Background Image

...

The Idea For Maximum Ride Come From The Earlier Books Of Mine Called When The Wind Blows And The Lake House, Which Also Feature A Character Named Max Who Escapes From A Quiet Despicable School. Most Of The Similarities End There. Max And The Other Kids In Maximum Ride Are Not The Same Max And Kids Featured In Those Two Books. Nor Do Frannie And Kit Play Any Part In Maximum Ride. I Hope You Enjoy The Ride Anyways.

-James Patterson

...

Please Wait....
Translating....

The Idea For Maximum

James Patterson

...

The Idea For Maximum Ride Come From The Earlier Books Of Mine Called When The Wind Blows And The Lake House, Which Also Feature A Character Named Max Who Escapes From A Quiet Despicable School. Most Of The Similarities End There. Max And The Other Kids In Maximum Ride Are Not The Same Max And Kids Featured In Those Two Books. Nor Do Frannie And Kit Play Any Part In Maximum Ride. I Hope You Enjoy The Ride Anyways.

Views: 4

Topic

More From James Patterson

Sometimes He Seems Like A Droid--or A Drone. Fang Of Nine. Fang2-d2.

Great, They Give Blind Kids Guns," I Said, Trying To Lessen His Horror. "i Don't Even Let Iggy Have A Gun. Usually.

I Love You, I Love Your Smile Your Snarl Your Grin, Your Face When Your Sleeping.i Love Your Hair Streaming Behind You As We Fly, With The Sunlight Making It Shine, If It Doesn't Have Too Much Mud Or Blood In It, I Love Seeing Your Wings Spreading Out, White And Brown And Tan And Speckled, And The Tiny Downy Feathers Right At The Top Of Your Shoulders. I Love Your Eyes, Whether They're Cold Or Calculating Or Suspicious Or Laughing Or Warm, Like When You Look At Me.

You Can Help Each Other, Max, Said The Unwelcome Voice. You're Perfect Complements To Each Other. "shut Up!" I Hissed Under My Breath, And Dylan Looked Startled. "i Didn't Say Anything." Gritting My Teeth, I Nodded. "no, I Know. It's Just-" I Decided To Take A Risk And Stare Him Down. "i Hear Voices, Okay? If You're Gonna Be Here, Get Used To It. Or Else Keep Your Distance.

We’ll Be Back!” He Snarled. It Was Really Ari’s Voice. Boy, You Just Can’t Kill People Like You Used To,” Said Fang

Even Needing To Get To Angel, We Couldn’t Forget The Basic Necessity Of Eating.

When I Write I Pretend I'm Telling A Story To Someone In The Room And I Don't Want Them To Get Up Until I'm Finished.

Angel?" I Said. "baby Penguins Eat A Regurgitated Mixture Of Partially Digested Fish, Krill, And An Oily Substance Form Their Fathers' Stomachs. Are You Willing To Eat A Bunch Of Raw Fish And Krill, And Then Barf It Back Up Into A Baby Penguin's Cute, Cheeping Mouth? Like, Every Hour?" Sometimes My Crushing Logic Astounds Even Me.

Where Was The Catch? 'cause I Knew One Was Coming.

You Stand Out Like A Fart In A Church.

He's Gonna Be Fine," I Confirmed. Can We See Him?" Iggy Asked. Ig, I Hate To Break It To You, But You're Blind.

They Call Me, The Sharkalator

Why Aren't Crazy People Content To Take Over, Like, One Town? It Always Has To Be The Whole Word. They Can't Just Control Maybe Twenty People. The Have To Control Everyone. The Can't Just Be Stinking Rich. The Can't Just Do Genetic Experiments On A Couple Unlucky Few. They Have To Put Something In The Water. In The Air. To Get Everyone. I Was Tired Of All Of It.

Um, There's A Girl Meeting Her Friend,' He Went On. 'her Friend Is Giving Her An Ice-cream Cone. Oh-it's Dripping. Huh. It, Uh, Dripped On Her...chest.' Iggy Drew In A Hissing Breath. It's Gonna Stain For Sure,' The Gasman Said. 'that's Chocolate.' Hmm,' Fang Said, Watching, The Girl Dab At Her Chest With A Paper Napkin.

Time For Bed.” I Held My Fist Out. One By One, My Flock Stacked Theirs On Top, And Then We Headed Up Into The Trees To Sleep The Sleep Of The Innocent. Well, Okay, Maybe Not So Innocent. But The Sleep Of The Much Less Guilty Than Others, For Sure.

How Is San Francisco, Alex? Lovely City. Will You Leave Your Heart There? Do You Think It's A Good Place To Die?

Ultimately, A Great Thriller Is A Roller Coaster Ride. I Like To Think That's A Promise I Have Never Failed To Keep, And One That I'd Say Has Served My Books Well.

What Test?" Asked Nudge. "max, You're Incorruptible." "only By Power." I Said. "you Haven't Tried Chocolate Yet.

I Feel Like I'm Going To Hurl. Which, Even If I Wanted To Do, I Couldn't Do, Because I Haven't Eaten. I Can't Even Drag Myself Out Of My Room. And While I'd Be Able To Muster The Strength To Roundhouse Fang Until He Begged For Mercy, I'de Be Mush Around An Eraser.

