Ear Wax Max: Summer Camp

I’ll admit, I side-eyed the title *Ear Wax Max* at first—how much mileage can you *really* get out of earwax? Turns out, a lot. This audiobook is a 67-minute explosion of kid-centric chaos, and I mean that as high praise. Baird’s writing has the rhythm of a stand-up routine, where every gross-out joke lands because it’s delivered with such commitment. The plot—Max’s desperate attempts to survive Camp Wedgiehaha—is basically *Lord of the Flies* if Piggy had a booger collection. What sells it, though, is how *specific* the humor is. The bit where Max tries to weaponize his earwax against a bully? Genius. The subplot about the camp’s suspicious “meatloaf”? Darkly hilarious. Andrew Roberts’ narration is the secret weapon here. He doesn’t just *read* Max’s lines—he *embodies* the kid’s mix of indignation and panic, like a middle-schooler recording a rant into his Game Boy. The supporting voices are just as strong, particularly the camp’s deranged counselor, who sounds like a gym teacher hopped up on energy drinks. My only critique? The sound design occasionally overpowers the dialogue (a fart noise *actually* drowned out a punchline), and the ending wraps up a little too neatly for a story this unhinged. But those are quibbles. If you’ve got a kid who giggles at the word “butt” or still quotes *Diary of a Wimpy Kid*, this audiobook will be on repeat. Just maybe don’t listen during mealtime.