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The Angel Experiment

A Maximum Ride Novel

Contributors

By James Patterson

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• Audiobook Download (Abridged)
• Audiobook Download (Unabridged)
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This item is a preorder. Your payment method will be charged immediately, and the product is expected to ship on or around April 1, 2007. This date is subject to change due to shipping delays beyond our control.

Also available from:

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Description

• Teen & Young Adult
• Young Adult Fiction
• Maximum Ride
• Raves for the MAXIMUM RIDE series: #1 New York Times Bestseller Publishers Weekly Bestseller An ALA Quick Pick for Young Adults An ALA/ VOYA "Teens' Top Ten" Pick A VOYA Review Editor's Choice A New York Public Library "Books for the Teen Age" Selection A Book Sense Summer 2007 Children's Pick A KLIATT Editors' Choice A Children's Choice Book Awards Author of the Year for MAX
• Praise for The Angel Experiment *#1 NYT bestseller *Publishers Weekly bestseller *An ALA Quick Pick for Young Adults *An ALA/VOYA "Teens' Top Ten" Pick *A VOYA Review Editor's Choice  "Nonstop action carries this page-turner brilliantly from start to finish."--Kirkus "Book of the week."--London Times "Ready-made for a movie script."--The Toronto Sun "Think wings, big wings."--Chicago Tribune

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The Angel Experiment

The Angel Experiment

The Angel Experiment is the first book in the Maximum Ride series and also the first book of the Fugitives trilogy. The book was released in the US on April 11, 2005 and in the UK on July 4, 2005. The book is set in the near future and centers around the " Flock ," a group of avian-human hybrids (98% human, 2% bird), on the run from the scientists who created them.

• 5 Alternate Covers
• 6 International Editions

Do not put this book down. I'm dead serious. Your life could depend on it. I'm risking everything by telling you -- but you need to know. If you dare to read this story, you become part of the Experiment. I know that sounds a little mysterious -- but it's all I can say right now. Max

Congratulations. The fact that you're reading this means you've taken one giant step closer to surviving till your next birthday . . . The funny thing about facing imminent death is that it really snaps everything else into perspective. Take right now, for instance . . . If no one knows about us, we stay alive .

Fourteen-year-old Maximum Ride, better known as Max, knows what it’s like to soar above the world. She and all the members of the “Flock”—Fang, Iggy, Nudge, the Gasman and Angel—are just like ordinary kids—only they have wings and can fly. It may seem like a dream come true to some, but their lives can morph into a living nightmare at any time…like when Angel, the youngest member of the flock, is kidnapped and taken back to the “School” where she and the others were experimented on by a crew of wack-job scientists. Her family brave a journey to blazing hot Death Valley, CA, to save Angel, but soon enough, they find themselves in yet another nightmare—this one involving fighting off the half-human, half-wolf “Erasers” in New York City. Whether in the treetops of Central Park or in the bowels of the Manhattan subway system, Max and her adopted family take the ride of their lives. Along the way Max discovers from her old friend and father-like figure Jeb—now her betrayed and greatest enemy—that her purpose is save the world . . . But, the question is, can she?

The story begins with Max running away from a group of Erasers . While running, she comes to a stop at a cliff edge and proceeds to jump off. Upon jumping off, she snaps out her wings and flies away from the Erasers.

Waking up, she realizes that it was all just a nightmare , then she throws on some clean clothes and heads to the kitchen of their house . As she is looking for food, Gazzy enters the kitchen and tells her good morning. Max tells him good morning as well, and when he asks her what's for breakfast, she says it's a surprise. Iggy soon comes into the kitchen as well and falls "with perfect aim" onto the Flock's couch. Fang also sneaks up behind Max and responds sarcastically when told to quit it. Max then goes and awakens Nudge and Angel .

At breakfast, Angel says that she wants to go strawberry picking, and the Flock soon does so; however, they are briefly delayed by Gazzy passing gas. Shortly after they arrive outside, Erasers come and attack them, resulting in Angel getting kidnapped. The Flock tries to rescue her, but Ari Batchelder —the son of the Flock's "father", Jeb Batchelder —holds a gun to Max's head while she tries to get into the Erasers' helicopter, resulting in them getting away.

The rest of the Flock makes a plan to go and rescue Angel. Fang looks through Jeb’s old files to find that the location of the School is in Death Valley. Max decides that she, Nudge and Fang will go to the School, while Iggy and Gazzy stay home.

The three of them fly and stop to find food at an abandoned vacation cottage, where they accidentally fall asleep. Max is horrified by the amount of time they’ve lost and they set out again, but as they fly over Arizona, she notices a girl being bullied by a group of boys. She tells Fang and Nudge to meet her at the northernmost point of Lake Mead and then dives down. However, while defending Ella, she gets shot in the shoulder. She wanders until she finds Ella’s house, where Ella’s mother Dr. Martinez patches up her arm and discovers her wings. Despite Max’s fears, the Martinezes seem trustworthy.

