MamaBloo Book Review: Maximum Ride
Maximum Ride, or Max, is the leader of her “flock.” A group of 6 genetically altered children who have avian DNA and can fly…with wings. They have escaped the school (the euphemism for the research lab they grew up in) and are out in the world on their own, trying to find their parents, stay alive, and avoid the Erasers (another set of genetically altered kids that resemble wolves) who are tracking them down.
I had no intention of liking these books. None. But because I like to keep up and read alongside what my kids are reading, I went ahead and dove into this one. And, frankly, it hooked me. So much so that I finished the whole series in a little less than two weeks.
I really had to get used to James Patterson’s way of writing. He rights in quick sentences, no fluff, not a lot of detail. And because this book is told in 1st person from the perspective of a 14 year old girl, he writes in the vernacular and jargon of a sassy teen. And Max often talks right to the reader. Sometimes I feel like Patterson nails the voice of a 14 year old girl — just gets right in that sweet spot with the cadence and the language. And at other times, the voice is painfully not the voice of a teenager; it almost yells to the reader “middle age white guy trying to sound like a teenage girl.” During these passages, well, lets just say some of them are cringe-worthy. Especially when Patterson — through the voice of Max — gets preachy about responsibility and global warming (yes, you read that correctly, there is a anti-global warming thread throughout this series…).
But if you can put all that aside and read on, you have yourself a solid story that winds up to be compelling, interesting, and a fun read. Teenagers will love it (mine sure did). I even think this one would grab the attention of teenage boys, even though it is told from the point of view of a female. The story spins from one intense moment to the next and the characters are easy to care about.
I recommend this book series for boys and girls age 11 and older.
Author: James Patterson
Thanks Kari. I’ll see if my guy is interested in reading it. Since we have a bird—a cockatiel—it will add to the mystique, or at least give some added sound effects while he reads! :)