The Best Way To Get Kids Reading More Is To Give Them Books That They'll Gobble Up - And That Will Make Them Ask For Another.

Well, I Get Under People's Skins. It's A Gift I Have, What Can I Say?

A Boy And A Girl, Fated To Rule All. Two Will Rise, And One Will Fall.

Noooo!" On The Screen, A Woman's Eyes Bugged Almost Out Of Her Head, And I Tried Not To Scream. Tried Not To Scream In Exasperation, I Mean. The Serial Killer Was Right In Front Of Her, Wide Open! Clearly, Instead Of Weeping Like A Moron, She Could Be Lunging Forward And Administering A Swift Uppercut To The Chin. Then This Entire Pointless Ordeal Would Be Over With, And I Could Go Home.

Fang? Are You- Like Max?" Asked Dr. Martinez. "nope,"he Said, Sounding Bored. "i'm The Smart One." I Resisted The Urge To Kick Him In The Shin.

Yeah, And So Max And Dylan Are Supposed To, Like, Go To Germany And Have Kids Together," I Heard Gazzy Say. My Eyes Popped Open And I Bolted Upright. "what?" Fang Said, His Voice Icy. "gazzy!" I Yelled. Wide Blue Eyes Looked At Me In Surprise, Then Back At Fang's Stoic Face. "oh. Was I Not Supposed To Say Anything?" Gazzy Asked.

Life Is Such A Miracle, A Series Of Small Miracles.it Really Is, If You Learn How To Look At It With The Right Perspective.

I Write Larger Than Life. It's What I Do.

Larger Than Life

Have You Been Playing In Toxic Waste Lately?

Part 1- In Search Of Hot Chocolate-chip Cookies

My Life Would Never Contain A Convenient, Pain-saving Plan When It Could Stretch A Problem Out Into An Endless Agony Of Uncertainty And Torture.

Nowhere Will You Meet More Interesting People Than In Books.

There's A Saying I Remember From My Grandmother: One Today Is Worth Two Tomorrows.

He Nuzzled My Neck, Inhaling Deeply. “mmm. You Smell So Good.” “oh, Yeah,” I Said, Smirking. “i Call This New Perfume ‘le Jungle Grime Et Tropical Bo.’ ” “dirt And Sweat. Very Sexy.

Other Than My Hundreds Of Arrests I Really Don't Have That Much Experience With The Law. While The Majority Of People Aren't Corrupt, There Certainly Is An Awful Lot Of Corruption In This Country.

Fang And I Searched In Every Way We Could Think Of And Found A Million Institutes Of One Kind Or Another, In Manhattan And Throughout New York State, But None Of Them Seemed Promising. My Favorite? The Institute For Realizing Your Pet's Inner Potential. Anyone Who Can Explain That To Me, Drop A Line.

Have You Ever Been To Colorado?" I Frowned. "is That One Of Those Square Ones, In The Middle?

Dr. Martinez: "i Take It You Don't Want Me To Call Your Parent?" Max: "uh, No." Hello, Lab? May I Speak To The Test Tube Please?

Let's Just Say That If These Scientist Had Been Using Their Brilliance For Good Instead Of Evil, Cars Would Run Off Water Vapor And Leave Fresh Compost Behind Them; No One Would Be Hungry; No One Would Be Ill; All Buildings Would Be Earthquake-, Bomb-, And Flood-proof; And The World's Entire Economy Would Have Collapsed And Been Replaced By One Based On The Value Of Chocolate.

Gazzy Sniffed The Air. "that's Explosives. It Smells Like Christmas!" Okay, So We've Had Somewhat Untraditional Christmases. With Explosives.

Advanced Life-forms, My Seweet Patootie. Jerks. Both Of Them.

Yes," I Said. "my Name Is Seven-five-nine-nine-three-nine-ex-dash-one. Junior.

I'm A Freaking Princess When It Comes To Other People's Feelings. Yo Dogbreath, Get Your Paws Of The Everglades. -max

They Turned To Angel. "we Will Call You Little One," The Leader Said, Obviously Deciding To Dispense With The Whole Confusing Name Thing. "okay," Said Angel Agreeably. "i'll Call You Guy In A White Lab Coat." He Frowned. "that Can Be His Indian Name," I Suggested.

You're My Best Friend, My First And Only Love, And The Most Beautiful Girl I've Ever Seen

In Case You Guys Didn't Catch Last Week's Episode, I'm Out Of The Flock," I Informed Them. "angel Has No Allegiance To Me. She's Wanted Me Gone For A Long Time. And In Case You Didn't Catch All The Episodes From The Past Year, Angel Is... Unbalanced." "untrustworthy," Fang Seconded. "unpredictable," Jeb Added. "dangerous," Dylan Chimed In.

That Was The Funniest Thing I'd Heard In Days. You're Kidding, Right? Please Tell Me You Have A Stronger Motive For Me Than 'fair Is Fair.' Life Isn't Fair, Dean....nothing Is Fair, Ever. That's The Stupidest Thing I've Ever Heard. I Need To Help You Because Fair Is Fair? Try, 'i Need You To Help Me So I Won't Rip Out Your Spine And Beat You With It.' I Might Respond To That. Maybe.