Fang and Nudge reach Lake Mead and spend the night in a cave, studying the flight patterns of the local hawks, while Iggy and Gazzy – resentful at being left behind and eager to fight off Erasers – begin working on traps and bombs. The Erasers return to the area the next morning, only to drive into one of the traps. Iggy and Gazzy evade them and blow up their house in the process.

Fang and Nudge begin flying around to find food and look for signs of Max, but stop in Tipisco to look for Nudge’s mother. While there, Erasers ambush them with taunts that the house is destroyed and Iggy and Gazzy are dead. The two bird kids fight them off with spray paint, leaving Ari with green hair.

Doctor Martinez takes Max to her veterinary practice for an X-ray, but they’re interrupted when Erasers arrive. Martinez hides Max in a supply closet and seems unaffected by the Erasers. The X-ray reveals that Max has a computer chip in her arm, but it’s in too deep to be safely removed. While Max spends a second night at the Martinez house making homemade chocolate chip cookies, Gazzy and Iggy arrive at Lake Mead and are reunited with Fang and Nudge. Max rejoins them the next morning.

Meanwhile, Angel is being badly mistreated at the School, forced to take part in exhausting and brutal experiments. She finds out that Jeb is alive and working with the School.

Reunited, the five Flock members set off once more for the School. They stop at a strip mall, where they see a man using an ATM. Ari and the Erasers drive by and scare him off so quickly that he leaves his card behind, allowing the Flock to withdraw two hundred dollars.

They then steal a van and visit a fast food restaurant, each of them ordering a huge amount of food. However, as they eat, they realize that they’re surrounded by people who look suspiciously like Erasers. They race out the exit with Erasers chasing after them and Max drives the van through a cornfield back onto a road where she immediately crashes into a sedan. Erasers surround the wreck and pull them out. Iggy and Gazzy escape, but the others are taken to the School, where they’re reunited with Angel. Jeb talks to Max and tells her that she’s meant for something important.

Some time later, their cages are taken outside, but they break out just as Iggy and Gazzy return with the hawks from Lake Mead. The Flock flies back to the caves there. Now homeless, they begin slowly traveling around. Max is experiencing horrible headaches and beginning to hear a Voice .

Angel tells them that she discovered more information about their real parents. As a result, they decide to go to New York to find the Institute for Higher Living , where they can find more files.

They arrive in New York and continue lying low, hiding from Erasers, and sleeping in the trees of Central Park . Eating food from street stands, they go to the New York Public Library of Humanities and Social Sciences and stay there doing research until closing time approaches and a security guard starts coming towards them. They run away and decide to take the subway to Central Park, but instead notice a light and follow it into an underground city in the abandoned tunnels . They sleep there, but are woken up by a guy yelling about his broken computer and blaming Max.

The next day, Max begins hearing the Voice frequently. It directs them around and they visit AFO Schmidt . Max keeps noticing strange things, like an Ouija board spelling out “Save the World, Max.” Angel wants a stuffed bear she’s found, but Max tells her that they’re almost out of money. Instead Angel telepathically convinces a woman to buy the bear, which she names Celeste . They’re attacked again by Erasers in the middle of the city, but one of them dies upon reaching his expiration date. While hurrying away, Max finds a bank card .

They sleep in Central Park again, but this time they’re caught there by police and run away. Max thinks she notices Jeb among the policemen. Angel drops Celeste and is heartbroken, but they keep running and hide in Saint Patrick’s Cathedral.

They manage to access the bank card and withdraw more money. They visit the 433 Building , hoping to find the Institute there. Max asks if the building has a basement, but the secretary just seems suspicious of them and they hurry out to avoid the security guards. The younger kids ask to eat at a fancy restaurant called Garden Tavern . However, they get into trouble with the manager after ordering large amounts of food. When cops arrive, the Flock smashes out of the restaurant without their food and land in some trees, where they are caught by Erasers. Ari has Celeste, but Angel telepathically forces him to give the bear back to her. However, Ari receives a call from the Director and the Erasers leave.

The Flock continues to hide out, now sleeping in a construction site. Pictures of them in the restaurant are now appearing in newspapers, so they need disguises. While getting food, they encounter a stylist who's giving out free makeovers. They camp out on a beach, where they go swimming and Angel develops gills. However, they’re soon ambushed by Erasers, who injure Fang badly. Jeb arrives and tells the Erasers to release the Flock. Fang is badly injured, and Max kisses him.

They fly back into the city once more and spend the night in the underground city, where Max talks to the guy with the computer about the computer chip in her arm. The Voice sends Max a vision and a mental map that leads the Flock through the sewer system into the Institute. There they free a group of experiments and steal files before fighting off Erasers. In the process, Max kills Ari. The other experiments leave, but Angel keeps a dog she’s found, which she names Total . Based on their new information, the Flock decides to fly to Washington, D.C.

Adaptations

A film adapting the first half of the book was released on Digital HD in August 2016, and in limited theaters in September.

