From Barnes & Noble
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.
From the Publisher
Fourteen-year-old Maximum Ride and the other members of the "Flock"--Fang, Iggy, Nudge, Gasman and Angel--are just like ordinary kids--only they have wings and can fly. It seems like a dream come true--except that they're being hunted by half-human, half-wolf "Erasers" who can fly, too.
In Book 2 of the series, the Flock members are taken under the wing of an FBI agent and try to live "normal" lives by going to school, making friends--and continuing their relentless search for their parents. But the Erasers return, forcing the Flock to abandon their search and make their escape once again. The voice inside Max's head keeps telling her that it's up to her to save the world, but this is especially challenging to do when she is faced with her ultimate match: a newer and better version of herself, Maximum Ride II. Max's heart-stopping quest to investigate the mind-blowing mystery of her ultimate destiny continues in the scariest, strangest, and funniest James Patterson novel yet.
Publishers Weekly
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.
Rebecca Moreland, Teen Reviewer
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VOYA
This novel is a compelling sequel to a compelling first book. It grabs readers straight from the start and reels them in with new excitements on every page. Adventure, fighting, backstabbing, and love abound throughout the book, while still allotting time to develop characters one cares about. Patterson satisfies fans of the series by incorporating new plot lines into the story, while still using the ones laid out in the first book. It sets up well for a third book, which is destined to be another delight, in which Max might actually save the world. VOYA CODES: 4Q 4P M J (Better than most, marred only by occasional lapses; Broad general YA appeal; Middle School, defined as grades 6 to 8; Junior High, defined as grades 7 to 9). 2006, Little Brown, 409p., Ages 11 to 15.
School Library Journal
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.
Kirkus Reviews
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