Love Between Two People Can Last A Long Time If The People Love Themselves Some, And Are Ready To Give Love To Another Person.

I Was Breathless, Talking As Fast As I Could. I Was Afraid If I Stopped Talking, Even For A Second, I’d Start Sobbing Again. “whoa, There.” Fang Smiled And Reached Up, Tracing A Hand Down The Side Of My Face, Winding Strands Of My Hair Around His Fingers. “stop Talking And Let Me Just Tell You How Great It Is To Wake Up Staring At Your Face. Okay?

I Play A Mean Harmonica

Basically, I Have Two Speeds.... Hostile Or Smart-aleck. Your Choice.

That's More Than Three Questions, Max. And Sometimes Whether Someone Is Your Friend Or Enemy Is All In How You Look At It. But If You Must Know, I Consider Myself Your Friend, A Good Friend Who Loves You Very Much. No One Loves You More Than I Do, Maximum. Now Listen. I Ask The Questions, Not You. You're Just Here... For The Ride. For The Incredible, Indescribable Maximum Ride.

Now, Max, I Think We Both Know Your Parents Aren't Missionaries." I Opened My Eyes Wide. "no? Well, For God's Sake, Don't Tell Them. They'd Be Crushed. Thinking They're Doing The Lord's Work And All.

Fang. I Had To Do Some Thinking About Him. Me. I Had Some Thinking To Do About Me Too.

Angel: What's Sauerkraut? Max: You Don't Want It. Trust Me.

Fang Felt A Cold Jolt, Then Dismissed It. Max Wasn’t Dead. He Would Know, Somehow. He Would Have Felt It. The World Still Felt The Same To Him; Therefore, Max Was Still In It.

There Was Something I Needed To Say. “sorry. About Before.” Fang Shot A Sideways Glance At Me, His Eyes Dark And Inscrutable, As Always. He Looked Back Out At The Water. I Didn’t Expect Any More Acknowledgment Than That. Fang Never- “you Almost Gave Me A Heart Attack,” He Said Quietly. “when I Saw You, And All That Blood . . .” He Threw A Small Rock As Hard As He Could Down The Beach. “i’m Sorry.” “don’t Do It Again,” He Said. I Swallowed Hard. “i Won’t.” Something Changed Right Then, But I Didn’t Know What.

I Moved To Leave, And Dylan Actually Grabbed My Shoulders. I Was So Surprised That I Forgot To Karate-chop His Elbows And Break His Arms.' “i Don’t Want Anything To Happen To You,” He Said Urgently. “what You Want Does Not Matter Here,” I Said Slowly And Carefully. I Hoped Dylan Was Sensitive Enough To Read Between The Lines, To The Subtext Of: Let Go Of Me Or I’ll Kill You.

Read Between The Lines

Well, I Don’t Know. Mostly I Just Suck Up What Life Throws My Way, Stomp On It, And Then Keep Going. I Don’t Dwell Much On What I Am Or How I Got This Way. It Just Is. I Just Am. I’m Max, And Whatever Form I Take, It’s Good Enough For Me.

Don't Depend On Others To Give You Strength....find It Within Yourself

"yeah Sure, Why Not?" I Said, Making A Mental Note To Get A Good Look At His Wings. For All I Knew, They Were Remote-controlled And Duct Taped To His Back.

Every Other Person In The World Would Have Looked At It And Thought, Max Would Hate This. It Was Girly. It Was Beautiful. It Wasn't Made Of Titanium And Black Leather With Spikes On It. But It Seemed Exactly Right, In A Weird, Heart-fluttery Kind Of Way. And I Really Loved It.

Honesty Is Always Good, Except When It's Better To Lie.

You Love Him So Much It Feels Like You Can't Go On Without Him. You Feel Like You Might Die Without Him.

I Mean, Who Cares About Spongebob Squarepants? I'm Sitting Here With Wolverine! -random Kid Talking To Ari

Fang Will Be The First To Die

Sundown Had Bloodied The Horizon Over The Uneven Rooftops Of South Boston. Birds Were Perched On Every Roof And Seemed To Be Watching The Girl Walking Slowly Below. - Cradle And All

Is It Important To Be Right Or Is It Important To Do What's Right? That's One Of The Hardest Lessons To Learn.

When I Wanted Information, It Was Silent; When I Didn't Want To Hear From It, It Got Chatty. It Was Alost As Irritating As Fang.

I Saw The First Episode Of "the Walking Dead," And That's All I've Seen. I Thought It Was Good. I Used To Love Zombies When I Was Little, But I Don't Like Them The Way I Used To. I'm Not Knocking The Show.

It’s Wherever You Are. If It’s Tapped Into Any Of Your Senses, It Knows Where You Are And What You’re Doing.” Oh No, I Thought, My Spirits Sinking. I Hadn’t Considered That. Did That Mean Nothing I Did Was Ever Anymore? “even In The Bathroom?” The Gasman’s Eyes Widened With Surprise.

Home Is Wherever We All Are Together.

