Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports: A Maximum Ride Novel
(Libby/OverDrive eBook, Kindle)

The end is near . . . or is it? So reads the tagline of Book 3 of the Maximum Ride series, suggesting that Patterson's best-selling series for YAs may expand beyond the trilogy originally planned news that will be greeted enthusiastically by fans of its 14-year-old heroine. Slated for extermination by their scientist creators, rebel-mutant Max and other members of her flock, all of whom possess bird DNA and functioning wings, are on the lam again, their mission to save the world from a eugenics plot. Affection for the dauntless characters and misadventures that build on universal yearnings about sprouting wings and taking flight will hold readers.--Mattson, Jennifer Copyright 2007 Booklist

The third and final chapter in James Patterson's Maximum Ride series, Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports, finds Max and the rest of the gang gearing up for their final battle against the agents of the "Re-Evolution" experiment-evil scientists working to genetically engineer a "superior" race of humans. (Little, Brown, $16.99 416p Ages 9-12 ISBN 978-0316155601; May) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved

Gr 7 Up-Six genetically altered bird-kids continue their mission to prevent the evil scientists who created them from making good on their diabolical plan to eradicate half of the world's population. Just as the flock lets down its guard, the wolflike Erasers resurface to capture the younger members, while Max takes Fang on a detour through Arizona to ask Dr. Martinez, a vet, to surgically remove the tracking chip in her arm. Former nemesis Ari returns, this time as a friend, but Fang's distrust splits the flock along gender lines as he, Iggy, and Gazzy hang out in Venice Beach, while Max, Ari, Nudge, and Angel fly to Europe to infiltrate Itex headquarters. Inside, Max learns vital information about her past, including who her parents are and who controls the "Voice" in her head. A caricatured evil scientist, Dr. Borcht, informs the recombinant-DNA experiments that their expiration date is up and Max is forced into a fight-to-the-death with Omega, the robot boy. Survival options run out as Fang attempts to mobilize armies of kids to attack all worldwide Itex labs by posting appeals on his fast-growing blog. Popular-culture references abound and readers will be drawn to Max's razor-sharp tongue, especially honed in this volume, making her an edgier heroine than in the last. The dialogue-driven story ends with minor casualties and hints at the possibility of further adventures.-Vicki Reutter, Cazenovia High School, NY (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.

Max, still on the run, uncovers the corporate enemy's endgame: save the world by halving its population--unless she and her fellow genetic hybrid ""bird kids"" can stop it. Though the blog-recruited army-o'-kids is hard to swallow, Patterson impressively manages to challenge the flock in new ways (disunity! romance!) while offering satisfying, occasionally surprising answers to the series's overriding questions. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.

Patterson wraps up his sci-fi thriller series with consistent excitement but too few explanations. Max and her flock, human with avian genes, flee the mad scientists and seek answers. Fang starts a blog, hoping that kids around the world can help. The flock is captured again and escapes again, aided by Ari, the seven-year-old human morphed halfway into a wolf; but fears about Ari's loyalties split up the flock for the first time. The final battle takes place in Germany, where Max learns who runs the international corporation planning to reduce the earth's population through a massive genocide. The short, action-packed chapters end breathlessly, with twists at every turn; however, too many unanswered questions have been raised throughout the trilogy. Patterson clears up some mysteries--including Max's unknown parentage--but much of the drama seems manufactured expressly for page-turner effect, while the promised emotional and technological complexities fall by the wayside. Adrenaline galore, but seriously compromised by the unsatisfying wrap-up. (Science fiction. YA) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

The end is near . . . or is it? So reads the tagline of Book 3 of the Maximum Ride series, suggesting that Patterson's best-selling series for YAs may expand beyond the trilogy originally planned—news that will be greeted enthusiastically by fans of its 14-year-old heroine. Slated for extermination by their scientist creators, rebel-mutant Max and other members of her flock, all of whom possess bird DNA and functioning wings, are on the lam again, their mission to save the world from a eugenics plot. Affection for the dauntless characters and misadventures that build on universal yearnings about sprouting wings and taking flight will hold readers. Copyright 2007 Booklist Reviews.

The third and final chapter in James Patterson's Maximum Ride series, Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports, finds Max and the rest of the gang gearing up for their final battle against the agents of the "Re-Evolution" experiment-evil scientists working to genetically engineer a "superior" race of humans. (Little, Brown, $16.99 416p Ages 9-12 ISBN 978-0316155601; May) Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.

Gr 7 Up— Six genetically altered bird-kids continue their mission to prevent the evil scientists who created them from making good on their diabolical plan to eradicate half of the world's population. Just as the flock lets down its guard, the wolflike Erasers resurface to capture the younger members, while Max takes Fang on a detour through Arizona to ask Dr. Martinez, a vet, to surgically remove the tracking chip in her arm. Former nemesis Ari returns, this time as a friend, but Fang's distrust splits the flock along gender lines as he, Iggy, and Gazzy hang out in Venice Beach, while Max, Ari, Nudge, and Angel fly to Europe to infiltrate Itex headquarters. Inside, Max learns vital information about her past, including who her parents are and who controls the "Voice" in her head. A caricatured evil scientist, Dr. Borcht, informs the recombinant-DNA experiments that their expiration date is up and Max is forced into a fight-to-the-death with Omega, the robot boy. Survival options run out as Fang attempts to mobilize armies of kids to attack all worldwide Itex labs by posting appeals on his fast-growing blog. Popular-culture references abound and readers will be drawn to Max's razor-sharp tongue, especially honed in this volume, making her an edgier heroine than in the last. The dialogue-driven story ends with minor casualties and hints at the possibility of further adventures.—Vicki Reutter, Cazenovia High School, NY