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November 2007

The Angel Experiment
by James Patterson

The funny thing about facing imminent death is that it really snaps everything else into perspective. Take right now, for instance.

"Run!  Come on, run! You know you can do it."

I gulped deep lungfuls of air. My brain was on hyper-drive; I was racing for my life.  My one goal was to escape. Nothing else mattered.

My arms being scratched to ribbons by a briar I’d run through? No biggie.

My bare feet hitting every sharp rock, rough root, pointed stick? Not a problem.

My lungs aching for air? I could deal.

As long as I could put as much distance as possible between me and the Erasers.

Yeah, Erasers. Mutants: half-men, half-wolves, usually armed, always bloodthirsty. Right now they were after me.

See? That snaps everything into perspective.

"Run. You’re faster than they are. You can outrun anyone."

Fourteen-year-old Maximum Ride, Max for short, is a girl with some very unique attributes. The most obvious difference, wings! Her startling genetic attributes and powers were the results of top-secret experiments that injected avian genes into human embryos. The results: someone who is 98% human and 2% bird. Max is the oldest of this avian family; or as they like to refer to themselves "their flock." The other family members are the two thirteen-year-olds, Fang and Iggy, Nudge, age 11, Gazzy who is 8, and Angel, age 6. This flock of winged kids was able to escape the tortures of the secret lab, known as the School, with the assistance of a sympathetic scientist, Jeb. They have been successfully living on their own, but a crisis has occurred. Angel has been kidnapped by Ari, one of the dreaded Erasers, and has been returned to the utter misery and despair of the School. The avian kids unite their special talents and skills to make a bold rescue attempt. They will do whatever it takes to get Angel back into their flock.

This synopsis was written by a San José Public Library librarian.

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