james patterson maximum ride the angel experiment

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Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment Paperback – 10 April 2006

WELCOME TO MY NIGHTMARE Do not put this book down. I'm dead serious - your life could depend on it. I'm risking everything by telling you - but you need to know. STRAP YOURSELF IN for the thrill ride you'll want to take again and again! From Death Valley, California, to the bowels of the New York City subway system, you're about to take off on a heart-stopping adventure that will blow you away... YOUR FAITHFUL COMPANIONS: Max, Fang, Iggy, Nudge, the Gasman and Angel. Six kids who are pretty normal in most ways - except that they're 98% human, 2% bird. They grew up in a lab, living like rats in cages, but now they're free. Aside, of course, from the fact that they're prime prey for Erasers - wicked wolf-like creatures with a taste for flying humans. THE MISSIONS: Rescue Angel from malicious mutants. Infiltrate a secret facility to track down the flock's missing parents. Scavenge for sustenance. Get revenge on an evil traitor. And save the world. If there's time.

• Book 1 of 9 Maximum Ride
• Print length 480 pages
• Language English
• Publisher Headline
• Publication date 10 April 2006
• Dimensions 12.6 x 3 x 19.8 cm
• ISBN-10 0755321944
• ISBN-13 978-0755321940
• See all details

Product description

Book description, about the author.

James Patterson is one of the best-known and biggest-selling writers of all time. Since winning the Edgar™ Award for Best First Novel with The Thomas Berryman Number, his books have sold in excess of 300 million copies worldwide and he has been the most borrowed author in UK libraries for the past eight years in a row. He is the author of some of the most popular series of the past two decades - the Alex Cross, Women's Murder Club, Detective Michael Bennett and Private novels - and he has written many other number one bestsellers including romance novels and stand-alone thrillers. He lives in Florida with his wife and son. James is passionate about encouraging children to read. Inspired by his own son who was a reluctant reader, he also writes a range of books specifically for young readers. James is a founding partner of Booktrust's Children's Reading Fund in the UK.

Product details

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Headline (10 April 2006)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Paperback ‏ : ‎ 480 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0755321944
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0755321940
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 12.6 x 3 x 19.8 cm
• 46 in Fiction About Stepfamilies for Young Adults
• 326 in Science Fiction Adventures for Young Adults
• 346 in Paranormal & Urban Fantasy for Young Adults

About the author

James patterson.

James Patterson is the most popular storyteller of our time. He is the creator of unforgettable characters and series, including Alex Cross, the Women’s Murder Club, Jane Smith, and Maximum Ride, and of breathtaking true stories about the Kennedys, John Lennon, and Tiger Woods, as well as our military heroes, police officers, and ER nurses. Patterson has coauthored #1 bestselling novels with Bill Clinton and Dolly Parton, and collaborated most recently with Michael Crichton on the blockbuster “Eruption.” He has told the story of his own life in “James Patterson by James Patterson” and received an Edgar Award, ten Emmy Awards, the Literarian Award from the National Book Foundation, and the National Humanities Medal.

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Customers find the characters believable and the writing style funny. They also say the storyline is thrilling and enjoyable, with a great concept. However, opinions are mixed on the story, with some finding it thrilling and others not really enjoying it.

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Customers have mixed opinions about the storyline. Some find the plot thrilling, interesting, and enjoyable, with tension in every chapter. However, others say the story is thin and reads like a rejected episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer.

"...An excellent story about a group of people who are different to the rest of us. I read the novel within 24hrs as I couldn't put it down...." Read more

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"...characters they are amazing especially the dog total who I find is very funny " Read more

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The Angel Experiment (Maximum Ride series)

The Angel Experiment

James Patterson

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CRITICS HAVE SAID

“Nonstop action carries this page-turner breathlessly from start to finish… Speed, suspense, excitement. ”  – Kirkus

“[Patterson] delivers an action-packed cross between Gertrude Chandler Warner’s Boxcar Children and Marvel Comics’X-Men.”  – Booklist

“The key to Maximum Ride’s success may be that it incorporates concepts familiar to young people…What makes these characters so appealing is that they have wings and can fly…Another plus: the book has the feel of a video game…The writing is visual and cinematic—things that kids expect from their video games, TV cartoon shows and action movies. And the ending leaves plenty of wiggle room for a sequel. ”  – USA Today

IF YOU LOVE THIS BOOK, THEN TRY:

Collins, Suzanne.  Gregor the Overlander.  Scholastic, 2003. (And others in the Gregor series.) ISBN-13: 978-0439435369

LaFevers, R. L.  Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos.  Houghton Mifflin, 2007. ISBN-13: 978-0618999767

Landy, Derek.  Skulduggery Pleasant.  HarperCollins, 2007. ISBN-13: 978-0061231179

L’Engle, Madeleine.  A Wrinkle in Time.  Farrar, 1962. Pullman, Philip. The Golden Compass. Knopf, 1996. ISBN-13: 978-0375838309

Riordan, Rick.  The Lightning Thief.  Miramax/Hyperion, 2005. (And others in the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series.)

Rowling, J. K.  Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.  Scholastic, 1998. (And others in the Harry Potter series.) ISBN-13: 978-0439362139

Stewart, Trent Lee.  The Mysterious Benedict Society.  Little, Brown, 2007.

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The Angel Experiment (Maximum Ride, Book 1): A Maximum Ride Novel Kindle Edition

• Reading age 10 years and up
• Book 1 of 9 Maximum Ride
• Print length 464 pages
• Language English
• Grade level 5 and up
• Publisher jimmy patterson
• Publication date April 1 2005
• Page Flip Enabled
• Word Wise Not Enabled
• Enhanced typesetting Enabled
• Sticky notes On Kindle Scribe
• ISBN-13 978-0316155564
• See all details
• Next 3 for you in this series CDN$37.97
• Next 5 for you in this series CDN$61.95
• All 9 for you in this series CDN$110.91

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From publishers weekly, from school library journal, from booklist, about the author, from audiofile, product details.

• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B000FCK3C8
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ jimmy patterson (April 1 2005)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• File size ‏ : ‎ 3027 KB
• Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
• Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
• Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
• X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
• Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
• Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
• Print length ‏ : ‎ 464 pages
• Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 0755321944
• #96 in Children's Mystery & Espionage
• #446 in Children's Action & Adventure
• #554 in Mysteries & Detective Stories for Children

About the author

James patterson.

James Patterson is the most popular storyteller of our time. He is the creator of unforgettable characters and series, including Alex Cross, the Women’s Murder Club, Jane Smith, and Maximum Ride, and of breathtaking true stories about the Kennedys, John Lennon, and Tiger Woods, as well as our military heroes, police officers, and ER nurses. Patterson has coauthored #1 bestselling novels with Bill Clinton and Dolly Parton, and collaborated most recently with Michael Crichton on the blockbuster “Eruption.” He has told the story of his own life in “James Patterson by James Patterson” and received an Edgar Award, ten Emmy Awards, the Literarian Award from the National Book Foundation, and the National Humanities Medal.

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Maximum ride, book 1: the angel experiment, common sense media reviewers.

OK series launch about flock of mutants. Tweens.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

Mutant tale has a message about the danger of scie

The heroes steal money and a car.

Lots, some pretty brutal, with blood, broken noses

Some mentioned directly: soda, cookie, electronics

Parents need to know that there is a lot of violence here, some of it quite brutal, including serious injuries. There are broken noses and bones, knocked-out teeth, and some deaths, guns, explosions, and car chases. The marketing for this book is also pretty intense, including Blogspot and MySpace pages and a contest…

Positive Messages

Mutant tale has a message about the danger of scientific advancements, but it's muffled by mediocrity.

Positive Role Models

Violence & scariness.

Lots, some pretty brutal, with blood, broken noses and bones, knocked-out teeth, and some deaths, guns, explosions, and car chases.

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Violence & Scariness in your kid's entertainment guide.

Sex, Romance & Nudity

Did you know you can flag iffy content? Adjust limits for Sex, Romance & Nudity in your kid's entertainment guide.

Products & Purchases

Some mentioned directly: soda, cookie, electronics, games. Some thinly disguised, such as AFO Schmidt instead of FAO Schwartz.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that there is a lot of violence here, some of it quite brutal, including serious injuries. There are broken noses and bones, knocked-out teeth, and some deaths, guns, explosions, and car chases. The marketing for this book is also pretty intense, including Blogspot and MySpace pages and a contest to put together a tie-in music CD.

Where to Read

Community reviews.

• Parents say (21)
• Kids say (146)

Based on 21 parent reviews

Maximum Ride Review

Great writing with mature themes and discussions, what's the story.