On January 27, 2009, Yen Press published a manga version of The Angel Experiment , the first volume in a series. The graphics were done by college artist NaRae Lee as her first manga novel. It received positive reception. The School Library Journal praised Lee for her "superb job" of adapting the book to "attractive manga-style illustrations", though it noted that the narrative was "a bit slow at first". Booklist said that the plot of the story was "presented with boisterous and nicely stylized images that purposively exploit manga features, postures, and symbolism", as well as that its cliffhanger would "entice readers to seek the next in the series". A Kindle version of the manga novel was also released. The Angel Experiment is finished in the second volume of the manga.

As part of the Marvel miniseries , The Angel Experiment was adapted as a comic under the title Max Ride: First Flight. This five-issue arc debuted in 2015.

• At the end of the book, some of Fang's blog posts are included, detailing a trip he and Nudge make to Washington, D.C. ahead of the Flock, where they discover the Institute of Higher Aeronatics .

Alternate Covers

International Editions

• 1 Fang (character)
• 2 Maximum "Max" Ride
• 3 Maximum Ride: The Manga

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James Patterson – Books – Maximum Ride

Titles list.

Hawk: City of the Dead

Hawk, the daughter of Maximum Ride, teams up with her mother to help save their beloved but dangerous city in this action-packed thriller. For Hawk, being a hero weighs heavily on her wings.  In the City of the Dead, life happens in… Read More

In this dark dystopian tale, 17-year-old Hawk is growing up hard and fast in post-apocalyptic New York City—until a perilous destiny forces her to take flight and protect her home.Where is Maximum Ride?Ten years ago a girl with wings fought… Read More

The Adventures of Maximum Ride

Maximum Ride Forever

Navigate a post-apocalyptic world and experience a thrilling finale with the ultimate Maximum Ride novel. Discover the ninth and ultimate Maximum Ride story! Legions of Max fans won’t be disappointed by this encore episode in the beloved series about the… Read More

This is it: one last incredible, explosive Maximum Ride adventure with an astonishing ending no one could have seen coming.   Maximum Ride and her faithful friends stand ready to face the two greatest threats that humankind has ever known,… Read More

Max Ride and her best friends are up against a deadly force, but Fang is gone just when they need him most. Will they be ready for the ultimate showdown? Max Ride and her best friends have always had one… Read More

Angel says that Fang will be the first to die, and Angel is never wrong. Maximum Ride is used to living desperately on the run from evil forces sabotaging her quest to save the world–but nothing has ever come as… Read More

Buckle up! Max and her flock take on their most daring rescue mission yet in James Patterson's #1 bestselling Maximum Ride series.   Someone—or something—is decimating ships and sea life off Hawaii's coast, and Max and her flock find themselves… Read More

The Final Warning

In this breathtaking new story from the astonishing imagination of James Patterson, a girl has to save herself from an army assembled just to capture her-and maybe save the planet while she's at it. Maximum Ride is a perfectly normal… Read More

Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports

In Maximum Ride: Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports, the time has arrived for Max and her winged "Flock" to face their ultimate enemy and discover their original purpose: to defeat the takeover of "Re-evolution", a sinister experiment to… Read More

School's Out–Forever

In this eagerly awaited follow-up, brave bird-kid Max and her flock are discovered by an FBI agent and forced to go to "school." There is no such thing as an ordinary day as Max deciphers how and when she's supposed… Read More

The Angel Experiment

Over 10 million copies sold!Fierce teen Maximum Ride takes flight to discover the truth about the mysterious genetic experiments that gave her and her friends wings, in the high-octane start to James Patterson’s #1 New York Times bestselling series! Maximum… Read More

Everyone loves Maximum Ride!

“I just really like this series. Mostly because I like Max. I’m forty‐seven, and I want to be Max. How many teenagers must want to be Max? Max is the Superman of the decade.” —Brenda Cooper, A Space For Tea (blog)

“I highly recommend this book for adults, young adults, even preteens…. I talked so much about this, and obviously enjoyed it so much, that my 10‐year‐old (girl) is reading (and loving) it now, my 15–year‐old (boy) wants to read it next, and even my husband has expressed interest in it.” —Mama Fasha

“I loved MAXIMUM RIDE. I could not put it down. I finished it in 1 day. While different than Patterson’s When the Wind Blows, I still enjoyed reading more about the winged children. I can’t wait for the next one to come out.” —Stephanie, 18

“I loved this book! It was sooo exciting and suspenseful that I literally jumped when something would happen. The narrator’s voice was hilarious; I laughed out loud in the middle of my English class. It was a great book, and I can’t wait until the next one comes out.” —Hanna, 16

Booksellers

“What a fantastic read. I was so engrossed after the first couple of chapters, I had to sneak time in to finish it. I can’t wait to pass on the book to my 12‐year‐old and tell others about it at the store.” —Sharon, Bookseller

