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Maximum Ride and the Angel Experiment by James Patterson

By Ananya Karandikar

What is the scariest experience that you have ever experienced? Maybe falling off your bike? Getting in a car crash? Breaking an arm? Trust me, these kids have endured way more trauma in a single day than you have in your whole life. 

Meet the flock: Maximum, the leader, the decision maker, has a “Voice” in her head that tells her what to do, 14 years old. Fang, quiet, sneaky, hides in the shadows, practically invisible when he is standing still, also 14. Iggy, blind, culinary master, enhanced senses other than sight, 14 years old. The Gasman (Gazzy), 8, amazing with explosives. Nudge, 7, talkative, a fashion expert, computer genius, can see the lingering traces of the last person that used a certain electronic by touching it, and is almost always happy. And last but definitely not least, Angel, 6 years old, mind reader, diabolical, very persuasive, looks sweet and small on the outside. You might be wondering what’s the big deal about these kids, besides the powers and their unusual self-given names. Well, for starters, they were raised in dog crates in a lab, they are being chased by bloodthirsty man-wolves called “Erasers” who want to either kill them or take them back to the lab for scientists who want to dissect their brains, and they have wings.

 They claim to be siblings, but in reality Gazzy and Angel are the only biological siblings. They all escaped from “The School”, or what they call the lab where they were raised, with the help of Jeff, a scientist that secretly helped the flock. They live in a house high up on a cliff with stilts holding up the house. They live there peacefully, until Jeff leaves them to fend for themselves. They think that their past is far behind them, but then they encounter the Erasers, who sneak up on them and take Angel. The flock is devastated, and they decide to go rescue her. This leads to a horrifying journey that takes them back to the nightmare of their past, opens old wounds, and makes them contemplate their very existence. As Max, Fang, Iggy, Gazzy, and Nudge go on a journey to rescue Angel, they face obstacles not only around them but also within themselves, as they struggle to cope with the tremendous emotions, pressure, grief, and trauma that they are carrying on their shoulders.

Join the flock on a thrilling adventure with pain, tears, and some laughs too in Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment.

Note — While it depends on the reader, I would recommend this book for ages 10+, and the following books in the series for ages 11+, as it contains some inappropriate or uncomfortable themes that may not be suitable for younger readers, such as extreme violence, death, trauma, some mentions of explicit language, and mild romance. But again, it depends on the reader’s comfort levels.

About the author: James Patterson, 78 years old, lives in Palm Beach, Florida with his wife Susan and his son Jack. He is a bestselling author who has written the Maximum Ride series, the Middle School series, the Treasure Hunters series, the Witch and Wizard series, the Confession series, along with the stand-alone books Crazy House, I Funny, and many more children's books. He has also written over 280 books for adults and has won several awards, including the New York State Writers Hall of Fame, the International Thriller Writers Award, the Los Angeles Times Book Prize, and the National Book Award, among many others.

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