I Have An Idea. It’s Risky, And Max Will Kill Us When She Finds Out.” Iggy Raised His Head. “sounds Like My Kind Of Idea.

Can You Giggle While Racing For Your Life And Protecting A Six-year-old? I Can.

Six Seconds Should Be Rick Mofina's Breakout Thriller. It Moves Like A Tornado.

It's For Upset Stomachs,' Dylan Said, Trying To Hide A Smile. He Pointed To The Words In The Box. 'it's To Reduce Gas In Your Digestive System, Not To Create More Gas To Make Explosions.' Gazzy's Face Fell As Iggy Said. 'really? Gazzy Take It! Take The Whole Box!' 'i Second That Emotion!' Said Total.

You're Lucky If You Find Something You Like To Do, And It's A Miracle If Somebody Will Pay You To Do It.

Fear Is Not The Answer, Not Ever.

Does Anything On You Work Properly?" Asked Ter Borcht. "well, I Do Have A Highly Developed Sense Of Irony." Replied Iggy.

Unfortunately, Every Time Someone Said “debriefing,” The Entire Flock Had One Image: Someone’s Tighty-whities Disappearing In A Flash. We Were Smothering Our Giggles, But It Was Getting Harder. Coupled With The Whole “naval This, And Naval That,” With Its Undeniable Belly-button Connotations, We Were Essentially Turning Into A Sugar-jacked, Sleep-deprived Flock Of Incoherent, Silly, Recombinant-dna Goofballs. This Was Not Going To End Well.

If You Want To Write For Yourself, Get A Diary. If You Want To Write For Your Friends, Get A Blog. If You Want To Write For Others...become An Author.

I Don't Believe In Making War With Food. Food Is Not The Enemy. Said By Claire In The 5th Horseman

Iggy. This Is Not A Democracy," I Said,(...)"it's A Maxocracy.

I'm A Very Good Storyteller; I Have A Lot Of Compassion For People. That's Very Useful For A Novelist. A Lot Of Novelists Are Snots. They're Just Mean People. I'm Not A Terribly Skilled Stylist, Nor Do I Want To Be. I Want A Lot Of People To Read One Of My Stories And Go, 'that Was Pretty Cool.'

Popcorn For Breakfast! Why Not? It's A Grain. It's Like Grits, But With High Self-esteem.

Fang (sarcasticaly): Go Pick Out A Tree And I'll Carve Our Initials In It. Max: (screams And Goes In The Bathroom)

Excuse Me? I'm Alive Too.

"so You Have Your Price."... "your Soul For A Cookie."

You Plan To Fail If You Fail To Plan

I'd Been Told That He Had Been Created-literally Created-just For Me,as My "perfect Other Half." Let Me Tell You-if Dylan Was My Perfect Other Half, Then I Needed To Give My First Half A Seriouis Look-see.

Jeezum—humans Were Like Eggshells.

You Looove Me. You Love Me This Much.

Was This Normalcy-predictable Patterns, The Certainty Of Doing The Same Thing Everyday? Because If So, Normalcy Was About To Make Me Freak Out And Start Screaming.

Why Can't You Just Get Out Of Here And Leave Me Alone?"i Bellowed. "i Can't!" Dylan Shouted Back,his Face Twisted With An Anger I'd Never Seen From Him. "you Can,"i Said Through Gritted Teeth."just Point Your Wings That Way And Flap!

Warning If You Dare To Read This Story, You Become Part Of The Experiment

If My Life Were A Corny Horror Movie, And The Heroine Was Lost And Alone, Trapped In An Underwater Cave, What Would Happen Next? If You Guessed, “she Drops Her Flashlight, And It Hits A Rock And Breaks, Leaving Her In Utter Darkness,” You Would Be Right. But I Bet You Didn’t Guess The Part About An Attack By A Giant Octopus.

The Idea For Maximum Ride Come From The Earlier Books Of Mine Called When The Wind Blows And The Lake House, Which Also Feature A Character Named Max Who Escapes From A Quiet Despicable School. Most Of The Similarities End There. Max And The Other Kids In Maximum Ride Are Not The Same Max And Kids Featured In Those Two Books. Nor Do Frannie And Kit Play Any Part In Maximum Ride. I Hope You Enjoy The Ride Anyways.

He Gives My Hand A Tight Squeeze, But That Desperation, That Urgency Between Us Is Gone. No Insecurities. Max And Fang. Fang And Max. No Longer A Question. We Just Are.

I'm Very Emotional. I Do Feel Stuff, For Better Or Worse.

That Machine Took My Money!' I Said. 'i Must Have Revenge!

Disney World?” Ari Felt Like His Head Was About To Explode. “disney World?” His Gravelly Voice Rose Into A Harsh Shriek. “they’re Not On Vacation! They’re On The Run! They’re Running For Their Lives! Death Is Following Them Like A Bullet, And They’re On The Big Thunder Mountain Railroad?

He Landed 10 Feet Below With A Sickening Crunch-i'm Guessing His Enhancements Didn't Allow Him To Bounce Back Up Like A Ball. We Call That A Design Flaw.

I Gave Him A Kick And He Stepped Back Onto The Third Rail. Exploding, Flaming Eraser! This Is Why Moms Tell You To Stay Away From The Third Rail, But It Sure Came In Handy This Time.

