Category: Patterson

Maximum Ride 1: The angel experiment by James Patterson

Fourteen-year-old Maximum Ride, better known as Max, knows what it’s like to soar above the world. She and all the members of the ‘Flock’ – Fang, Iggy, Nudge, Gasman and Angel – are just like ordinary kids – only they have wings and can fly. It may seem like a dream come true to some, but their lives can morph into a living nightmare at any time – like when Angel, the youngest member of the ‘Flock’, is kidnapped and taken back to the ‘School’ where she and the others were genetically engineered by sinister scientists.Her friends brave a journey to blazing hot Death Valley, California, to save Angel, but soon enough, they find themselves in yet another nightmare – this one involving fighting off the half-human, half-wolf ‘Erasers’ in New York City. Whether in the treetops of Central Park or in the bowels of the Manhattan subway system, Max and her adopted family take the ride of their lives. Along the way Max discovers from her old friend and father-figure Jeb – now her betrayed and greatest enemy – that her purpose is save the world – but can she?

I love this book because there is a lot of mystery and love. You have not lived until you have read Maximum Ride! 😉 T.L. (S2) *****

Maximum Ride: School’s out, forever by James Patterson

“It’s 24 hours since Max Ride and her fellow bird-kids escaped the New York Institute, and they’re still on the run. But the six companions — 98% human, 2% bird — came away with some vital information. If they can decode the garbled words and numbers, perhaps they’ll find out where their parents are. There’s a lot of trouble ahead for Max, Fang, Iggy, Nudge, the Gasman and Angel — not to mention Total, the talking dog. Their enemies, the fearsome Erasers, have acquired a new skill — they too can now fly. After an air-battle, the badly hurt Fang ends up in hospital. There the FBI track down the flock, who have even ended up going to school! But that doesn’t quite fit in with searching for parents, or with what the insistent Voice in Max’s head keeps reminding her – that her mission is ‘to save the world’.”

Quick, snappy narration & short chapters. A little simplistic in places but an enjoyable read. ***
Anon, (Staff, 2008)

Maximum Ride: The final warning by James Patterson

“Max, Fang, Iggy, Nudge, Gazzy and Angel are six extraordinary kids created by the crazed Uber Director in a twisted laboratory experiment that left them with the ability to fly. They are back for another wild adventure as they try to save the world …and themselves. The Uber-Director sees the group of friends as his opportunity to become a billionaire: he seizes his chance to cash in that lucrative price tag by planning a worldwide auction with the children being offered to the highest bidder. But first his mutant army must track them down and capture them – which won’t be easy. Meanwhile, in hiding from their predators, all six of them wake one evening to find they are being given an important mission – to save the world from global warming. Led by heroine Max, their task takes them in a fast-paced, high-speed chase across the world to the South Pole but, as ever, danger is never far away …”

Quite a disappointing end to the series. Although it has a valuable message about global warming it isn’t what we’ve been led to expect. **
VB, (Staff, 2008)