Max and five other kids, "the flock," were created by evil scientists at a place called the School, by combining human and avian DNA. They can fly, are unusually strong, and have a variety of other talents, some just emerging. Before the book begins they have escaped from the School, where the scientists were keeping them in cages and torturing them with experiments, and have been living on their own.

The youngest of the flock, Angel, is recaptured, and the rest fly back to the school to rescue her. Now they are being hunted by Erasers, human/wolf mutants also created at the School, while they travel across the country, trying to discover the secrets of their origins and purposes.

Is It Any Good?

Author James Patterson, best known for adult suspense novels, makes a passable foray into the young adult market with this book about a group of human/bird hybrids. For teens who just want action and excitement and who don't much care about the niceties -- such as logic, character development, consistent voice, or plot -- this will be plenty of fun. There's lots of gritty violence, but no sex, drugs, or language problems to worry parents (at least those who don't worry about gritty violence). And there's the fantasy of winged flight, which is always a kid-pleaser.

The entire book amounts to little more than a prologue to the series: Despite more than 400 pages of chases, fights, break-ins, and almost non-stop action, practically nothing actually happens. The main characters are captured, they escape, they are cornered, they escape, they are wounded, they recover, they try to hide, they are found, over and over again. In truth, very little of it makes any kind of sense, though there are plenty of hints that it will eventually -- just not in this book.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

Families can talk about the idea of human and animal experimentation and whether or not it's ethical.

In the book, the scientists are clearly the bad guys, but are these types of experiments ever justified?

You can also discuss the book's marketing. Why the tie-in CD and Web sites?

Are there different standards for book and movie marketing?

Could this kind of aggressive, movie-style marketing of a book actually be a good thing, or is it just manipulative?

Book Details

• Author : James Patterson
• Genre : Science Fiction
• Book type : Fiction
• Publisher : Little, Brown and Company
• Publication date : May 21, 2006
• Number of pages : 426
• Last updated : June 9, 2015

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Maximum ride : the Angel experiment

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Maximum Ride — by James Patterson

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The Maximum Ride Series in Order (9 Books)

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Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2005

Plot Summary

Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment Summary opens with the main character, Maximum “Max” Ride, running from a group of Erasers. We will later learn that Max is fourteen years old, and the Erasers are wolf/human hybrids.

She runs through a dimly lit forest, toward what she believes is a clearing. Instead, Max runs to the edge of a cliff, briefly stops, and then jumps off. Instead of falling, she snaps out her wings and heads west, flying away as the Erasers shoot at her.

She wakes abruptly, realizing the chase was just a dream. She inspects her nightgown for bullet holes and then collapses back into bed. She hates that dream, but always manages to wake up before she dies inside it.

Max leaves her bedroom and makes her way through the halls of the house to the kitchen. She lives here with several other teenagers who, just like her, are human/avian hybrids. Each of them has abilities and traits because of their hybridity, and together, they are called the Flock. They all attend the School, a shady institution made up of the scientists who have conducted the experiments to create the hybrids.

As Max looks for something to eat, Gazzy arrives. He’s the youngest member of the Flock, and has received his nickname due to his tendency to break wind. They great each other cheerfully, and when Gazzy asks what is for breakfast, Max tells him it is a surprise. Then Iggy arrives, plopping himself onto the couch; he is about the same age as Max. Another boy, Fang, enters and sneaks up behind Max. Max tells him to stop messing around, and then heads to wake the remaining members of the Flock, Nudge and Angel. Nudge is an eleven-year-old African-American girl, and Angel, a girl who is the youngest member of the Flock.

During breakfast, Angel announces that she wants to go out and pick strawberries. They all do, and during their picking, Erasers arrive and kidnap Angel. During the fight, Max is pinned down by two Erasers. A third slams Max into the ground, remarking that it looks like Max has grown. Though she does not recognize him at first, Max realizes this is Ari, the son of the School’s founder Jeb Batchelder. The Flock tries to rescue Angel, but Ari holds a gun to Max’s head. The Erasers escape with Angel in a helicopter.

The Flock decides to make a plan to rescue Angel. They rummage through some of Ari’s old files and learn that the School’s headquarters is in Death Valley. Max, Nudge, and Fang will go to the school, while the others stay at the house.