“Patterson is not just for adults anymore. With the Maximum Ride series he has created edgy, taut thrillers that teens won’t be able to put down. The characters are easy to identify with, and I can’t wait to see what happens to Max and her family next!” —Cathy, Bookseller, Blue Willow Bookshop

“This book…has all the characteristics of [James Patterson’s] work for grown‐ups: pace, action, mystery and cool…. This skilled and compulsive tale is so involving…and it proves that girls can be tough, too.” —London Times, “Children’s Book of the Week,” July 3, 2005

“The key to MAXIMUM RIDE’s success may be that it incorporates concepts familiar to young people…. What makes these characters so appealing is that they have wings and can fly…. Another plus: the book has a feel of a video game…. Fights and flights are nonstop in MAXIMUM RIDE. The writing is visual and cinematic—things that kids expect from their video games, TV cartoon shows, and action movies. And the ending leaves plenty of wiggle room for a sequel.” —USA Today

“The teachers read Maximum Ride again today, and the students begged them not to stop when the reading time was up! Some students even came up to me and told me they went out and purchased the book that night because they just couldn’t wait until the next day to read again!” —Terri Smith, Teacher, “Maximum Read” program, Hurst, Texas

“I am excited as a teacher to see a student get so into a book and will definitely keep copies of the series in my classroom for other reluctant readers!” —Karie, High School Teacher

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The Angel Experiment (Maximum Ride, Book 1): A Maximum Ride Novel Kindle Edition

• Reading age 10 years and up
• Book 1 of 9 Maximum Ride
• Print length 464 pages
• Language English
• Grade level 5 and up
• Publisher jimmy patterson
• Publication date April 1 2005
• Page Flip Enabled
• Word Wise Not Enabled
• Enhanced typesetting Enabled
• Sticky notes On Kindle Scribe
• ISBN-13 978-0316155564
• See all details

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Product description

From publishers weekly, from school library journal, from booklist, about the author, from audiofile, product details.

• ASIN ‏ : ‎ B000FCK3C8
• Publisher ‏ : ‎ jimmy patterson (April 1 2005)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• File size ‏ : ‎ 3027 KB
• Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
• Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
• Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
• X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Enabled
• Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
• Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
• Print length ‏ : ‎ 464 pages
• Page numbers source ISBN ‏ : ‎ 0755321944
• #522 in Children's Mystery & Espionage
• #1,684 in Children's Action & Adventure
• #2,198 in Children's Science Fiction & Fantasy

About the author

James patterson.

James Patterson is the most popular storyteller of our time. He is the creator of unforgettable characters and series, including Alex Cross, the Women’s Murder Club, Jane Smith, and Maximum Ride, and of breathtaking true stories about the Kennedys, John Lennon, and Tiger Woods, as well as our military heroes, police officers, and ER nurses. Patterson has coauthored #1 bestselling novels with Bill Clinton and Dolly Parton, and collaborated most recently with Michael Crichton on the blockbuster “Eruption.” He has told the story of his own life in “James Patterson by James Patterson” and received an Edgar Award, ten Emmy Awards, the Literarian Award from the National Book Foundation, and the National Humanities Medal.

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The Angel Experiment (Maximum Ride series)

The Angel Experiment

James Patterson

Also available from:

• Barnes & Noble
• Books-A-Million

CRITICS HAVE SAID

“Nonstop action carries this page-turner breathlessly from start to finish… Speed, suspense, excitement. ”  – Kirkus

“[Patterson] delivers an action-packed cross between Gertrude Chandler Warner’s Boxcar Children and Marvel Comics’X-Men.”  – Booklist

“The key to Maximum Ride’s success may be that it incorporates concepts familiar to young people…What makes these characters so appealing is that they have wings and can fly…Another plus: the book has the feel of a video game…The writing is visual and cinematic—things that kids expect from their video games, TV cartoon shows and action movies. And the ending leaves plenty of wiggle room for a sequel. ”  – USA Today

IF YOU LOVE THIS BOOK, THEN TRY:

Collins, Suzanne.  Gregor the Overlander.  Scholastic, 2003. (And others in the Gregor series.) ISBN-13: 978-0439435369

LaFevers, R. L.  Theodosia and the Serpents of Chaos.  Houghton Mifflin, 2007. ISBN-13: 978-0618999767

Landy, Derek.  Skulduggery Pleasant.  HarperCollins, 2007. ISBN-13: 978-0061231179

L’Engle, Madeleine.  A Wrinkle in Time.  Farrar, 1962. Pullman, Philip. The Golden Compass. Knopf, 1996. ISBN-13: 978-0375838309

Riordan, Rick.  The Lightning Thief.  Miramax/Hyperion, 2005. (And others in the Percy Jackson & the Olympians series.)

Rowling, J. K.  Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone.  Scholastic, 1998. (And others in the Harry Potter series.) ISBN-13: 978-0439362139

Stewart, Trent Lee.  The Mysterious Benedict Society.  Little, Brown, 2007.

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Book Review

The angel experiment.

