Maximum Ride is one of my favorite series. Ever. And I know I say that about nearly every book I read, but I mean it. I love Maximum Ride. Except for the fourth one, The Final Warning. It’s pretty bad.
The first book, The Angel Experiment by James Patterson, is about a girl (Max) and her sort-of-but-not-really siblings, (Fang, Iggy, Nudge, the Gasman, and Angel) who have been experimented on by some crazy scientists. So now, they are 98% human and 2% bird, which means they have wings, super strength, and many other powers which come in handy when you’re constantly fighting Erasers, wolf/human hybrids. Fortunately, the “flock” escaped from the place where they were experimented on (called “The School”) and have been living peacefully ever since. But when six-year-old Angel gets kidnapped by the Erasers and is taken back to the school, they have to find a way to get her back.
The main character of this science fiction/adventure series is named (big surprise) Maximum Ride. Max is a fourteen-year-old girl who is strong, stubborn, and smart. Even though she’s only fourteen, she still protects the flock (well, technically just Nudge, the Gasman, and Angel because Fang and Iggy are the same age as her).
The Angel Experiment is a funny, fast-paced book with lots of action. The characters are always fighting Erasers, breaking into places, or blowing stuff up. There’s also romance in the series between Max and…I’m not telling you. The dialogue is funny and realistic, and the story always keeps you on the edge of your seat.
The only problem I have with Maximum Ride is the constantly changing storyline. It goes from “Hey! Let’s find our parents!” to “Hey! Let’s save the polar bears!” and finally, “Hey! Let’s try to stop some crazy guy from causing an apocalypse!” There are also way too many villains throughout the series, about five or six altogether.
Some of my favorite quotes from the series are:
“You could lock the Gasman in a padded cell with some dental floss and a bowl of Jell-O, and he’d find a way to make something explode.”
“We probably looked like starving orphan children. Hey! We were starving orphan children.”
“Now, Max, I think we both know your parents aren’t missionaries.”
“No? Well, for God’s sake, don’t tell them. They’d be crushed. Thinking they’re doing the Lord’s work, and all.”
“Hey, what happened to your tan?”
“It was dirt.”
I would recommend Maximum Ride to anyone looking for an exciting, unique action series. You won’t be able to put it down until you finish it. Then you’ll want to pick it up and reread it. It’s just that good.
Molly Blackwell
