In an instant everyone over the age of 14 disappears. Poof. Gone.
And there is a border… a wall… or maybe a dome that surrounds the town of Perdido Beach, CA. A barrier that no one can break through.
And (as if all of that wasn’t enough) the animals are morphing, evolving. And so are the kids. Developing supernatural powers.
In the vein of The Lord of the Flies the kids don’t all agree on how to survive, who should be in charge, and what they should do to keep order. The bully from the private school, Caine (aptly named, by the way), soon takes over and rules without mercy due to his developing powers. Sam also develops powers, but is reluctant to step up and lead — even though he is morally and ethically the “good” guy in the story. It really gets eerie when the local coyotes start organizing, talking, and then stalking the kids.
As a mom this book scared me to death. To think that 13 year olds would be in charge of everyone and everything was powerfully disturbing. And the author stays pretty authentic to how this might play out. Cars crash when the driver disappears, gas stoves ignite fires in homes, children cry for their parents. It takes the kids a long time to get organized, the candy is eaten first, and they forget to check on the babies…. with tragic results.
Because of the gruesome and also the very scary encounters in this book, I would recommend this for older teens or maybe younger teens who can handle Stephen King-esque storytelling. However, there is a bit of a disconnect because older teens may not be as interested in a book about 13 year olds, but I think the book will still hold their attention as the book is very gripping and hard to put down, if for no other reason than the original and terrifying paradigm of the story. I have heard some say that it slows down too much in parts. But as the first book in a trilogy, I am a bit forgiving as the author sets up the round characters and allows the story to pace itself. If you or your kids liked Hunger Games, you’ll probably like this one, too.
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.
This is a good old-fashioned ghost story. Complete with rain storms, a dark lake, and disappearing characters. There is even a creepy doll.
Ali’s mother, Claire, and her aunt Dulcie have a secret. And like all good secrets, they yearn to be revealed and discovered. Who is that girl ripped out of the picture from their childhood? Claire and Dulcie claim that they do not remember. Ali thinks otherwise. So, when Ali gets invited to go the lake house to babysit her cousin Emma for the summer, she sets out to discover who the girl in the photograph is and why she is such a secret.
This book is written very simply without a lot of fanfare. The older the reader, the faster the book speeds to its conclusion because the story is pretty straightforward and, I guess, pretty predictable. I guessed early in the story what the secret was and how this whole thing might play out. My 12 year old did, too. BUT, having said that, I still think the story holds the reader (I mean it IS a ghost story, afterall…) and is a good little story. It is not terribly scary, which is good for a tween novel, and I would rate it as a PG book. Tweens and teens will relate to the angst that Ali feels at trying to fit in with her hip aunt and her desire to both separate from her mother and defend her. There are a couple of twists and turns and then the final result brings peace to everyone.
And there is just enough eerieness to keep the story moving along.
And the story definitely puts the ka-bash on secret-keeping, that’s for sure!
So, I would recommend this novel for boys and girls ages 9 to 13.
This book has been an unqualified favorite of ours since Ty was about 9 months old. The book has a delightful, old-fangled feel to it. The action takes place on a farm as “Ma” and “Pa” try to get baby to go down for his nap.
For those of you out there who have (or had) babies who don’t sleep, this book will shoot straight to your heart. Because the baby in this book, will not sleep, preferring to dance away his naptime. (I, for one, think that babies who do not sleep should be institutionalized, but the parents in this story seem to have an unending, UNENDING supply of patience.) Finally, his parents literally throw up their hands, pick up their dancing shoes, and dance the baby silly until he collapses in exhaustion.
One of the most beloved things about this book is the old-fashioned vocabulary. You will need to take time to explore these words with your child. But that is part of what makes this book so charming. Words like “wig” “long johns” “chow” “tuckered out” and “fiddle” pepper this book in a wonderful homage to times gone by. The illustrations, too, are just right for this book. One of my favorite pages in all of children’s literature is in this book. I would frame it if I could.
They danced until the sun went down.
The moon was full and bright.
“I’m tuckered out!” Pa finally said.
“It’s time to say good night!”
The simple but expressive drawings are the right complement to the nostalgic mood. The rhymes scan perfectly and provide language acquisition and reading readiness… oh, and they are cute and fun, too!
Plus, really, kids will love the rascally nature of this baby who defies his parents and avoids his nap through his good-natured boogie-ing. The book is made of sturdy pages with flaps that reveal the antics of this very awake baby
I must warn you. This book is very hard to find. I have yet to see it on a shelf anywhere, so dial up Amazon or the order desk at your local book store and get this book for kids age 0 – 5 years. And get ready to read it over and over and over!
Awards: ALA Notable Children’s Books, Younger Reader’s Awards
Book by Karen Beaumont
Pictures by Jennifer Plecas
