Maximum Ride - Book Report

Maximum Ride, the most successful result of the “Angel Experiment”, is a human-avian hybrid. Scientists of Itex, the world’s largest company, and Jeb experiments on several children from their embryo state to make them into bird-like mutants with wings that allow them to fly freely just like birds. In total, there are six of these flying-children; Angel, a six year old girl that can read minds and control them, Gasman, an eight year old boy, Iggy, a blind boy fourteen years old, Nudge, eleven, Fang and Max, both fourteen, and a talking dog, Total. They escapes from the lab where they are made, raised and experimented on. Max, as the leader, sets their goal as to find her flock’s parents, and save the world as the “Voice” inside her mind keeps reminding her to. However, their journey is never undemanding. As the protagonist Max and her flock continue on their journey, Jeb sends Ari, the antagonist, and his troop of wolf like mutants with wings to chase and capture them.
Max is not like typical female characters in other general books, like those that are flimsy and girlish. Max stands at the highest point of the hierarchy that she belongs, and needs to act as the leader, as the one who can take control of what is happening around her. She somewhat reminds me of Katniss in the book “Hunger Games”. Both girls are under immense pressure of substantial dangers and need to step over the level of being a “girl” into a individual being that can take hold of oneself and others. At the start of the story, Max has a straightforward goal of searching for her flock’s parents, and is able to pull her flock through many dangers with the help of the hope in her mind. However, towards the end, Max and the rest of the flock realize how the searching of their parents is completely useless. With her goal perished, Max temporarily falls into a state of distress and hopelessness. Nevertheless, Max soon trounces the dilemma and return to her original self-assertive character, even a