Do You Want To Know The Closest Thing To Feeling The Most Powerful You Can Feel ? Flying Alone At Night.risky.nothing But You And The Wind Soaring Way Above Everything , Slicing Through The Air Like A Sword. Up And Up Until You Feel Like You Can Grab A Star And Hold It To Your Chest Like A Burning, Spiky Thing

Sighing, She Gave A Brief Nod. “i Was Supposed To Win. I Was Supposed To Finish You Off. They Never Counted On You Winning. And Then You Didn’t Kill Me. It Was Awful.” “you’re Welcome,” I Said, Feeling Fresh Anger Ignite. “i’ll Try Not To Humiliate You By Letting You Live Next Time.” (max Ii To Max)

At That Moment I Had No Mind To Change, Or Not Change, Or Throw Against The Nearest Wall.

You Can Call Me Agent Mickelson,' He Told Me With A Smile. 'what About You? Is Max Short For Something? Maxine?' 'no, Dean. It's Just Max.

I Hung My Head, And I Felt Someone, Fang, Gather Me Gently To Him. My Cheek Rested On His Shoulder, And My Silent Tears Soaked His Torn Shirt.he Felt Warm And Strong And Heartbreakingly Familiar. And At That Moment, Not A Single Thing In My Life Was Certain, Strong, Or Whole. Nothing. Least Of All Fang.

What Are You Doing Here?” [ndr Prison] Selling Girl Scout Cookies,” I Said. “want Some? The Samoas Are Terrific.” (max Ii To Max)

Did I Want A Dog? No. Did I Need A Dog? Also No. We Were Six Kids Running For Our Lives, Not Knowing Where Our Next Meal Was Coming From. Could We Afford To Feed A Dog? Wait For It—no.

I Shot Him The Bird. (get It? I Shot Him The—never Mind.)

Meaning What? We're Going To Pretend Nothing's Going On? That's Stupid. The Only Way To Deal With Any Of This Is To Get It Out In The Open." Have You Been Watching Oprah Again?

Tears Were Dripping Onto My Dress, But I Wasn't Making Any Sound. There Was No Sound To Express Thid Kind Of Pain. I Didn't Want To Move, Didn't Want To Do Anything. Fang Was Not Waiting For Me Out In The Living Room. Tomorrow Morning, When I Woke Up, Fang Would Still Be Gone.

And There I Was, Pretty As Heck, Brown Eyes, A Few Freckles, Fashion Challenged, And A Bad Attitude. Max Ii.

Life Is Hard, And A Lot Of People Come Home Tired From Work. If They're Gonna Spend Half An Hour Reading, They Want Some Entertainment And A Sense Of Achievement. So That's What I Give Them. That's All I'm Trying To Do. Is That Really So Wrong?

Denial Is Not Just A River In Egypt.

I Don't Know About The Rest Of You Who Have Little Voices, But Something About Mine Made Me Feel Completely Compelled To Listen To It.

Your Mind Creates Your Reality. If You Expect Nothing, You Open Up The Universe To Give You Options. If You Expect The Worst, You Usually Get It.

I'll Just Ask Now: What Is It About My Persona That Draws Every Insane, Power-hungry Nutcase To Me Like A Magnet?

Why Was The Blind Guy Playing With Matches, You Ask? Because He's Good At It. Anything To Do With Fire, Igniting Things, Exploding Things, Things With Fuses, Wicks, Accelerants . . . Iggy's Your Man. It's One Of Those Good/bad Things.

Do We Have Any Chlorine? It Seems To Be Kind Of Explosive When Mixed With Other Stuff." "like What, Your Socks? No, We Don't Have Chlorine. No Swimming Pool.

There Are Terrific Models For Success With Reluctant Readers, But Many School Systems And State Governments Need To Set Aside Their 'not Invented Here' And 'we Have More Important Problems Than Education' Attitudes.

Max: "fang! This Is A Huge Break! Of Course We Should Go Check It Out!" Fang: "but We're Grounded." Max And Fang: (stare At Each Other For A Second And Burst Out Laughing)

This Time I Wouldn't Forget Him, Because I Couldn't Ever Forgive Him - For Breaking My Heart Twice.

Dear God," Said Nudge Under Her Breath, "i Want Real Parents. But I Want Them To Want Me Too. I Want Them To Love Me. I Already Love Them. Please See What You Can Do. Thanks Very Much. Love, Nudge." Okay, So I'm Not Saying We Were Pros At This Or Anything. (max Thoughts)

Man, You Weigh A Freaking Ton. What Have You Been Eating, Rocks?" * Max: "why, Is Your Head Missing Some?" O Chapter 68 P. 214 + Fang Carried Max While Flying After She Had "a Stroke Or Something". Gazzy: "i Vill Now Destroy De Snickuhs Bahs!" Ter Borcht: "is Dere Anysing Special About You? Anysing Vorth Saving?" Fang: "besides My Fashion Sense? I Play A Mean Harmonica.

Besides My Great Fashion Sense? I Play A Mean Harmonica.

