy Who Became What He Ate (Season 2) and Tee and Mo (Season 1). She is the author of Night Festival: A Silent Picture Book and Monsters In My House , which was shortlisted for Canada's Self-Publishing Awards in 2014. Michelle has also illustrated Hanukkah Harvie vs. Santa Claus by David Michael Slater and Back Home by Shaista Kaba Fatehali. Michelle draws her inspiration for her artwork from nature, animals and folklore.