Product Description

In James Patterson's blockbuster series, 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 experimented on by a crew of wack jobs. Her friends brave a journey to blazing hot Death Valley, CA, 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?

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #101189 in Books
• Published on: 2007-04-01
• Original language: English
• Dimensions: 7.63" h x 1.25" w x 5.13" l, .82 pounds
• Binding: Paperback
• 464 pages

From Publishers Weekly
Themes from Patterson's popular adult titles When the Wind Blows and The Lake House waft through this YA thriller, the author's first in the genre. Wood stars as Maximum Ride, 14-year-old leader of a band of kids who have escaped the lab where they were bred as 98% human and 2% bird (wings being a key component) and developed a variety of other-worldly talents. In Patterson's unusual universe, Max and her young cohorts are soon forced to rescue one of their own—a girl named Angel—from a pack of mutant wolf-humans called Erasers. Wood nails Patterson's often adult-beyond-their-years dialogue with a jaded tone. But the result of this pairing makes Max sound more off-putting than cool or intriguing. The listening experience is stalled in the starting gate, keeping the action-adventure earthbound rather than high-flying. Ages 12-up. (Apr.)
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From School Library Journal
Grade 7 Up–Non-stop thrills keep listeners on the edge of their seats as they enter the world of 14-year-old Maximum Ride and her sibling clan of genetically-enhanced children. In best-selling adult author James Patterson's fantasy (Little, 2005), the six children were experiments created in a lab called the School, but they've been living on their own since a scientist helped them escape. Now they're being tracked down by wolf-human predators who have been programmed to destroy the kids at all costs. The danger never lets up for a second as the kids are kidnapped, hunted, and must flee across the continent to escape. Fortunately for them, they have the power to fly with the help of wings that were grafted onto their bodies. Some scenes take a long time to develop and others seem like offshoots of the main plot, but narrators Nancy Ku and Ed Sala create a myriad of voices for the cast of characters. Short, fast-paced chapters keep this lengthy novel from becoming tiresome for listeners. Readers and listeners will eagerly await the sequel. A good choice for school and public libraries; Patterson's adult fans will probably want to borrow it as well.–Casey Rondini, Hartford Public Library, CT
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From AudioFile
James Patterson's facile writing and Evan Rachel Wood's expressive, wide-eyed reading make this entrée for the teen audience a remarkable success. A group of bird-kids, genetically altered with avian DNA, and led by Max, have escaped from the experimental "school" and must survive the perils of other mutants as they save the youngest member of their flock. Wood has all the slang and colloquial pacing down pat. Teens will love the chaotic chases and frantic action--Wood in Max's first-person narrative has the aura of a comic book superhero. The abridgment is smartly done, and Wood keeps listeners' attention. R.F.W. © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine