Today, we’re excited to host Max Brallier, author of a stupendous amount of books, including the wildly popular Last Kids on Earth middle grade series. The highly-anticipated tenth installment, The Last Kids on Earth and the Destructor’s Lair, is out now, and we had the chance to talk with Max about it as well as what’s up next for this prolific writer.
Thanks so much for joining us here at the Mixed-Up Files, Max. How exciting is it to be able to celebrate the release of the tenth book in the Last Kids on Earth series! As Quint says, that’s a lot of adventuring. This installment definitely doesn’t disappoint when it comes to shenanigans, superpowered boss fights, massive monsters, and an epic clash with Ŗeżżőcħ. It seems like the ultimate showdown is still yet to come, though. Can we expect even more adventuring with Jack and our other dauntless heroes?
Thanks for having me! Excited to chat. Super exciting to celebrate the release of the 10th book in the main series—although I have to admit it’s a confusing number, since there’s a 5.5 and a 7.5 and other ½ books that aren’t actually half books but kind of are. But it is, truly and really, the 10th anniversary for the series.
Friendship plays such a vital role in this series and in this book in particular. Though what a twist to have Jack and Quint fighting and not speaking for a big chunk of it! Quint is usually the man with the plan, and though he turns out to still be in the end in splendid fashion, Jack has to do a lot more on his own this time. How did you navigate having these two not communicating while still letting them explore the Monster Dimension and move closer to Ŗeżżőcħ?
It wasn’t easy! I’ve always resisted having the kids be locked in a fight for long periods of time; it never seemed like it would be fun to read or to write. But it made sense here. And I was able to do it in a way, I hope, that it won’t feel like a drag.
The Bewilderness was an exciting location to dive into (quite literally), and other places like BountyCon offered a lot of great visuals and details as well. Were there any places you would have liked to explore more in depth?
Lots more places! The Bewilderness sequence was initially a lot longer, and parts were very different. And the entire Hidden City itself was originally going to be more of a living, breathing creature-city.
It’s always struck me how fun and heartfelt these books are while there’s a lot of pretty serious stuff going on as well. In this story in particular, Jack is coming face to face with evil. How do you balance the lighthearted, funny tone with the more serious topics of loss and death that come with the apocalypse?
I find that to be the hardest thing about writing the series—and it has been, since book 1. I try to balance it by leaning into Jack’s 1st person POV and having him—usually—approach things in a way that’s lighthearted or wry.
The illustrations by Douglas Holgate are such a perfect match for the tone of the book, combining scale, energy, and cool monsters. At this point in the series, do you have a sense of which parts of the story would make for a good panel or aside in a dialogue bubble? Is that something you get to work on together?
Doug is incredible. More often than not, while writing the manuscript, I’ll call out which moments should be illustrated—stuff like cutaway gags or flashbacks or little asides. Or big action moments that I think we’ll really want to see. But then, when reading through the manuscript, Doug and the book’s designer, Jay, and editor, Dana, will often flag moments that they think would make for a good illustration.
You’ve written several other series in addition to the Last Kids on Earth, like Eerie Elementary and Mister Shivers. With all of these great stories and characters, I’d love to ask a question you probably get all the time: Where do you get your ideas?
Sometimes an idea will just hit me when I’m sitting in my car or running errands, or lying on the couch. Other times it’s a real hunt, where I’m pacing around, trying to crack something, trying to find that idea that’s hopefully going to save the whole book at the last minute.
Can you tell us more about what you’re working on right now?
The next two Last Kids on Earth books, finishing up The Last Comics on Earth #4, and two new ideas—one middle grade, one very different.
Do you have any advice you’d give to writers who are interested in creating a series?
Start small! Beginning, middle, and end of one story first, while allowing for questions that the reader will hope to have answered, and places the readers will hope to visit.
And last but not least, if there’s an Order 72, are there 71 others?
I’m more worried about Orders 73 and beyond!
You can learn more about Max and his books at his website: https:www.maxbrallier.com
Ultimate Trains (Machines of the Future) by Peter McMahon and illustrated by Andy Mora 
Kim: Absolutely! It wasn’t until March 2025 (MARCH 2025!!!) that scientists captured the very first image of a colossal squid in its natural habitat! And it was such a baby! I can’t wait for pics of a full-size colossal squid. There is so much more of the ocean to explore. We haven’t scratched the surface. For land animals, drones make it so much easier to explore hard-to-reach places. And as airborne DNA collection advances, we’ll be able to identify species without even seeing them. That’s huge. Right now, so much is based on eyesight and catching a glimpse, but environmental DNA and airborne DNA open the door to discover where super secretive animals may be hiding.
says they saw a dog running down the street, there’s no reason to question their opinion. But if someone says they saw a 6-foot bird screeching at them, our eyebrows raise. So, if we assume the person saw something, let’s take a look at what factors might be affecting their opinion, and then we can get into the traditional wildlife science of habitat and what technologies can help figure out what that something is.
Kim: When I was a kid, I loved animals and science and the only job I heard about was a veterinarian, which didn’t interest me. I want kids to know that there are tons of fields related to wildlife research, and not all jobs require higher education. Perhaps a kid who’s into computers never thought wildlife coding or programming was an option and will be thrilled to discover that these opportunities exist.