The three fly toward the School, and stop along the way to rest in an abandoned cottage where they accidentally fall asleep. Max is upset about all the time they have lost. While flying over Arizona, the trio observes a girl being bullied. Max decides to help the girl, and directs the others to meet her at Lake Mead.

Max swoops down to help the girl, who we learn is named Ella. While defending Ella, Max is shot in the shoulder. Max wonders around until she finds Ella’s house, and Ella’s mother, Dr. Martinez. Dr. Martinez patches up Max’s injury, and seems trustworthy when she discovers Max’s wings.

Fang and Nudge hide in a cave at Lake Mead while they study the flight patterns of nearby hawks; back at the House, the remaining members of the Flock are upset that they were left behind. They begin making traps and bombs. It is a good thing, too, because the Erasers arrive the next morning and fall into one of the traps. Iggy and Gazzy escape, but blow up the House in the process.

Fang and Nudge look for food. They are ambushed by more Erasers, who taunt the pair and lie, saying that Iggy and Gazzy are dead. They scuffle, but Fang and Nudge win, using spray paint as weapons. At the end of the fight, Ari is left with green hair.

Dr. Martinez takes Max to her veterinary practice for an x-ray, and while there, they are attacked by Erasers. The doctor hides Max, and seems unfazed by the Erasers’ presence. The x-ray reveals that Max has a computer chip in her arm, but it cannot be safely removed.

Max spends another evening with Ella and her mom, while Gazzy and Iggy find Fang and Nudge at Lake Mead. Max rejoins them the next morning, and the Flock is together once again.

At the School, Angel is being severely mistreated and subjected to a string of brutal experiments. She learns that Jeb, Ari’s father, is alive, and working for the School.

The free members of the Flock observe a man using an ATM at a strip mall. Ari and the Erasers arrive and scare the man off, and the Flock withdraws money using the man’s account.

The Erasers later find them while they are eating. The Flock makes its escape in a stolen van, but Max crashes it. The Erasers capture Max, Fang, and Nudge, but the others escape. The captured members of the Flock are taken to the School, where Jeb tells Max that she is destined for something much more important.

A little while later, they stage an escape, and Iggy and Gazzy return with the hawks from Lake Mead. The Flock stays in the caves there for a while, then begins traveling around. During this time, Max begins hearing the Voice inside her head.

Angel tells the Flock that she learned about their real parents during her capture. They decide to go to the Institute of Higher Living in New York to find out more. They sleep in the trees of Central Park, do research at the library, and generally try to lie low. They eventually find some tunnels in which to hide.

Max begins to hear the Voice even more, and it directs them to a large toy store where a talking board directs Max to save the world. They are attacked again by the Erasers, but escape, and find another bankcard which they use to withdraw money. They visit a fancy restaurant but attract suspicion when they order large amounts of food. They dash out of the restaurant where they are once again confronted by Ari and the Erasers. Then, Angel manifests the psychic ability to make people do things. The Erasers leave.

The Flock hides, sleeping at a construction site. At one point, while swimming, Max develops gills. The Erasers return, and in the fight, badly injure Fang. Jeb arrives and orders the Erasers to release the Flock; Max kisses Fang.

The Flock go back to the city, and while underground, they are led through the sewer system by a map in Max’s head, finding their way to the Institute. At the Institute they find more experiments, and free them, fighting off Erasers as they do. The other experiments leave, but Angel keeps a dog she names Total. Based upon information they find, the Flock decides to travel to Washington, DC, and the book ends.

While this is primarily an action-adventure novel, the theme of family plays heavily on its plot. The Flock has formed a new family, brought together by the evil machinations of the School. The older kids take on parental roles toward the younger kids, and they each provide the type of support a family normally provides.

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James Patterson – Books – Maximum Ride

Titles list.

Hawk: City of the Dead

Hawk, the daughter of Maximum Ride, teams up with her mother to help save their beloved but dangerous city in this action-packed thriller. For Hawk, being a hero weighs heavily on her wings.  In the City of the Dead, life happens in… Read More

In this dark dystopian tale, 17-year-old Hawk is growing up hard and fast in post-apocalyptic New York City—until a perilous destiny forces her to take flight and protect her home.Where is Maximum Ride?Ten years ago a girl with wings fought… Read More

The Adventures of Maximum Ride

Maximum Ride Forever

Navigate a post-apocalyptic world and experience a thrilling finale with the ultimate Maximum Ride novel. Discover the ninth and ultimate Maximum Ride story! Legions of Max fans won’t be disappointed by this encore episode in the beloved series about the… Read More

