Oh my gosh this book is absolutely amazing! I love Fang and Max and the entire flock! This book is intense and very hard to put down. ( )

A book that you just can't put down!!! I was so blown away by the adventure!!! ( )

This is Patterson writing a pretty typical Patterson novel but aimed at teens, so more angst, less sex and about the same level of violence. Maximum Ride is a winged girl (though the wings seem to be pretty invisible until they're needed, have to ask about how it would be possible to hide the wings that are described as pretty big), part of an experiment in genetics, hiding out with other winged people until the other group of mutants and their mutual creators come knocking.

Yes it was quite readable but it left a bit of a bad feeling afterwards, as if I had eaten too much bad candy. It's full of conspiracy and black and white and it just didn't seem to be giving me enough for a good eat. ( )

I love this book! It's fun and exciting and it makes you want to never stop reading! Then after your done with this book start the second book (Maximum Ride-School's Out Forever). Max is the main character and she is the leader of the the Flock! She needs to protect everyone and somehow save the world. She's scared at times and doesn't know what to do when killer Erasers are after them. Come read this adventurous book! ( )

Six kids, one goal, to stay alive. Max, Fang, Iggy, Gazzy and Angel are your normal kids, except for one thing, they are two percent avian hybrid, a.k.a they are part bird. Evil scientists have grafted bird D.N.A into their own D.N.A. Now, Max and the gang are srtonger then any humans, have way better hearing and eye sight then any humans, and oh yeah, they can fly. Max and the gang try to stay alive while trying to save Angel, the youngest of the gang. She has been kidnapped by yet another type of hybrid, two percent dog. The "Dogs" steal Angel, and want to perform tests on her, they keep her in a dog crate, and barely feed her. While Max and the gang try to save Angel, they will face the toughest experience so far.
James Patterson has out done him self in "The Angel Experiment" You better hold on to your hats, because this book is fast, and will gop even faster! A true page turner! ( )

this is an amazing book about five kids who at birth were sold to a lab and expirimented on. the outcome of the expiriment was that they are all now 99% human and 1% avian they were rescued from the lab and lived in peace for years but then the erasers( wolf like creatures that try 2 kill the kids) showed up now they have to fight not only for their lifes but to save the world! ( )

This book was excellent. I really enjoyed reading it. I would recomend this book to all readers. I will read this book over and over and when i'm done I'll let my friends and family read it too. ( )

Heesun J.- Fast-paced and action-packed, this book is perfect for those who want something different. The Angel Experiment is sci-fi, but not so much that you won't understand what they're talking about. Plenty of funny moments, especially with a very sarcastic teenager who has quite the temper. Suspenseful, never letting you put the book down, until unfortunately, it's done and your running to get the next book in the series. Full of betrayals, puzzles, and everything else that makes a book so good. Recommended no matter who you are. ( )

This book was just as good as i expected it to be. It was funny and exciting and heart felt. I loved everything these misfits had to offer me. ( )

This book takes you on a great adventure. The kids in this book are part of an experiment that gives them wings. They are trying to get away from other kids who are part of the experiment called erasers. The book is action packed and leaves you wanting more. ( )

Enjoyable in a si fi, fantasy sort of way. I realize a definitive ending would eliminate another installment, but sometimes it's good to find the end of a story line. ( )

Reviewed by Michael
It's an actioned packed series. The book starts out at a slow pace but after the 1st chapter the heat really rises. The author makes you feel like the characters in the book from beginning to the end. ( )

I liked the violence and the adventure in the book. I was jumping up and down in my chair with excitement and couldn't wait what will happen next. I like how the characters in the book are trying to survive from the bad guys "Erasers and the scientist" and cheer each other up when they are down. AHS/KS

This is an amazing book! It all starts six genetic experiments (avian/hybrids). They escape from a place called "the school" with a man that raises them and takes care of them for a while but goes missing. They believe he is dead and so they raise themselves for a complete 4 years. Then Angel is taken, then the ride begins! ( )

I loved this book so much! If you love adventure and nonstop adrenaline then this is the book for you! ( )

The book starts off right in the thick of the story, which i thought was a bit confusing but some people might like. We meet Max, Fang, Iggy, Nudge, Gazzy, and Angel: six kids who grew up in labs because they were genetically made with wings. Now they're trying to escape the constant threat of Erasers (wolf/men) while figuring out their past. I liked the fast pace of the book, but it wasn't very detailed. ( )

When the Wind Blows, by James Patterson was an entertain... wait. What? This isn't When the Wind Blows? Hold on:
1) Genetically altered children? Check
2) Evil "school" where they were raised, taught and escaped from? Check
3) Friendly "teacher" who takes pity on them and helps them escape? Check
4) And they were made extra strong, extra smart, and able to FLY? Check, check, checkity check.
So there are six of them, not five but, one of them IS blind, and one of them is named, that's right, Max. JUST like When the Wind Blows. AND, there is even a prologue that matches almost exactly to the beginning of When the Wind Blows. Racing through the woods, dogs on their heels, men with guns, and a daring escape off a cliff (or over a fence, whatever) where we find out our main character can fly!! Whoo hooo!! And I hadn't even gotten to chapter 10. It may be all well and good for Mr. Patterson to change a name here and there, the title, and the age group it is written for, but that certainly doesn't mean the avid reader isn't supposed to NOTICE, right? Or maybe ol' James just forgot. The man cranks out, what, 3-4 books a month or something ridiculous like that? Understandable.

That said, the book was ok for me. I figured I would be ok with it if only he had introduced something new, ya know? It was mainly, fly away, fight, run, try to take a break and eat, got found, fly away, fight, run, etc, etc. I never felt that we got any answers to anything until the very very very end of the book, which promptly ended half a page later. It was entertaining and I can see why YA readers would like it and I will keep on reading because I love a series. But there is nothing new here. Move along. ( )

This family of six lives by thereselves with no help from parents at all. Max is the leader and is the oldest girl of the family. These three kids are not all realted but they all have the samething going on in there life. When they were babies they got stolen or their parents gave them up to this school that experiments on things. They all have wings and very hallow bones.No one in the world knows about them except the school. How will they live by themselves? Will they ever get to be out in the open and live a normal life? ( )

So as not to waste your time or mine, this will be the only Maximum Ride novel that I will review. In my humble opinion the Maximum Ride novels are truly the best novels that I have read all year! Possibly even longer than that. Before this novel I had never read any of James Patterson's works before. All I knew about him was that he was a murder/mystery writer and that's not really my thing. My mom urged me to read these novels and because of my preconceived perceptions I couldn't be bothered. Then in an effort to get to know her better after her sudden passing I picked the first novel up and I couldn't get enough. The Angel Experiment and all of its successors are of the rare type that once you pick it up and turn the page... you cannot put it down. I read all 5 novels in 4 weeks and that's really moving for me. I regret not having read these books earlier for I have lost the opportunity to discuss these fine works of fantasy with the one woman whose opinion meant the most to me.

From 10 to 100 the Maximum Ride novels are written for all age groups. Take a generous amount of fantasy and mix that with a pinch of science fiction and a dash of mystery and you'll find a recipe chock full of roller coaster excitement. These books are a thrill ride a minute with something in them for everyone. ( )

Just a few impressions from this book.

The good: the book is written in a well-paced, conversational style that's quite easy to read. There's a lot of humor interspersed with the action scenes, which helps to keep the reader engaged. The protagonists are both distinctive and likable, though the depths of character development have yet to develop.

The bad: though tagged "young adult", the emphasis should be on "adult". There's a fair bit of violence described in the book - it's not horribly graphic or gory, but it does, for instance, describe electrical shocks applied to a young child, which was quite enough to horrify ME.