• James Patterson
• Adventure , Science Fiction

Readability Age Range

• Little, Brown and Company, in conjunction with Time Warner Book Group
• The New York TimesBestseller List, 2006; YALSA Teen's Top 10 Award, 2005

Year Published

This review was created by the editorial staff at Thriving Family magazine

This science-fiction adventure is the first book in the ” Maximum Ride ” series by James Patterson and is published by Little, Brown and Company, in conjunction with Time Warner Book Group.

The Angel Experiment is written for kids ages 12 and up. The age range reflects readability and not necessarily content appropriateness.

Plot Summary

At a secret lab called The School, scientists perform genetic tests on children. Four years ago, one of the scientists (Jeb) helped six mutant kids escape to a house in the mountains. He lived with them there for two years as a loving protector and father figure. Then he vanished. They assumed he’d been killed.

Today, 14-year-old Maximum Ride (Max) affectionately cares for the mutant group like a mother. She calls them the Flock because each, including her, was injected with bird DNA. Consequently, each child has wings and can fly. Other Flock members include Fang (age 14), Iggy (14 and blind due to The School’s experiments), Nudge (an 11-year-old girl with the gift of gab), Gasman (or Gazzy, age 8, so named because of his flatulent tendencies) and Angel (Gazzy’s 6-year-old biological sister who can read minds).

The Flock has remained under the radar for two years when they’re attacked at their home by The School’s half-human/half-wolf creations called Erasers. The creatures capture Angel, and the others take flight to rescue her. When the Flock reaches The School many days later, they’re captured and returned to animal cages, similar to those they once inhabited. They’re startled and angered to find Jeb conducting tests there once again. Jeb tries to tell Max to trust him, but she and the other Flock members escape. Angel tells them she overheard things in the lab that could help the kids learn where they came from.

Based on Angel’s information, the Flock flies to New York in search of a place called The Institute. Max begins hearing a voice in her head that speaks in cryptic messages and guides her to The Institute. There, the kids find more mutant children trapped in cages. They evade the Erasers long enough to print out some information about their past history. As they escape, they kill a particularly powerful Eraser named Ari in self-defense. Jeb screams to Max that she’s killed her own brother. Max continues to ponder this remark as the other kids read the information about themselves. The younger kids want to fly to Washington, D.C., to follow leads on their parents. Max goes with them, though she has no information about her own past. The Voice tells her she has a greater mission before her.

Christian Beliefs

Max says listening to Nudge’s motor mouth could turn Mother Teresa into an ax murderer. She thinks flying must be what it feels like to be God. She says she feels a lack of enthusiasm even after Jeb has told her she’s preordained and practically implied she’s the messiah. When Max has one of her horrible headaches, she begs God to let her die quickly. Jeb passes through the crowd of Erasers as Moses parting the Red Sea.

Having never been to church, the kids are intrigued by St. Patrick’s cathedral. Max says it smells ancient and religious. She feels safe and says it seems like a place where six homeless kids just might be heard. Angel suggests they pray, and Nudge asks if they’re praying to God. Nudge prays for parents.

Angel prays she’ll get her teddy bear back, that she’ll grow up to be like Max and that they’ll be safe from the bad guys. Iggy asks that his sight will be restored and that he’ll be able to “kick Jeb’s butt,” and Gazzy prays that he’ll be big and strong so that he can help people. Max says she never really thought about whether she believed in God and wonders if God would have let the scientists do such evil experiments. She prays for bravery, strength, wisdom, answers and the ability to take care of the Flock. They all feel so peaceful in the church, they don’t want to leave.

Other Belief Systems

Max calls a bullet wound she receives sheer bad luck. When the starving Fang finds food, he calls it Nirvana. Max justifies using a stolen ATM card because the card’s owner was a jerk, and she reasons that it’s his karma getting back at him. In a toy store, a Ouija board moves by itself and tells Max to save the world. When Max is lost in the subway, she lets the feng shui guide her and finds the door she needs.

Authority Roles

Max is the main authority figure for the Flock. She makes the plans and keeps everyone safe. She believes honesty is always good, “except when it’s better to lie” to protect others. When she hears Angel cursing, she vows to watch her own language to set a better example. Scientist Jeb Batchelder cares for the Flock like a father for two years. When they find him alive and working at The School once again, they feel angry and betrayed. The Voice in Max’s head guides her to The Institute. It says it considers itself her friend and loves her more than anyone, but that it asks the questions, not her.

Dr. Martinez is the mother of a girl Max rescues from bullies. When Max is hurt, Dr. Martinez assists Max without judging or asking too many questions about her wings. She protects Max from being captured, patches up her wounds and even bakes homemade cookies with her. Max fantasizes that Dr. Martinez is her mother. Some of the Flock members suspect their parents gave them to The School for money.

Profanity & Violence

The Lord’s name is frequently used in vain. Butt, crap, h—, suck and heck appear a few times. The kids sometimes curse more severely but without specific words appearing in the text. Max calls the scientists sadistic spawns of Satan. She shoots Ari “the bird.”

