From BooklistGr. 7---9. Patterson, best known for his dark, gritty thrillers featuring psychologist Alex Cross, first dipped his toes in the waters of children's literature with
SantaKid (2004). Aiming at an older youth readership this time and reworking ideas and characters that appeared first in his adult novels
When the Wind Blows (1998) and
The Lake House (2003), he delivers an action-packed cross between Gertrude Chandler Warner's
Boxcar Children and Marvel Comics' X-Men. Fourteen-year-old Max (short for Maximum Ride) leads an usual group of children, escapees from an institution that designed them by "grafting avian DNA onto human genes." Yup, these kids have wings. When Angel, the smallest of the group, is kidnapped by mutants and taken back to the "school," Max and her family determine to get her back--no matter what. Patterson occasionally forgets his audience here, as evidenced by his sardonic tone and such glib adult asides as "they found their prey:
moi," but he's picked a comfortable formula (orphans protecting one another and making a home together), which he's cushioned with an abundance of slavering beasts, childhood heartaches, and unresolved issues--all in preparation for the sequel in 2006, in which Max will, presumably, assume the role she's been assigned here: savior of the world. Expect the Patterson name to attract a crossover audience of both adults and youth.
Stephanie ZvirinCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reservedAbout the AuthorJames Patterson is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of many books, including Suzanne’s Diary for Nicholas, The Big Bad Wolf, 3rd Degree, the Alex Cross series of thrillers, and the children’s picture book santaKid.
Product Description:Get ready for the maximum thrill ride from #1 New York Times bestselling author James Patterson. Fang, Iggy, Nudge, the Gasman, Angel, and Maximum: Six kids who are pretty normal in most ways--except that they’re 98% human and 2% bird. Riding the wind, their wings are an amazing gift...and yet, their world can morph into a nightmare in a single instant. For when the bloodthirsty Erasers--half men, half-wolves genetically engineered by sick and sinister scientists--kidnap little Angel, the Flock embarks on a rescue mission that will change them forever. From Death Valley, California, to the bowels of the New York City subway system, 14-year-old Max leads her five feisty "family" members on a journey full of nonstop action, adventure, and soul-seeking--not to mention a little bit of saving the world on the side.
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