Maximum Ride Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports

I love the Maximum Ride series by James Patterson. Really, I do. I know it was written for the young guys and gals, but I enjoy the books. If you run a young adult book club or want to read with your child, I recommend the whole series.

I’ll admit, I was late to the party.

This month, the final book in the series hit the selves. My copy arrived at my home the other day, but I can’t open it. I just finished book three: Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports. I still have three books to go before I can crack the last one.

I’m not in a hurry. Well, no hurry other than the hurry created by my desire to know more about what’s happening to my favorite flock of mutant bird kids. Yes, true works of fiction going on here. Maximum Ride, the main character of the series, is a fourteen year old girl whose DNA was grafted with avian DNA in her early infancy.

I know, it sounds far out and it is. But, leave it to Patterson to write a story about things beyond belief in a way that makes you able to accept the unbelievable enough to enjoy the story. In this third book Max and her gang continue their mission to save the world. The book contains more adventure, severed relationships, risks- both physical and emotional, and a developing romantic relationship.

Of the three books I’ve read so far in the series, I will be honest and tell you this was my least favorite. I’m not saying it wasn’t good, but there was a point early in the book where I heard a voice in my mind saying, “Oh please. This is unbelievable. These kids are too young to be this mature.” Yep, my issue wasn’t with the impossibility of kids actually having wings in their backs that allowed them to fly all over the world. No, it was with their maturity level.

I can accept the “far out” fiction. It was the “too close to real” fiction that threw me in this one.

My mind did quiet down, however and allowed me to read with pleasure the rest of the story. As I said, I am a fan of Max and the flock. In fact, we’ll call it a day here so I can open the next title in the series, The Final Warning.

Have you gotten your first Maximum Ride book? Are you near the end? Leave a comment below and let me know what you think of the books. But, no spoilers please!