A number of battles between Flock members and Erasers turn violent and bloody. People are shot and sliced up by bird beaks. Body parts, including noses and necks, are broken with “stomach-turning” cracking noises. When Angel is kidnapped, Max punches a tree until she’s bloody and skin is missing. The scientists perform horrible experiments on kids. They shock and burn them, operate on them, put them in mazes like rats and leave them in pet crates when they’re not being tested. Some test subjects have vital organs outside of their bodies. A few times, the kids in the Flock see badly mutated children die in front of them.

Sexual Content

When Fang has been beaten badly, Max kisses him on the lips.

Discussion Topics

If your children have read this book or someone has read it to them, consider these discussion topics:

• If you were Max, would you trust The Voice?

How do you determine who you can trust in your life?

Why are friendship, loyalty and a sense of family so important to the Flock?

• What would have happened if they had gone their separate ways after Jeb left?

What do the kids feel is missing in their lives because they don’t have, or even know about, their parents?

What is a fatal flaw?

• What does Max say is her fatal flaw?

What’s yours?

What does The Voice mean when it tells Max that knowledge is a terrible burden?

• Have you ever had information others didn’t that became a heavy weight on your shoulders?
• What did you do?

How can knowing Jesus help release your burdens?

What are your impressions of Jeb and the scientists at The School?

• What value do they place on human life?
• Are there people in our society who treat other humans as disposable items? Explain your answer.

Which humans does God value?

Why is Jeb’s betrayal so devastating to the kids in the Flock?

• Have you ever been betrayed by someone you loved and respected?
• What happened? How did you feel?

Additional Comments

Smoking: A woman Nudge thinks may be her mother smokes a cigarette.

Criminal Activity: The Flock sleeps in parks, steals food, hops subway turnstiles, hotwires a car and gets money from an ATM when someone accidentally leaves a card in the machine.

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Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2005

Plot Summary

Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment Summary opens with the main character, Maximum “Max” Ride, running from a group of Erasers. We will later learn that Max is fourteen years old, and the Erasers are wolf/human hybrids.

She runs through a dimly lit forest, toward what she believes is a clearing. Instead, Max runs to the edge of a cliff, briefly stops, and then jumps off. Instead of falling, she snaps out her wings and heads west, flying away as the Erasers shoot at her.

She wakes abruptly, realizing the chase was just a dream. She inspects her nightgown for bullet holes and then collapses back into bed. She hates that dream, but always manages to wake up before she dies inside it.

Max leaves her bedroom and makes her way through the halls of the house to the kitchen. She lives here with several other teenagers who, just like her, are human/avian hybrids. Each of them has abilities and traits because of their hybridity, and together, they are called the Flock. They all attend the School, a shady institution made up of the scientists who have conducted the experiments to create the hybrids.

As Max looks for something to eat, Gazzy arrives. He’s the youngest member of the Flock, and has received his nickname due to his tendency to break wind. They great each other cheerfully, and when Gazzy asks what is for breakfast, Max tells him it is a surprise. Then Iggy arrives, plopping himself onto the couch; he is about the same age as Max. Another boy, Fang, enters and sneaks up behind Max. Max tells him to stop messing around, and then heads to wake the remaining members of the Flock, Nudge and Angel. Nudge is an eleven-year-old African-American girl, and Angel, a girl who is the youngest member of the Flock.

During breakfast, Angel announces that she wants to go out and pick strawberries. They all do, and during their picking, Erasers arrive and kidnap Angel. During the fight, Max is pinned down by two Erasers. A third slams Max into the ground, remarking that it looks like Max has grown. Though she does not recognize him at first, Max realizes this is Ari, the son of the School’s founder Jeb Batchelder. The Flock tries to rescue Angel, but Ari holds a gun to Max’s head. The Erasers escape with Angel in a helicopter.

The Flock decides to make a plan to rescue Angel. They rummage through some of Ari’s old files and learn that the School’s headquarters is in Death Valley. Max, Nudge, and Fang will go to the school, while the others stay at the house.

The three fly toward the School, and stop along the way to rest in an abandoned cottage where they accidentally fall asleep. Max is upset about all the time they have lost. While flying over Arizona, the trio observes a girl being bullied. Max decides to help the girl, and directs the others to meet her at Lake Mead.

Max swoops down to help the girl, who we learn is named Ella. While defending Ella, Max is shot in the shoulder. Max wonders around until she finds Ella’s house, and Ella’s mother, Dr. Martinez. Dr. Martinez patches up Max’s injury, and seems trustworthy when she discovers Max’s wings.

Fang and Nudge hide in a cave at Lake Mead while they study the flight patterns of nearby hawks; back at the House, the remaining members of the Flock are upset that they were left behind. They begin making traps and bombs. It is a good thing, too, because the Erasers arrive the next morning and fall into one of the traps. Iggy and Gazzy escape, but blow up the House in the process.

