Max

by James Patterson

Paper Book, 2010

Status

Available

Call number

[Fic]

Publication

New York : Vision, 2010.

Description

When millions of fish start dying off the coast of Hawaii and something is destroying hundreds of ships, the government enlists the Flock--a band of genetically modified children who can fly--to help get to the bottom of the disaster before it is too late.

User reviews

LibraryThing member Dissidence
Okay, I will freely admit that I'm only reading these books now because I like the Max and Fang scenes. I'm a sucker for a dark and dangerous guy. I actually want a Fang of my own. Y'know, if Fang was real, about 26 and didn't have wings...obviously. Thankfully, I didn't have to endure another book
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full of Max running away from him and spending long paragraphs in thought about how much she likes him. Well done Mr Patterson, you make her get in there before we all die of boredom.But that really is the only saving grace in this series now, and now that they're technically "together" I'm not sure how much mileage is left in Maximum Ride. The plots are annoyingly "Go green! Eat broccoli!" even for a tree-hugging vegetarian like myself. If I want a lecture on saving the planet I'll watch Al Gore, I won't think, "Ah, yeah, those teenage books about the genetically modified bird kids on the run from the government will educate me!"So in this one, the flock are doing eco-friendly awareness work and Mr Chu (Ooh, scary name. At least he's not a brain on a stick like the last bloody bad guy.) who represents lots of big companies doesn't like it because he has been dumping radioactive waste in the sea and doesn't want the extra awareness to possibly reveal his secret. Let's analyse that. How many normal people go to a global warming rally and then randomly decide to check the bottom of the sea (which is rather big, I've heard), just in case someone has dumped something illegal? Did he really have anything to worry about? First, in a supremely scary move, he asks Max to stop working for the green lobby. She says no. Big surprise. So Mr Chu has a dilemma: what do you do if Max could uncover your illegal doings and you may risk a government fine? Of course. You create an army of robots with human skin (Yeah, you read that right.) and kidnap Max's mother. Now, let me just point out that the flock had no idea about the radioactive waste. So Mr Chu in his infinite wisdom holds Max's mother - knowing full well there'd be a rescue attempt - right next to where he's dumped the radiation! Genius. Really. Give that man a round of applause. Lure the people you're trying to blackmail to the place where you've hidden stuff you don't want them to see. The final blow comes in the actual rescue. The radiation has caused mutations in sea animals, and these animals burn through the ceiling of the underwater prison using a "snot-like" substance they secrete. They then create a snot bubble and put Max's mother inside it so she doesn't drown, and this apparently saves her from the water pressure too. Snot bubbles. Saved by...snot. You honestly couldn't make this up...or rather, you wouldn't want to because it's stupid.The addition of the flock sprouting gills conveniently when they go on an underwater mission is irritating and especially insulting when it's explained that their DNA is 98% human and 2% avian. Where are all these extra abilities coming from? That's damn special birds that can read minds, control metal, fart gas, feel colours, camouflage themselves and hear all-knowing voices in their heads. Not to mention, they have lighter bones to enable them to fly, yet water pressure that would squash normal human bones has no effect on them whatsoever? So, all in all, it's not going well. I may be a fangirl for Max and Fang but I'm not sure how much punishment I can take to get that fix. If Mr Patterson insists on insulting teenagers' intelligence like this, whilst blatantly shoving eco-friendly messages down their throats, I'm not sure he'll be keeping all of his fan base for long.I noticed on the acknowledgements page there was a thank you to someone for the research they had done for this book. I wonder how much research it took to come up with snot bubble rescue plans?
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LibraryThing member ownlittleworld
(First impression: Nothing really. The cover was cool but I was more excited to continue the story.
(Reaction after I finished: "So when's the next book released?")

Max was vastly better than the fourth book, but not quite up to par with the first one. While I did enjoy it, the plot has somehow
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managed to go from a flock on the run for their lives, to an Eco-friendly flock saving endangered species from radiation or global warming. Not that there's anything wrong with being Eco-friendly, it's just that I'm beginning to miss the intense action from the first few books. You know... being on the lamb, fighting to survive, kicking butt against crazy Erasers, and bringing down evil with a swift roundhouse kick. Now it's all about radiation, mutated sea turtles, one creepy villain, and then the butt kicking action. The ending left a few open ends but dutifully sets up book 6...wherever that may lead.

While the story line didn't quite woo me, James Patterson's writing sure did. I have to say, I LOVE how he writes the Maximum Ride series from Max's point of view. I'm a sucker for wit and this man is a witty mastermind. But I won't lie when I say some parts were a bit ridiculous, if not amusing.

Plot direction aside - Max is an easy read and has it all: adventure, suspense, humor, and even romance. It just sucks you in. Another enjoyable tale about the wild adventures of the six bird kids. Oh and I can't forget the dog! I definitely recommend the series if you're feeling rather adventurous.

On a side note, I do have one thing to say about a person, or rather persons in the book: IT'S ABOUT TIME! Those of you who've read the series (hopefully) know who I'm talking about. :)
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LibraryThing member MaxBrown
Max and the Flock have gone public, doing air shows and making TV appearances about the effects of global warming. But the School is making bigger and worse robots to attack them. Max's mom is kidnapped, so Max and the Flock set out to find her. They get onboard a naval submarine and try to find a
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laboratory owned by Mr. Chu underwater. Meanwhile, tension between Max and Fang grows, and Max finds she cares about him more than she originally thought.

Max was a light, quick read, but a very enjoyable one. Max's voice is fun to read, and her personality is easy to relate with. Every character has an interesting, unique relationship with every other character, which is rare and not easy to do. I also love all the personalities of all the characters - they're all unique and feel very real to me. I recommend Max, but don't read it if you haven't already read the first four. I look forward to the next.
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LibraryThing member JRlibrary
Warning - Spoilers throughout this review.
Thankfully, this was marginally better than book four although I really feel the books have steadily declined since book one. In this one, the attraction between Max and Fang is mentioned more often, and there are even a couple of kisses thrown in. The
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bird-kids discover something killing all the fish off Hawaii's coast, and when they investigate further they discover vicious killing sea creatures shaped like whale sized pickles with oozing sores all over their bodies and only one eye. Max's mother has been kidnapped and Max is determined to rescue her.
The one question I had was how Angel and Max were able to swim in water severely polluted by leaking radiation, but suffer no ill effects. I expected them to have to deal with radiation poisoning, but that didn't happen. Mr. Chu didn't get arrested and Brigid might turn out to be bad. We also still don't know the identity of the voice in Max's head. I hope this series isn't going to go on for much longer, but I suspect it might. Patterson is also writing a new series which might be interesting. Book one is called Witch and Wizard and is out in December 2009.
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LibraryThing member kpickett
Another thrilling tale in the adventures of Maximum Ride as she and the flock try to save the world...again. This time Max and the flock are working with the Coalition to Stop the Madness (CSM) to try to educate people about the damage carbon fuels are doing to the world. Turns out there are some
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big wig business men who aren't to happy with the work of the CSM and they kidnap Max's mom to try to get her to stop. But if you know Max then you know that won't stop her! She gathers the flock to beat the bad businessmen and angry scientists. Still not as good as the first three books, this vastly outweighs the quality of the 4th. For fans of the Max/Fang ship, this book is a pleasant surprize. The only annoying part for me was how much explaining Max does for the first 1/3 of the book, going back to recap previous books.
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LibraryThing member she_climber
I think this series is getting a little old, it's essentially the same story for each book - just some other variation on the evil bad dude trying to take over the world while the Flock uses it's amazing abilities to kickbutt and get in some smartass wisecracks (my favorite parts) in.
LibraryThing member RenataPhoenix
I don't like books 4 and 5 as much as the first 3. It seems like the subject matter has shifted from the all-controlling company, Itex, to Global Warming, which is a little annoying, but the characters are still hilarious, and kick-butt with their super powers and attitudes. The relationship
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between Max and Fang develops a little in each book as well as Max's confidence. This book was essentially better than the 4th, which to me was a bit of pointless book. It's strongest in describing ties between characters and the humor brought to the book by the characters. I love the flock! Fang's my favorite.
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LibraryThing member 59Square
I read this series more for the characters, but this time I was really disappointed in the plot and its coherency. I felt like Patterson spent a lot of time in this novel focusing on Fang and Max’s relationship and their changing flock of bird-kids, and the plotline was really, really thin. It
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was only for looks basically and was wrapped up in the end in about 10 pages. I keep telling myself I won’t keep reading in this series, and then I do. I guess I just want them to save the world already, but it goes on and on. At least they are quick reads, and I feel like there isn’t a lot to think about in these novels. There is a at least superficial focus on environmentalism, but it’s pretty superficial. The science fiction aspect is what is played up here.
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LibraryThing member sagustocox
James Patterson's MAX on audio is chock full of sound effects, drama, and thrills. MAX is the fifth book in the young adult Maximum Ride series, which centers on winged kids that range from ages 6 to 16. Max leads the flock of winged children, and in this novel, they attempt to find Max's kidnapped
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mother with the help of the U.S. military.

