Max has a loved one currently on a military deployment. Or so she thought.

During a class assembly, Max gets some strong Super Max vibes. A special visitor has arrived at the school, and all eyes are now staring at her.

Why is everyone looking at her, and who is the special visitor to the assembly?

She saw a face that mirrored hers, with eyes so full of mist.

A beaming loving grin and daisies clutched inside his fist.

She recognized the uniform with black and brown and green,

and on his chest, her last name sewn, could easily be seen.

Is this special visitor a brother? A cousin? An uncle? Her father? Join Max as she discovers who this surprise visitor is, and why they are setting off her Super Max vibes.

Written in rhyme with captivating illustrations, Super Max’s Hero Surprise will take readers on an emotional journey as it captures the strength of family ties, the emotions of living through deployment separation, and the joyous feeling of re-connection.

Deployment (definition): Any movement from a military personnel’s home station to somewhere outside the continental U.S. and its territories (source: Dept. of Veterans Affairs).

Since 2001, more than 2 million children have experienced a parent deployed at least once. Military families relocate ten times more than civilian families. This averages to a move every two to three years. 37% of children with a deployed parent reported that they seriously worry about what could happen to their deployed caretaker. Children in military families experience high rates of mental health, trauma, and related problems.