This is it: one last incredible, explosive Maximum Ride adventure with an astonishing ending no one could have seen coming.   Maximum Ride and her faithful friends stand ready to face the two greatest threats that humankind has ever known,… Read More

Max Ride and her best friends are up against a deadly force, but Fang is gone just when they need him most. Will they be ready for the ultimate showdown? Max Ride and her best friends have always had one… Read More

Angel says that Fang will be the first to die, and Angel is never wrong. Maximum Ride is used to living desperately on the run from evil forces sabotaging her quest to save the world–but nothing has ever come as… Read More

Buckle up! Max and her flock take on their most daring rescue mission yet in James Patterson's #1 bestselling Maximum Ride series.   Someone—or something—is decimating ships and sea life off Hawaii's coast, and Max and her flock find themselves… Read More

The Final Warning

In this breathtaking new story from the astonishing imagination of James Patterson, a girl has to save herself from an army assembled just to capture her-and maybe save the planet while she's at it. Maximum Ride is a perfectly normal… Read More

Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports

In Maximum Ride: Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports, the time has arrived for Max and her winged "Flock" to face their ultimate enemy and discover their original purpose: to defeat the takeover of "Re-evolution", a sinister experiment to… Read More

School's Out–Forever

In this eagerly awaited follow-up, brave bird-kid Max and her flock are discovered by an FBI agent and forced to go to "school." There is no such thing as an ordinary day as Max deciphers how and when she's supposed… Read More

The Angel Experiment

Over 10 million copies sold!Fierce teen Maximum Ride takes flight to discover the truth about the mysterious genetic experiments that gave her and her friends wings, in the high-octane start to James Patterson’s #1 New York Times bestselling series! Maximum… Read More

Everyone loves Maximum Ride!

“I just really like this series. Mostly because I like Max. I’m forty‐seven, and I want to be Max. How many teenagers must want to be Max? Max is the Superman of the decade.” —Brenda Cooper, A Space For Tea (blog)

“I highly recommend this book for adults, young adults, even preteens…. I talked so much about this, and obviously enjoyed it so much, that my 10‐year‐old (girl) is reading (and loving) it now, my 15–year‐old (boy) wants to read it next, and even my husband has expressed interest in it.” —Mama Fasha

“I loved MAXIMUM RIDE. I could not put it down. I finished it in 1 day. While different than Patterson’s When the Wind Blows, I still enjoyed reading more about the winged children. I can’t wait for the next one to come out.” —Stephanie, 18

“I loved this book! It was sooo exciting and suspenseful that I literally jumped when something would happen. The narrator’s voice was hilarious; I laughed out loud in the middle of my English class. It was a great book, and I can’t wait until the next one comes out.” —Hanna, 16

Booksellers

“What a fantastic read. I was so engrossed after the first couple of chapters, I had to sneak time in to finish it. I can’t wait to pass on the book to my 12‐year‐old and tell others about it at the store.” —Sharon, Bookseller

“Patterson is not just for adults anymore. With the Maximum Ride series he has created edgy, taut thrillers that teens won’t be able to put down. The characters are easy to identify with, and I can’t wait to see what happens to Max and her family next!” —Cathy, Bookseller, Blue Willow Bookshop

“This book…has all the characteristics of [James Patterson’s] work for grown‐ups: pace, action, mystery and cool…. This skilled and compulsive tale is so involving…and it proves that girls can be tough, too.” —London Times, “Children’s Book of the Week,” July 3, 2005

“The key to MAXIMUM RIDE’s success may be that it incorporates concepts familiar to young people…. What makes these characters so appealing is that they have wings and can fly…. Another plus: the book has a feel of a video game…. Fights and flights are nonstop in MAXIMUM RIDE. The writing is visual and cinematic—things that kids expect from their video games, TV cartoon shows, and action movies. And the ending leaves plenty of wiggle room for a sequel.” —USA Today

“The teachers read Maximum Ride again today, and the students begged them not to stop when the reading time was up! Some students even came up to me and told me they went out and purchased the book that night because they just couldn’t wait until the next day to read again!” —Terri Smith, Teacher, “Maximum Read” program, Hurst, Texas

“I am excited as a teacher to see a student get so into a book and will definitely keep copies of the series in my classroom for other reluctant readers!” —Karie, High School Teacher