This is definitely not a stand-alone book. Although it ends at a natural pause in the action, it is clear one must buy future books to resolve the major plot-lines and answer the various questions the book raises about what's really going on. ( )

Readers Annotation:
Maximum ride is a mutant, 98% human and 2% bird. When Angel, the youngest in her flock is kidnapped by Erasers and taken back to the school to be experimented on, she will stop at nothing to get her back.
Plot Summary:
The story starts off with a ragtag group of orphaned mutants. All of the kids are 98% human and 2% bird, they all have wings with an impressive wing span and can fly. With the help of Jeb, one of the scientists that created them, they had all escaped from the “school” a lab where they were kept in dog crates and experimented on. Maximum has acted as a mother figure to all of them after the disappearance of Jeb two years earlier. When Erasers attack their flock and kidnap Angel, the youngest member of their group they will stop at nothing to get her back. They break Angel out of the school and fly to New York city looking for clues to their past. Each one of them seems to develop new powers during their quest. Maximum hears a voice in her head telling her where she must go. Angel can hear people’s thoughts and “persuade” them to do things with her mind. The whole time Eraser’s always seem to be able to find them and Maximum is pretty sure it is because she has a tracking device implanted in her arm. The clues that they discover leads them to the Institute in Washington. The flock break into the Institute and discover files with information about their mother’s and father’s whereabouts.
Evaluation:
The characters in this book were a lot of fun. They kind of had a comic book feel, reminding me of the mutants in X-men. The story had a lot of feeling with its depiction of Max as the mother to all of the misfit mutants. It was a good start to the series ending with a cliff hanger that leaves you eager for the second book in the series. Although the main character is a girl, the whole story is action, suspense and fighting which would greatly appeal to a reluctant male teen reader.
Reason Selected:
MAXIMUM RIDE, Patterson's first ever Young Adult novel, spent 12 straight weeks at #1 on the New York Times Chapter Book bestsellers list and, as a series, has now spent more than 60 weeks on New York Times bestseller lists. MAXIMUM RIDE was an American Library Association 2005 "Teens Top Ten" pick and was a London Times "Book of the Week" selection and a Book Sense 2007 Children's Pick.
Challenges: None
Ages: 13+/Interests: Science Fiction, Mutants, Comics
Authors Website: http://www.jamespatterson.com/books_m... ( )

This is a very interesting book that seems like it's realistic. Personally, I think of this book as my 2nd favorite series (Twilight series being my 1st). It keeps you on the edge of you seat, and sometimes you can feel adrenaline running through you. Max and her flock are great "people" running from bad while trying to save the world. It is a great book with an amazing plot. I highly recommend this book. ( )

Teens living on their own without parents. What's an orphaned crew to do? Fly. They have bird bones. And, they are running from the people at the lab.... ( )

Max and her family have to return to the school they escaped from when the youngest, Angel, is taken from them. It is not a place they want to return to. The kids at the school are experimented on and turned into freaks of nature by uncaring scientists who only see them as test subjects and not as people.

So what makes Max, Nudge, Angel, Fang, Iggy and Gasman different?

They have wings.

Absolutely enjoyable book. Typical James Patterson style - short chapters, non-stop action right from the beginning, likable and interesting characters. This was a hard book to put down once I got started. Very fun, highly entertaining. I can see why it is liked by so many. This will make a great series for me to read this summer.

I know a lot of people have a problem with James Patterson's writing, feel that it is not good enough to warrant all the success his books get. I read classics, literary fiction, young adult fiction, and mass market popular fiction, all for different reasons. I know what I am going to get when I read one of his books- entertainment. It is all I am asking for when I buy a James Patterson book.

Once again, I have been entertained. ( )

An interesting, if not totally novel concept - a group (or flock) of genetically modified kids have escaped their creators who had them imprisoned in a "school". They are hunted down ruthlessly and fight daily for survival, whilst all the time there is something deeper going on. One of their number - Maximum Ride - is somehow special, and is being called to save the world.

Some poignant moments in this book, which does not lack for action and general adventure. ( )