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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 Book

Little, Brown and Company / Time Warner
May 2006
Hardcover
0316155594
Teen / Young Adult Thriller/Adventure
More at Amazon.com
Excerpt
NOTE: Audio book review

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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