I just finished reading a new book by James Patterson–the third in his young adult, science fiction series about hybrid avian-humans trying to save the world, Maximum Ride: Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports.
I am absolutely going back and reading the first two books, and I hope there are more in this series! All three books are available through Amazon.
Curious to see if modern science fiction will hold the interest of your young teen? The young teen who’d rather be blogging or otherwise engaged on the internet? Wonder if your Harry Potter fan could possibly fall in love with another series? Try this plot-line on for size:
The story centers on Max, a 14 year old girl who is the leader of a “flock” of self-named Bird Kids. The Bird Kids were the result of a mad science scheme to better adapt the human race to living on planet Earth. The book is written with teens in mind–not one of the characters trusts anyone over the age of thirty, that’s for sure. Max’s co-leader (and quasi-love interest) Fang is blogging about their adventures throughout the book and the blog is up and functioning in the real world as well: www.maximumride.blogspot.com
The other 4 kids in the flock, Iggy, Nudge, Gasman and Angel have special roles and duties within the flocks. Because they are hybrids and were created in the lab, they have no family but each other and their bonds are very strong. Max is not only the leader, she’s also the one who nurtures the younger Bird Kids.
The Flock is working to take down the evil scientists bent on creating a new world order. They put themselves in harms way to find out information about the evil plan. The theme of creating a better world for all people, not just those deemed worthy by the scientists is a strong one. The Bird Kids express dismay at how adults have trashed the planet, and spent resources on gaining power rather than empowering.
This installment of the Maximum Ride series is a thriller, easy to read and hard to put down. The fast-paced plot has you rooting for the flock and wanting to save the world yourself. The blog, as well as the website for the book have kids talking about the series, rallying for a fourth book and a movie.
If your pre-teen (or teen for that matter) is at a loss for the first book report of the new school year, put Maximum Ride: Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports in his hands and it will seem less like an assignment and more like an adventure.