Fang and Nudge look for food. They are ambushed by more Erasers, who taunt the pair and lie, saying that Iggy and Gazzy are dead. They scuffle, but Fang and Nudge win, using spray paint as weapons. At the end of the fight, Ari is left with green hair.

Dr. Martinez takes Max to her veterinary practice for an x-ray, and while there, they are attacked by Erasers. The doctor hides Max, and seems unfazed by the Erasers’ presence. The x-ray reveals that Max has a computer chip in her arm, but it cannot be safely removed.

Max spends another evening with Ella and her mom, while Gazzy and Iggy find Fang and Nudge at Lake Mead. Max rejoins them the next morning, and the Flock is together once again.

At the School, Angel is being severely mistreated and subjected to a string of brutal experiments. She learns that Jeb, Ari’s father, is alive, and working for the School.

The free members of the Flock observe a man using an ATM at a strip mall. Ari and the Erasers arrive and scare the man off, and the Flock withdraws money using the man’s account.

The Erasers later find them while they are eating. The Flock makes its escape in a stolen van, but Max crashes it. The Erasers capture Max, Fang, and Nudge, but the others escape. The captured members of the Flock are taken to the School, where Jeb tells Max that she is destined for something much more important.

A little while later, they stage an escape, and Iggy and Gazzy return with the hawks from Lake Mead. The Flock stays in the caves there for a while, then begins traveling around. During this time, Max begins hearing the Voice inside her head.

Angel tells the Flock that she learned about their real parents during her capture. They decide to go to the Institute of Higher Living in New York to find out more. They sleep in the trees of Central Park, do research at the library, and generally try to lie low. They eventually find some tunnels in which to hide.

Max begins to hear the Voice even more, and it directs them to a large toy store where a talking board directs Max to save the world. They are attacked again by the Erasers, but escape, and find another bankcard which they use to withdraw money. They visit a fancy restaurant but attract suspicion when they order large amounts of food. They dash out of the restaurant where they are once again confronted by Ari and the Erasers. Then, Angel manifests the psychic ability to make people do things. The Erasers leave.

The Flock hides, sleeping at a construction site. At one point, while swimming, Max develops gills. The Erasers return, and in the fight, badly injure Fang. Jeb arrives and orders the Erasers to release the Flock; Max kisses Fang.

The Flock go back to the city, and while underground, they are led through the sewer system by a map in Max’s head, finding their way to the Institute. At the Institute they find more experiments, and free them, fighting off Erasers as they do. The other experiments leave, but Angel keeps a dog she names Total. Based upon information they find, the Flock decides to travel to Washington, DC, and the book ends.

While this is primarily an action-adventure novel, the theme of family plays heavily on its plot. The Flock has formed a new family, brought together by the evil machinations of the School. The older kids take on parental roles toward the younger kids, and they each provide the type of support a family normally provides.

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Maximum Ride : the angel experiment

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The Angel Experiment (Maximum Ride) Library Binding – January 1, 2008

• Book 1 of 9 Maximum Ride
• Print length 422 pages
• Language English
• Dimensions 1 x 5 x 7.75 inches
• Publisher Paw Prints 2008-04-11
• Publication date January 1, 2008
• ISBN-10 1435233492
• ISBN-13 978-1435233492
• See all details

Product details

• Publisher ‏ : ‎ Paw Prints 2008-04-11 (January 1, 2008)
• Language ‏ : ‎ English
• Library Binding ‏ : ‎ 422 pages
• ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1435233492
• ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1435233492
• Reading age ‏ : ‎ 10 - 13 years, from customers
• Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 15.4 ounces
• Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 1 x 5 x 7.75 inches
• Best Sellers Rank: #3,866,621 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books )

About the author

James patterson.

James Patterson is the most popular storyteller of our time. He is the creator of unforgettable characters and series, including Alex Cross, the Women’s Murder Club, Jane Smith, and Maximum Ride, and of breathtaking true stories about the Kennedys, John Lennon, and Tiger Woods, as well as our military heroes, police officers, and ER nurses. Patterson has coauthored #1 bestselling novels with Bill Clinton and Dolly Parton, and collaborated most recently with Michael Crichton on the blockbuster “Eruption.” He has told the story of his own life in “James Patterson by James Patterson” and received an Edgar Award, ten Emmy Awards, the Literarian Award from the National Book Foundation, and the National Humanities Medal.

Customer reviews

• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 5 star 72% 16% 7% 2% 3% 72%
• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 4 star 72% 16% 7% 2% 3% 16%
• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 3 star 72% 16% 7% 2% 3% 7%
• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 2 star 72% 16% 7% 2% 3% 2%
• 5 star 4 star 3 star 2 star 1 star 1 star 72% 16% 7% 2% 3% 3%

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To calculate the overall star rating and percentage breakdown by star, we don’t use a simple average. Instead, our system considers things like how recent a review is and if the reviewer bought the item on Amazon. It also analyzed reviews to verify trustworthiness.

