School's Out Forever
Maximum Ride, No. 2
by James Patterson
School's Out Forever is the second installment in the Maximum Ride series, and
has all the fast-paced action of the first novel, The Angel Experiment. A group
of children have been genetically altered - probably by the government - to mix their
DNA with that of other animals. The results fall into two groups - the flock (who are
part human, part avian) and the erasers (who are part human, part wolf). All of the altered
children are fast and strong, but the flock maintains much of their humanity while the
erasers are vicious, deadly killers. Maximum Ride is the leader of the flock. All she wants
is to keep her flock safe and out of the hands of those who created them. The flock wants
to find their real families. The erasers (still under government control) want to maim,
kill and destroy. This promises a mix of action and heart-catching tension, and Patterson
delivers well.
In this particular book, one of the flock is badly injured in an eraser attack and the
flock are "discovered" by the FBI. They end up under the care of a single, kind agent and
they discover the joy of going to school - real school. It seems they may have a chance to
settle down, rest a bit, and maybe even find their parents. It's an incredible adjustment
for the kids and makes for some funny comic moments. Of course, nothing can go well for
the flock for too long and there are plenty of near misses and diabolical plots. Some of
the events of the book require a fairly serious "suspension of disbelief" but overall,
it's a good ride. I'm sure Patterson's teen fans will love it. |
The Reviewer |
Jan Fields |
Reviewed 2006 |
NOTE: Reviewer Jan
Fields is the editor of Kid Magazine Writers emagazine and has written dozens of
stories and articles for the children's magazine market. |
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