Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment by James Patterson Date of Publication: 2005 ISBN: 04446617792 Number of Pages: 413

REQUIRED READING ABILITY: Junior: High Intermediate: Average
GENRES: Science Fiction/Adventure
THEMES : Appearance versus Reality, Life versus Death, Family, Loyalty, Survival, Good versus Evil, Isolation

SUMMARY:
Maximum Ride isn't your average teenaged girl -- though she is a pro when it comes to wise-cracks and defying authority. Max has taken responsibility for five other young children, and the six of them have been on the run for months. These are far from ordinary kids, however. They were all “created” in a lab with DNA mutations as part of a mysterious and evil conspiracy, and -- oh yeah -- they can fly.

Max has managed to evade her enemies for months, but as the story begins, the bad guys are getting too close. When the youngest member of her little “family” is kidnapped by the evil mutants known as “Erasers,” Max has to go to drastic lengths to get Angel back. In the process, she begins to see glimpses of her past, and eventually learns where her true destiny lies.

WHO WOULD LOVE THIS BOOK? A kid who...
- loves non-stop action
- is into thrillers
- longs to fly
- roots for the underdog
- likes books that leave you hanging (until the sequel)
- like characters who sound like real kids
- is a reluctant reader (male or female)
- likes books that make you laugh one minute, and scare you the next

This book is recommended for students in grades 7 and 8 only (Young Adult).

WHAT ELSE?
This is the first of two Maximum Ride books by James Patterson for the youth audience (with the third and last due late 2007.) It is his most popular novel to date, and reworks the characters and plot of his adult thrillers, When the Wind Blows and The Lake House. Some scenes are upsetting because of their harsh reality (think animal testing), but the series has been very popular with lit circle audiences in grades 6-8. Ethical discussions on genetic research and animal testing will naturally ensue.

Dialogue is true to kid-speak today, which means your most conservative parents might find Max's attitude and language a bit too "real" for their liking at times. There’s nothing truly graphic, however, be aware.

RELATED LINKS:
The rights for the movie have been sold, which should provide some interesting media literacy links. To learn more about this and other teaching ideas (including a "blog" by one of the characters), check out:
http://www.jamespatterson.com/activities_educators.html
http://www.maximumride.com/
http://www.jamespatterson.com/media/MRLesson1_HurstJrHigh.doc
http://www.jamespatterson.com/media/MRLesson2_HurstJrHigh.doc