Book of the Month: “The Maximum Ride” series by James Patterson
PHOTO: Patterson’s “The Maximum Ride” series delves into the lives of teenagers who are 98 percent human and 2 percent avian.
By Sarah Griffiths,
BlueDevilHUB.com Staff–
Things are slowly returning back to normal with the distribution of the COVID-19 vaccine, allowing friends and family to reunite after a year of isolation. This month’s “Book of the Month” showcases the power of relationships and how important friends and family are.
Senior Kolby Donnellan recommends the “The Maximum Ride” series written by James Patterson. “The Angel Experiment,” written in 2005, is the first book of the nine-book series written over the span of 10 years.
The young adult fantasy series follows a group of kids ranging from 6-14 years old, referred to as “The Flock,” who are human-avian hybrids born with wings after being experimented on at a lab called The School.
Throughout the nine books the group finds themselves running from half-human, half-wolf creatures called Erasers who are trying to destroy the bird hybrids.
The kids are on a pursuit to find themselves while struggling to understand their origins and purpose in life.
“I really enjoyed that he incorporated one of the group members finding their family and the family accepting them even with wings,” Donnellan said.
The novels remind readers that family is who you make it.
“No matter what happened or whatever put a divide between them, they always managed to come back together as a whole. Blood or not blood, they were a family and no one could come in between them,” Donnellan said.
Donnellans favorite character is Ari Batchelder, leader of the Erasers, son of one of the scientists and half-brother of Maximum Ride.
“He was the enemy but his story was very sad and I think that if he had a choice he wouldn’t have been on the bad side,” Donnellan said.
The Maximum Ride series is a No. 1 New York Times Bestseller and loved by over 30 million readers.
“I would most definitely recommend this book to others. Maximum Ride is like Harry Potter, it’s definitely a series that I will keep with me for the rest of my life,” Donnellan said.
