mothers and sons

Maverick Falconer is just starting middle school and he wishes he were a hero like his father because maybe then he could deal with his mother's drinking and series of abusive boyfriends, not to mention the kids who bully him in middle school (pretty much the same ones who bullied him in elementary school)--but as the year passes he begins to realize that other kids have problems too, and maybe if they can all survive sixth-grade things will get better.

Max has an active imagination, who will throw a fit if others don't go along with what he wants. Following an incident with his sister Claire and her freinds, Max throws a tantrum when his mother pays more attention to her boyfriend than to him - Max runs away from home. Wearing his wolf costume at thetime, Max not only runs away physically, but runs toward a world in his imagination. This world, an ocean away, is inhabited by large wild beasts, including Carol who has the same temperament as Max. Instead of eating Max like they normally would with creatures of his type, the wild things befiend Max after he prclaims himself a king who can magically solve all their problems.