Customers say

Customers find the storyline exciting, amazing, and strange. They also say the book series is good and gets them hooked after the first few pages. Readers describe the characters as great and compassionate. They mention the plot as suspenseful, surprising, and full of wonder. Customers say the books are fast to read and well written. However, some find the short chapter lengths annoying and the book ends too abruptly.

AI-generated from the text of customer reviews

Customers find the storyline exciting, violent, and enjoyable. They also say the author did a great job telling the story from a 14-year-old's perspective. Readers also mention that the book has constant action and has them feeling scared, happy, angry, sad, and thrilled.

"...Reading the story had me feeling scared, happy , angry, sad, and thrilled. It had me wanting more, more, more...." Read more

"...It is suspenseful, surprising , full of wonder, and bends your mind in ways you didn't think were possible." Read more

"... plenty of action and plenty of drama.I won't include a re-hashing of the plot nor provide spoilers -- only a few comments...." Read more

"...Maximum Ride is an excellent, action-packed, fast-paced story about a flock of extraordinary genetically engineered winged kids...." Read more

Customers find the plot suspenseful, surprising, and full of wonder. They also say it keeps their attention for the whole book, is compelling, fascinating, and intense. Readers mention the book contains adventure, just enough realism to be believable, and provides a great internal dialogue for the main character. They say the book covers background detail and defines the series. Overall, customers say the plot is very original, with many secrets and excitement.

"...Reading the story had me feeling scared, happy, angry, sad , and thrilled. It had me wanting more, more, more...." Read more

"...It is suspenseful, surprising, full of wonder , and bends your mind in ways you didn't think were possible." Read more

"...I'm glad I did. The book contains adventure, just enough realism to be believable ..." Read more

"...The dialogue is so youthful and expected in the best way...." Read more

Customers find the writing style entertaining, well written, and appropriate for almost any age.

"...It is a very crisp read and if you are looking for a guilty pleasure, even for adults, I recommend picking it up, especially since it is free on the..." Read more

"...Nonetheless the book was very easy to read , and I always wanted to keep reading more..." Read more

"...It is a very easy ready and well written ...." Read more

"...Nice, mindless beach read, good for entertainment. The writing quality is mediocre at best , but the pace flows well and makes for an easily read,..." Read more

Customers find the book series quite good, with great characters and awesome parts. They also say the first book was a great beginning and that it's popular with teenagers. They appreciate the background detail, which defines the series and gives it soul.

"...I bet this is a popular series with teenagers ...." Read more

"This was a very nice beginning to a series . It wasn't quite what I expected because as of right now I'm fairly new to James Patterson...." Read more

"...This book covers background detail, and basicly defines the series and gives it soul... that which makes it worth reading...." Read more

"...Still a good read and should make a good movie :)" Read more

Customers find the characters in the book great, with well-developed feelings and personalities. They also say the children are splendid, sympathetic, and lovable. Overall, readers say the book can inspire imagination and help anyone discover the inner voice.

"...I really loved the flock. The characters were so believable they touched my heart...." Read more

"...It is fun to read and has great characters . You will love to read this book. It is appropriate for most kids...." Read more

"...The book has fantastic characters , winding plot twists, and sets up perfectly for the sequel...." Read more

"...undoubtedly one of the most grating, infuriatingly shallow and underdeveloped heroins that has ever disgraced the surface of my reading glasses...." Read more

Customers find the pacing of the book fast and quick. They also say the flow of the story works well.

"...The writing quality is mediocre at best, but the pace flows well and makes for an easily read, fast-paced story...." Read more

"...The plot seemed a bit forced at times, but overall the pacing of it is unpredictable , and the overall resolution at the end of this first book may..." Read more

"...This book is a modern, fast paced and action filled book that is not 'overly dramatic.'..." Read more

"...However, that made the flow of the book work really well and I ended up loving it...." Read more

Customers find the children's content in the book great for all ages, tweens, and full adults looking for a good read. They also say it's an enduring story about children.

"...that makes James Patterson's Maximum Ride a thrilling, action-packed book for older children who love suspense and fiction...." Read more

"...paragraph when it warns the reader to not read the book - perfect hook for teen readers ...." Read more

"...on the taste and ability of the reader and this book is great for kids and young adults ...." Read more

"...Otherwise, seems to be a popular book with the teens !" Read more

Customers find the book length annoying, with very short chapter lengths. They also say the story has no clear ending in sight, and they have no desire to finish it. Readers also mention that the story is poorly written with zero suspension of disbelief. They say the series could not hold their attention, and the book ends with a lot of unanswered questions. They find the character development not enough for the length of the book, and it's difficult for them as a reader.

"... This book was sooo long ! I just kept guessing when it was going to end and when it finally did end I gave a huge sigh of relief!..." Read more

"i enjoyed the book, but not as much as the first six. this one ended too abruptly , with really no action on the part of the protagonist, the guy in..." Read more

"...The book started off with a bang, and never stopped. I love the short chapters ...." Read more

"...The book ends with a lot of unanswered questions which I find frustrating, seems like a way to make a reader buy more books...." Read more

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