Quick Take
- Narration: Kristen DiMercurio brings infectious energy to Max and the ensemble cast, hitting the comedic beats with timing that will keep younger listeners locked in.
- Themes: Identity and family mystery, loyalty among friends, medieval adventure comedy
- Mood: Fast-paced and funny, with just enough peril to feel real
- Verdict: A confident third entry in a series that knows exactly what it is, entertaining, funny, and genuinely hard to switch off for middle grade listeners.
My nephew went through all three Max and the Midknights audiobooks over a single rainy half-term week, reporting back to me with the kind of enthusiasm that tends to mean something in children’s literature. He was particularly animated about The Tower of Time, the third in Lincoln Peirce’s series, and the one where the stakes, as he put it, get actually real. He is eleven, which puts him squarely in the target zone for this series, and his read-through was more reliable market research than any aggregate review score.
I went back and listened myself over a couple of evenings. At two hours and forty-eight minutes, The Tower of Time is brisk and purposeful, and Peirce, creator of the Big Nate series, brings the same combination of humor and genuine narrative momentum that has made Big Nate a staple of middle grade publishing for years.
Our Take on Max and the Midknights: The Tower of Time
The setup for this third book raises the personal stakes considerably. Max’s twin is in serious trouble, framed as public enemy number one, and the Midknights must move fast to clear her name before time runs out. That family mystery element, who is Max, really, and what does the existence of a twin mean for her understanding of herself, gives The Tower of Time more emotional grounding than a pure quest narrative might have. The adventure is still rollicking: bloodthirsty trolls, murderous pirates, a ruthless king or two. But the character work underneath it has weight.
Lincoln Peirce keeps his sentences short and his scenes moving. There is no dead weight in this audiobook. Even the exposition moves quickly. He also has a genuine gift for comedic timing in prose, which is harder to achieve than it sounds, he knows when to let a joke land and when to move on, and that rhythm is what has made the Big Nate books last. Dav Pilkey, creator of the Dog Man series, called The Tower of Time fantastic, and Pilkey knows middle grade comedy better than almost anyone working in the genre today. That endorsement is worth taking seriously.
Why Listen to Max and the Midknights: The Tower of Time
Kristen DiMercurio’s narration is a genuine asset. She brings Max to life with warmth and comic energy while differentiating the ensemble cast convincingly. In a series where jokes land or fall based on timing, a narrator who understands the rhythms of Peirce’s humor is essential. DiMercurio delivers. Parent reviewers consistently mentioned that their children were deeply engaged, one parent described an 11-year-old running through the entire series without stopping, always wanting to know what came next. That is the highest possible endorsement for a children’s audiobook.
The third-book position in the series also means Peirce has established enough history with Max and the Midknights that he can afford to complicate things. The characters have relationships now. When the stakes rise, we care because we know who these people are to each other. That accumulation of investment is what distinguishes a genuinely functional series from a set of books that happen to share characters.
What to Watch For in Max and the Midknights: The Tower of Time
This is best heard as part of a sequence rather than as a standalone entry. Starting with book three would work in terms of plot comprehension, Peirce recaps enough, but the emotional investment in Max and her companions is significantly deeper for listeners who have been along since the beginning. That is a mild limitation rather than a serious one. Parent reviewers note the series runs to a third- or fourth-grade reading level, but listening level and reading level diverge, and the humor and pacing work for a wider age range in audio form.
The runtime of under three hours is appropriate for the target audience but means some plot threads resolve quickly. The big reveals in The Tower of Time around Max’s twin and her past are handled efficiently rather than expansively, which is the right call for the genre but may leave adult listeners wishing Peirce had lingered a moment longer.
Who Should Listen to Max and the Midknights: The Tower of Time
Children approximately eight to twelve will find this an ideal listen, particularly for car journeys, bedtimes, or rainy-day listening. Adults who love the Big Nate books and want something new from Lincoln Peirce will enjoy it, and parents looking for a series that works as read-aloud or as an independent listen for a middle-grade reader will find all three books serve that purpose well. Those expecting the darker or more complex end of children’s fantasy should look elsewhere, this is adventure comedy, and it is comfortable being exactly that.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do you need to have listened to the first two Max and the Midknights books before this one?
Not strictly necessary for plot comprehension, but the emotional payoff is considerably higher if you have followed Max’s journey from book one. The character relationships have accumulated across the series.
What age range is The Tower of Time genuinely suited for as an audiobook?
The series is often described as third- to fourth-grade reading level, but listening level runs wider. Children eight to twelve are the sweet spot, and Kristen DiMercurio’s energetic narration keeps even younger listeners in.
Is this connected to Lincoln Peirce’s Big Nate series, or is it completely separate?
Completely separate in terms of characters and setting. The connection is solely the author’s comedic sensibility and pacing instincts, which carry over from Big Nate into the Midknights world.
How does the fantasy world-building hold up in audio compared to the illustrated print editions?
Peirce’s prose does enough visual work that the absence of illustrations does not diminish the adventure. DiMercurio’s performance compensates for the lack of visual humor through timing and voice characterization.