Did You Know That Wasn’t Me, The Other Max?” I Asked. “yeah.” “when?” “right Away.” “how?” I Persisted. “we Look Identical. She Even Had Identical Scars And Scratches. She Was Wearing My Clothes. How Could You Tell Us Apart?” He Turned To Me And Grinned, Making My World Brighter. “she Offered To Cook Breakfast.

What's So Funny 'bout Peace, Love, And World Destruction?

World Destruction

Lost In Translation

He Could Totally Be Your Boyfriend," [angel] Went On With Annoying Persistence. "you Guys Could Get Married. I Could Be Like A Junior Bridesmaid. Total Could Be Your Flower Dog.

It Is My Time. The Time Of Maximum Ride.

I Just Wish I Could Walk Into My Senator’s Office And Say, “senator Dude, Um, We Have A Problem With These Sicko Scientists…” But Then Again, I Don’t Think We Have A Senator, Do We? Is There A State Where Mutant Freaks Are Represented? If So, Let Me Know.

De Tall, Dark Vun--dere's Nothing Special About Him At All," Ter Borcht Said Dismissively Of Fang, Who Hadn't Moved Since The Doctor Had Come In. Well, He's A Snappy Dresser," I Offered. One Side Of Fang's Mouth Quirked.

When My Son, Jack, Was Four, I Had To Make A Trip To Los Angeles. I Asked Him If He Was Going To Miss Me. 'not So Much,' Jack Told Me. 'you're Not Going To Miss Me?' I Said. Jack Shook His Head, And He Said, 'love Means You Can Never Be Apart.

People Always Come Up To Me And Say, 'you Should Do Standup.' It's Nice To Discover Things About Yourself. That Keeps Everything Lively And Fun.

You Could Have Gotten A Car With Gps," Total Said Helpfully. Yes," I Said "or We Could Have Brought Along A Dog That Doesn't Talk." I Gave Angel A Pointed Look, And She Smiled, Well, Angelically, At Me. Total Huffed, Offended At Me And Climbed Into Her Lap.

I Hate This Guy,” Ari Muttered, Keeping His Head Down “there’s A Club,” I Told Him. “the Haters Of Ter Borcht Club. Have You Gotten Your Badge Yet?

If By 'miracle Kids' You Mean Innocent Test-tube Babies Whose Dna Was Forcibly Unraveled And Merged With Two Percent Avian Genes, Yeah, I Guess That Would Be Us," I Said. "because It's A Miracle That We're Not Complete Nut Jobs And Mutant Disasters.

Yes, Max, You Are Going To Die. Just Like Everybody Else. Thank You, Confucious.

I Love You Max,"fang Said..."god, Max I Love You So Much." I Know. I Thought. I've Always Known

I Have A Number Of Writers I Work With Regularly. I Write An Outline For A Book. The Outlines Are Very Specific About What Each Scene Is Supposed To Accomplish.

What Happened To Your Tan?"--fang "it Was Dirt." --max

Sometimes Being A Leader Isn’t About Winning. Sometimes It’s About Doing What’s Right, Instead Of What’s Powerful.

You Are An Endless Project...changing, Evolving, Surprising.

It Gets So Tiring, This Strong-picking-on-the-weak Stuff. It Was The Story Of My Life -literally- And It Seemed To Be A Big Part Of The Outside World Too. I Was Sick Of It, Sick Of Guys Like These, Stupid And Bullying.

In This Family, We Always Celebrate Each Other's Birthdays. I Don't Care If You're Four Or Fourteen Or Forty And Scattered Around The World. We Gotta Stick By Each Other, Okay? And Meals- As Long As You Live Under The Same Roof, You Have At Least One Meal A Day Together. I Don't Care If It's A Dreaded Hot Dog In Front Of The Dastardly Tv As Long As You're All There. -maeve Bennett

Right Now, America Looks Like A Fatheaded, Shortsighted, Gas-guzzling Arrogant Blowhard To The Rest Of The World.

Hey. Not Sure What’s Going On-gonna Go Find Out. Be Careful And Don’t Do Anything Stupid. Don’t Come After Me-your Better On Your Own. See You. F I Sat On The Edge Of The Bed, Holding The Note. Okay, So Fang Had Looked Up Vague In The Dictionary And This Was What It Had Said To Write.

I Muttered A Swear Word To Myself. After I Heard Angel Cussing Like A Sailor When She Stubbed Her Toe, My New Resolution Was To Watch My Language. All I Needed Was A Six-year-old Mutant With A Potty Mouth

Please, Sit Down," Sharon Said With Another Hair Toss. I Made A Mental Note To Practice Doing That In A Mirror The Next Time I Saw One. It Seemed A Useful Skill, Right Up There With Roundhouse Kicks.

I Offered To Pee On Him, But They Said No

I Love You. I Love Your Smile, Your Snarl, Your Grin, Your Face When You're Sleeping.

Always Expect The Unexpected. Right Around Thanksgiving, When The New Alex Cross Will Be Out. It's Called Four Blind Mice And It's A Pretty Amazing Story About Several Murders Inside The Military.

Yes, I Sounded Like A Pathetic Weenie. I Prefer To Think Of It As Showing My Softer Side.

Don't Ever Leave Me Again." -max I Won't. I Won't Not Ever." -fang

Please, I Begged Silently, Please Do Not Let My Last Moments On Earth Be Me Crammed Into A Tiny Boat In The Dark, Surrounded By Mechanical Singing Pirates.

Oz Thinks I'm Beautiful," She Whispered To The Stars.

I've Been Looking For You A Long Time, I Just Didn't Know It. But Now I Do.

For Many Years I Had Heard About An Underworld Consisting Of People Who Act Out A Vampire Fantasy While I Was Living In New York. Fortunately For Me There Are Also Several Books On The Phenomena.

Total?" I Called. He Looked Up Alertly, Then Ran Over To Me, Small Pink Tongue Hanging Out. Total?" I Said When He Was Close. "can You Talk?" He Flopped Down On The Grass, Panting Slightly. "yeah. So?" Jeezum. I Mean, Mutant Weirdos Are Nothing New To Me, You Know? But A Talking Dog?

Yes!” Said Fang, Punching The Air. “freaks Rule.

I Tried To Shake Some Water Off. "i Got A Message From Angel,"i Said, Scanning The Tunnel."she Says There's Massive Danger Down Here,something Too Big For Us To Fix Or Deal With." "so Of Course You Immediately Came Down.

Just In Case You Thought Elephants Were All Sweetness, I Can Attest To The Fact That This One Had The Time Of Her Life Scaring The Bejeezus Out Of Those Dudes.

It Was A Pretty Complete List. The Kind Of List One Makes When One Cannot Fall Asleep Because One's Thoughts Keep Swirling Through One's Brain Like A Bunch Of Sparrows On Crack.

Max - You Have A Bigger Mission Than Finding The Flock's Parents. Focus On Helping The Whole World, Not Just Your Friends. I Held My Wings Steady, Coasting For A Long, Long Way On A Warm Updraft. It Was Like Floating On A Cloud, The Best Feeling You Can Imagine. I Wish You Could Try It With Me. Maybe Next Time. You Know, Voice, I Thought Finally, My Friends Are My World.

Who, Last Time I'd Checked, Was Still On Our Official Archenemy List. (yes, We Have To Keep A List. It's Kind Of Sad.)

One Of The Nice Things About Books As Opposed To Television And Movies To Some Extent Is It's Not A Passive Entertainment. People Really Do Get Involved, And They Do Create, And They Do Have Their Own Visions Of What Different Characters Look Like And What Should Happen. It's Great - It Means Their Brains Are Working.

Okay, So, Flying,” I Started, Taking A Deep Breath And Focusing On The Thing I Loved Most In The World. “flying Is … Great. It Feels Great When You’re Doing It. It’s Fun. Pure Freedom. There’s Nothing Better.” Dylan Smiled, A Slow, Easy Smile That Seemed To Light Up His Whole Face. “so The First Thing We’re Going To Do,” I Told Him, “is Push You Off The Roof.

The Hardest Part About Parenting Is When I Have To Be The Dad--aka The Fun-sucker--as Opposed To Being A Friend.

What Are They Teaching These Thugs? -why Are There So Many Of Them? -what Is The Institute For Higher Aeronautics? -how Many Of The Are There? There Are Only Six Of Us! Why? -why Is Dc Public Transportation So Weird? -why Don't We Mug Those Eraser Goons For Money More Often? -fang's Blog

They're Afraid Of Change, And We Must Change. They're Afraid Of The Young, And We Are The Young. They're Afraid Of Music, And Music Is Our Life. They're Afraid Of Books, And Knowledge, And Ideas. They're Most Afraid Of Our Magic.

And Max, I've Put Some Scraps In A Bowl For Your Dog," Mom Said. "it's On The Floor, By The Back Door." The Flock And I Went Still. Uh-oh, I Thought. Total Stomped Up To Me, His Glare Accusing. "a Bowl On The Floor!" He Seethed. "why Don't You Just Chain Me To A Stake In The Yard And Throw Me A Bone!

Like A Good Song, Life Has Verses, The Goliards Had Taught Me. Each Verse Has To Be Sung. It Takes All Of Them To Make A Song. It Is The Entire Chanson You Name, But When You Think Of It, When You Smile, It Is A Favorite Verse That Delights Your Ears.

I'm Gonna Barf," I Whispered To Fang,wiping My Sweaty Hands On My Jeans. You'll Be Fine," He Whipered Back. "you Always Are. I'm Gonna Die," I Moaned. You Can't Die," He Said A Hint Of A Smile In His Voice."you're The Indesructible Max.

This Is Not A Democracy," I Said, Understanding He Fear But Unable To Do Anything About It. "it's A Maxocracy.

And Then As Always, I Saw The Prayer Coming At Me. And, As Always, Number 1 Killed Me! Set Me On Fire, Cooked Me To Medium Rare And Then Ate Me! I Really, Really, Really Hope I Haven't Just Given Away The Ending Of This Story.

You Really Are A Scary Man,no Really! If I Had Boots I Would Be Quaking In Them.

"disappear Where?" You Know What They Say: Curiosity Killed The Mutant Bird Kid. But I Couldn't Help Myself.

They [erasers] Were Bad Fliers," Angel Chimed In, "and In Their Minds, They Weren't All Kill The Mutants, Like They Usually Are. They Were Like, Remember To Flap!

If It's Commercial Fiction That You Want To Write, It's Story, Story, Story. You've Got To Get A Story Where If You Tell It To Somebody In A Paragraph, They'll Go, "tell Me More." And Then When You Start To Write It, They Continue To Want To Read More. And If You Don't, It Won't Work.

Okay, If This Is What Falling In Love Feels Like, Someone Please Kill Me Now. (not Literally, Overzealous Readers.) But It Was All Too Much - Too Much Emotion, Too Much Happiness, Too Much Longing, Perhaps Too Much Ice Cream.

Falling In Love

Excellent. They Were Flammable.

Is That Clear?" Said Borcht "as Clear As Pea Soup" I Said

Well, It's Like I Have A Gps Inside Me," I Told Them. "one Of The Talking Ones. I Tell It Where I Want To Go, And It Tells Me, Go Twenty Miles, Turn Left, Take Exit Ninety-fourm And So One. It Can Be Pretty Bossy, Frankly. Their Eyes Widened. "really?" Said One. No You Idiot," I Said In Disgust. "i Don't Know How It Works. I Just Know It Has An Unfailing Ability To Point Me In The Opposite Direction Of A Bunch Of Boneheads.

A Classroom . People Trying To Stick Me In Classrooms Was Becoming As Predictable And Annoying As People Trying To Kill Me, But With Less-fun Results.

I'm Not Stubborn; I'm Right!

An Unbearable Smug Look Came Over His Usually Impassive Face."uh-huh. You Just Keep Telling Youself That. You Looove Me." I Took A Swing At Him, But He Jumped Back Nimbly, And All I Did Was Jar My Left Arm, Making It Hurt. He Laughed At Me, Then Pointed At The Woods Ouside The Window."pick A Tree. I'll Go Carve Our Initials In It.

"jeez, Was That A Lion? Please Tell Me It’s Behind Bars." "it’s A Zoo, Iggy,” Nudge Said, Taking His Arms And Leading Him. "everything’s Behind Bars."

Glaring At The Gasman, Ter Borcht Said, “your Time Is Coming To An End, You Pathetic Failure Of An Experiment. Vhat You Say Now Is How You Vill Be Remembered.” Gazzy’s Blue Eyes Flashed. “then You Can Remember Me Telling You To Kiss My-” “enough!” Ter Borcht Said.

Max-i'm Not Going To Die Today.

I Hate You!” I Screamed At Fang. Tucking My Wings In, I Aimed Downward, Diving Toward The Ground At More Than Two Hundred Miles An Hour. “no You Dooonnn’t!” Fang’s Voice Spiraled Away Into Nothingness, Far Above Me. Inside My Head, Almost Drowned Out By The Roar Of Wind Rushing By My Ears, I Heard The Voice Make A Tsking Sound. You Guys Are Crazy About Each Other, It Said.

I Want To Know About My Mom. And Other Stuff. I Want To Know The Whole Story, Good Or Bad.” “me, Too,” Said Gazzy. “i Want To Find My Parents So I Can Tell’m What Total Scuzzes They Are. Like, ‘hi, Mom And Dad, You’re Such Scum!

Oh, My God. It Hit Me Like A Tsunami Then: How Perfect He Was For Me, How He Was Everything I Could Possibly Hope For, As A Friend, Boyfriend - Maybe Even More. He Was It For Me. There Would Be No More Looking. I Really, Really Loved Him, With A Whole New Kind Of Love I'd Never Felt Before, Something That Made Every Other Kind Of Love I'd Ever Felt Just Seem Washed Out And Wimpy In Comparison. I Loved Him With Every Cell In My Body, Every Thought In My Head, Every Feather In My Wings, Every Breath In My Lungs. And Air Sacs.

Dogs, Dogs, Go Away, Let Me Live Another Day.

I Had To Give Him Props, But How Annoying Of Him To Be A Hero When I Was Trying So Hard To Dislike Him. It Was Downright Selfish.

To Be Without Love Is To Be Without Grace, What Matters Most In Life. We Is So Much Better Than I.

I Couldn’t Leave Total Behind.” “total?” Iggy Asked. “that’s What His Card Said,” Angel Explained. “totally A Mutant Dog Who Will Probably Turn On Us And Kill Us In Our Sleep,” Fang Said.

So There You Have It, The Extent Of My Charms: Brown Hair And Eyes Like Unbarfed Chocolate. I'm A Lucky Girl." -max

Am I Tough? Am I Strong? Am I Hard-core? Absolutely. Did I Whimper With Pathetic Delight When I Sank My Teeth Into My Hot Fried-chicken Sandwich? You Betcha.

The House Was On Fire," I Greeted Them Tersely. "in Case You're Interested." They Both Glanced Up Overhead As If To Make Sure The House Was Still Standing. Fang Sniffed, Smelling The Smoke. It's Out, Right?" He Said

Never Underestimate The Power Of Funny, It Moves Mountains.

Trending Author

Sandra Cisneros

Randa Abdel-Fattah

Category