Not only does this novel immerse readers in the angst, confusion, and desire of these kids to fit in, it also is a coming of age story for Max as she begins to understand her feelings for Fang.

Listeners will be completely absorbed in the twists and turns of this thriller as the flock flies from South America to other locations and boards submarines to locate Max's mother beneath the ocean's surface.
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LibraryThing member TomWheaton
I didn't like this Maximum Ride book as much as some of the earlier ones. The plots are seeming to become the same. However, I will continue to read any future Ride books just to see what happens to the flock.
LibraryThing member The_Book_Queen
Max and the rest of the flock are back in this latest installment of James Patterson's bestselling series.

The story picks up right where it left off in the previous book, Maximum Ride: The Final Warning. Global warming is affecting the planet, and it's up to Max and the gang to help spread the word
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and stop the illegal dumping of waste products. Every thing's going as planned, the Erasers are no longer coming after them, and, for now, it seems that Jeb is on their side. Suddenly, a new villain shows up.

They meet their newest threat while flying. A man with a gun attacked directly to his arm, in place of a normal hand, tries to shoot Max, but thanks to the warnings from the flock, the bullet barely misses her.

After the close call, Max starts planning their escape to somewhere safer, if that even exists. But she can't leave her mother and half-sister, both of whom she has only recently met. Instead, she agrees (a bit reluctantly) to go to a special school, located in Utah.

While they are there at the new school, Max gets some devastating news: her mother has been kidnapped by Mr. Chu, the man behind the attempt on their lives earlier. Now the flock has to figure out where she's being held and save her-- before it's too late.

From there, the story twists and turns, treating the reader to an exhilarating roller coaster ride. Just when you think you have everything figured out, guess again, because Patterson will soon be throwing something new at you. It's part of what makes the series so good, and keeps the story fresh, even after five books.

Patterson's novels have been well known for years, and his Maximum Ride Series, which were originally aimed for a teenage audience, have only added to his fame. His books are written so that younger readers can enjoy them without the risk of running into adult content, yet they are so well written and interesting that just as many adults, including grandparents, are starting to pick them up, too.

The books have everything you could possibly want, a little something for every reader out there. Combine the following all together and you have the perfect recipe for a very addicting series: high-flying adventures, witty conversations between the characters, a touch of mystery and suspense, a lite dash of romance, and an interesting and unique storyline.

And the good thing about the series is that if you do pick up one of the middle books, without reading the previous ones, you won't be lost. Although it's always better to read the books in order, it's not required. Patterson does a good job at keeping the new readers updated on what's already happened. However, once you try one of them, you probably won't stop at just that--after reading the book, you will be compelled to pick up the rest of the books, anxious to find out what will happen next.

But be warned: if you've been following this series from the beginning, and you were hoping that Max would be a sort of conclusion to it, you're going to be disappointed. In typical Patterson style, Max leaves you on a cliff hanger at the end, ready for whatever Patterson is going to throw at you next time. On the bright side, this means that, for now, there is no definite end to this much loved series.
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LibraryThing member Connor16
Best Book in the Maximum Ride series so far. Alot of humor, action and drama that makes the Maximum Ride series so great. Some of the best humor in the books yet.
LibraryThing member highvoltagegrrl
Another good book in the Maximum Ride series by James Patterson. It's for kids, easy and quick to read, but will make a great movie (which is in the works). Though it's no Artemis Fowl or Percy Jackson.
LibraryThing member les121
After a less than stellar fourth installment, the Maximum Ride series is getting back on track. This book has the all the usual action, humor, and romance, making it a fun read. However, it’s still not as good as the first few books, perhaps because of Angel’s annoying antics, the cliche plot
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devices, or the unbelievable conclusion. Additionally, Max is the only dynamic character in this novel. (While Nudge faces an inner conflict that could have been turned into a dramatic, though-provoking issue, it ends up being resolved in about two sentences.) Regardless, I will probably read the latest book in the series if only because I’ve come too far to stop reading it now.
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LibraryThing member Conner23456
I loved the fifth book in the series of Maximum Ride. Every page you turn something new might happen. You can love and hate the main people at diffrent times in the book.

