School's Out - Forever (Maximum Ride Series #2)

by James Patterson

Overview

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 to save the world, and she faces her greatest enemy—a clone of herself. 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780316067966
Publisher:	Little, Brown Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	04/01/2007
Series:	Maximum Ride Series
Pages:	448
Sales rank:	32,881
Product dimensions:	5.10(w) x 7.60(h) x 1.20(d)
Lexile:	660L (what's this?)
Age Range:	13 - 17 Years

About the Author

James Patterson is the world's bestselling author. The creator of Maximum Ride and Crazy House, he has donated more than one million books to students and soldiers, as well as millions of dollars to independent bookstores and school libraries. He lives in Florida with his family.

Hometown:

Palm Beach, Florida

Date of Birth:

March 22, 1947

Place of Birth:

Newburgh, New York

Education:

B.A., Manhattan College, 1969; M.A., Vanderbilt University, 1971

Website:

http://www.jamespatterson.com

Read an Excerpt

Maximum Ride

School's Out-Forever

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By James Patterson

Little, Brown For Young Readers

Copyright © 2006 James Patterson
All right reserved.
ISBN: 0-316-15559-4

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Chapter One

Yep. Flying Erasers. These Erasers had wings, which was a new and revolting development on the Eraser front. Half-wolf, half-human, and now half-avian? That couldn't be a happy mix. And they were headed our way at about eighty miles an hour.

"Erasers, version 6.5," Fang said.

Split up, Max. Think 3-D, said my Voice.

"Split up!" I ordered. "Nudge! Gazzy! Nine o'clock! Angel, up top. Move it! Iggy and Fang, flank me from below! Fang, ditch the dog!"

"Nooo, Fang!" screeched Angel.

The Erasers slowed as we fanned out, their huge, heavy-looking wings backbeating the air. It was almost pitch-black now, with no moon and no city lights below. I was still able to see their teeth, their pointed fangs, their smiles of excitement. They were on a hunt-it was party time!

Here we go, I thought, feeling adrenaline speeding up my heart. I launched myself at the biggest one, swinging my feet under me to smash against his chest. He rolled back but righted himself and came at me again, claws slashing the air.

I bobbed, feeling his paws whip right past my face. I turned sharply just in time to have a hard, hairy fist crash into my head.

I dropped ten feet quickly, then surged back up on theoffensive.

In my peripheral vision, I saw Fang clap both hands hard against an Eraser's furry ears. The Eraser screamed, holding his head, and started to lose altitude. Fang had Total in his backpack. He rolled out of harm's way, and I took his place, catching another Eraser in the mouth with a hard side kick.

I grabbed one of his arms, twisting it violently in back of him. It was harder in the air, but then I heard a loud pop.

The Eraser screamed and dropped, careening downward until he caught himself and flew clumsily away, one arm dangling.

Above me an Eraser lashed out at Nudge, but she dodged out of the way.

Max? Size isn't everything, said the Voice.

(Continues...)

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Excerpted from Maximum Ride by James Patterson Copyright © 2006 by James Patterson. Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Editorial Reviews

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 School's Out—Forever
A KLIATT 2006 Editor's Choice: Best of the Year's Hardcover YA Fiction selection

*"A breathless adventure...full of action, swooping flights and fierce fights—a sure bet for the movies." (Starred Review)—Kliatt

"Adventure, fighting, backstabbing, and love abound throughout the book, while still allotting time to develop characters one cares about."—VOYA

"Readers are in for another exciting wild ride."—Kirkus

"Pure escapist pleasure."—The Horn Book

From the Publisher

In this stand-alone sequel to The Angel Experiment, bird-kid Max and her flock fly south to reunite with their parents. But their perilous mission runs into stiff winds when they are apprehended by an FBI agent who dispatches them to the worst nightmare destination: school! Max's homework assignment include decoding documents that might have help save the world and protect her from Max II, a clone who knows her every move. Action; suspense; plot surprises: all James Patterson specialties.

Max, Fang, Iggy, Gasman, Nudge and Angel are being hunted by killers. No big deal because these kids can fly, literally. But how will this new threat to their safety affect their mission to save the world? Listeners will find out in School's Out Forever, James Patterson's second installment of the Maximum Ride series narrated with aplomb by Valentina de Angelis. (June). Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

Gr 6-10-This book picks up exactly where The Angel Experiment (Little, Brown, 2005) left off. The six genetically engineered bird children have escaped from the wolf-hybrid Erasers again, Max is still hearing "The Voice" in her head, and she is still reeling from the revelation that Ari, the most persistent of all the Erasers, is dead by her hand and that he might be her brother. From this point forward, there is action, but no distinctive plot. The closest the story line comes to compelling is when the kids are taken in and enrolled in school by a seemingly kind woman who just happens to be a high-ranking FBI agent. It will not shock readers when it is eventually revealed that she has betrayed them. This book is full of as many twists, turns, and conspiracies as an episode of daytime drama. And just like a soap opera, it relies heavily on melodrama until the very end, whereupon readers discover that very little has actually happened. The story is disappointingly anticlimactic and violent. Still, it does have some appeal-the children continually outmaneuver their attackers without permanent damage. Plus, the talking dog they pick up during their adventures is sure to entertain.-Heather M. Campbell, Philip S. Miller Library, Castle Rock, CO Copyright 2006 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

Readers are in for another exciting wild ride of fights (bloody) and flights (in the sky) as Max and her flock struggle to stay alive. 98% human with 2% avian genes grafted on, these six winged, scrappy kids soar powerfully through the air. In this second installment, they head towards Washington D.C. in pursuit of their unknown parents of origin, who may or may not know that the kids were raised by genetic scientists prone to torture. Max's straightforward, sardonic first-person voice does most of the narration as the flock navigates a rescue by a vaguely maternal FBI honcho, a stint in a regular school (or is it?) and constant pursuit by Erasers (deadly wolf-human combinations). Who controls the Voice in Max's head telling her to save the world? What would that even mean? Is an international corporation the enemy? Who's in league with the evil scientists who created the flock? These questions are yet unanswered, leaving readers breathless for the follow-up to this action-packed page-turner. (Science fiction. YA)$1,000,000 ad/promo

Kirkus Reviews

In the second installment in the Maximum Ride series, Max and her flock of genetically altered children are moving closer to understanding the reason for their existence--or at least for the modifications that have been made to them. Valentina de Angelis sets off at a strong pace in a narration that betrays a fondness for her characters in a tone pitched for kids. The periodic musical background is a bit of a distraction, however. It varies in length and at times appears to be a signal that a chapter is ending, at other times an indication of abridgment, and at still other times simply background. The longer passages add a sense of sentimentality that seems unwarranted. J.E.M. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine

OCT/NOV 06 - AudioFile