In this book I loved the end. But, thats all I am going to say because I dont want to spoil the book for others.
LibraryThing member wendallyn
Great new series by James Patterson! I was looking for a series to interest my daughter in reading and I ended up reading them all myself before I passed them along. Safe for younger readers, a lot of action type violence but very little gore, with a pinch of romantic angst built in. I enjoyed
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them, and so did my 11 year old daughter.
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LibraryThing member Jenson_AKA_DL
This entry into the Maximum Ride series brought back everything I enjoyed from the first two books along with a little more in the romance between Max and Fang which was quite enjoyable. Despite the plot being far fetched (and getting further fetched all the time) it is still enough fun that you
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can overlook the more truly unusual parts, such as the monster snot (yes, I'm serious). Although this still follows a heavy conservation theme it isn't as heavy handed as "Final Warning" was and I think that makes this a much more enjoyable entry. I'm looking forward to checking out "Fang" in the very near future and hope that maybe "Angel" will show up thereafter. I'm almost as curious about the little demon/angel child as I am in seeing what happens with Max and Fang :-)
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LibraryThing member VirginiaGill
Max, book five of this series was every bit as enjoyable as the first four books. Sometimes I find myself just wanting to bang my head against a wall along with Max as her life just goes haywire over and over again. As if being 14 wasn't bad enough! A fun read.
LibraryThing member vanedow
I love this series. Thrilling adventure, witty dialogue and mutant bird-kids! What else could you ask for? A little romance perhaps? We’ve got that, too.

Max and her flock keep me laughing even as I’m on the edge of my seat. I think if her style of narrative annoyed you, it would really annoy
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you, but for me it’s perfect. The witty banter sucks me in immediately. This book also added some substance to the romance between Fang and Max that’s been brewing for the last few books. This made me so happy! Fang is my favourite.

I think Max is significantly better than books 3 and 4, maybe because it’s less bogged down in environmentalist yattering and kid power anthems. Rumor is that there’s going to be a Maximum Ride movie, and I think it’s a fantastic idea. The book itself plays like a movie, with lots of action scenes and death-defying stunts. I’d really like to see if they can bring winged kids to life on-screen without making it look cheesy.

The only complaint I have about this book is the ending. I heard that this is supposed to be the conclusion of the series, but right before the end a whole new twist gets spun out. Most unsatisfying. There had better be another book forthcoming, or my considerable wrath will be invoked.
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LibraryThing member loserfriendnum2
I read Max first by mistake thinking it was the only one. so i started reading the first book and intantly loved it i read all the ways to Max and so i read it again it is a very good book and i would recomend this to many of my friends. this book is interesting and sort of fast paced. i recomend
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this book to all people who like to sit down and read a good book... but once you start with the series,,, you cant stop its just too good.
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LibraryThing member Alera
The plot is fairly non-existent. There are few up and downs, little suspense in moments where much more could be done. Little is given to the over-arcing plot that was consistently building in the first three novels. (The 4th one was just pointless all together.) But it did hold my interest. Max's
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narrations are still comical. Her relationship with the flock and life forcing her to realize she cannot control everything anymore is quite fitting as she continues to age and grow. So as long as she continues to develop and change I don't think I'll stop reading...even if the plot is a bit blah. Overall a refreshing glimpse at characters and a world I lost a lot of faith in in the last book.
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LibraryThing member lms8esmith
While I am still not crazy about the plot line of saving the world from pollution, I really like Max's voice. I've come to love these crazy bird kids and will continue to read the series until the end. :) My students love this series!
LibraryThing member TLHelen
This book was very engaging because I like action. It was easy to read and the characters were relatable because they were teenage kids. The plot was interesting. It is about kids who have avian DNA mixed with human DNA in them so they have wings and can fly. Overall this was a pretty interesting
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book.
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LibraryThing member lyricaltwin
A funny, interesting, action-packed, sarcastic bombshell of a book. MAX is hanging-on-the-edge-of-your-seat, stay-up-until-3-a.m, breathless kind of book. I couldn't wait for FANG!
LibraryThing member tipsister
I just love the characters in the "Bird Kid" series by James Patterson. Loving the characters does not mean that I love the books. This is written with a big sigh. The first couple of books in the series were good. They kept my interest but the last few have really gone downhill. The stories are
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more frantic, the dialogue is affected, and the plots are dull. I can't even tell you much about the plot. I am also pretty sure that I've written the same type of review for the last book in the series.

Can I recommend the series? Yes, to young teens or fans of the characters. They are the only things keeping me reading.
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Awards

Buckeye Children's & Teen Book Award (Nominee — Grades 6-8 — 2011)
Colorado Blue Spruce Award (Nominee — 2011)
Children's Favorites Awards (Winner — Author of the Year — 2010)

Language

Original publication date

2009-03-16

Physical description

207 p.; 18 inches

ISBN

0446194069 / 9780446194068

Other editions

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