Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports, by James Patterson

James Patterson’s Maximum Ride books are an action-adventure/science fiction series featuring a group of genetically engineered bird-human children. There are currently three books in the series*, and each one is more ridiculously far-fetched than the last.

By the third book in the series, Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports, Patterson’s heroine has endured a lot. She’s been tortured, betrayed, and captured (several times), she’s got a tracking chip in her arm and a mysterious voice in her head, and her “flock” of fellow bird-children is getting a little tired of life on the run. Unfortunately, things are about to get even worse: the kids discover that the scientists who created them are now planning to re-engineer a handful of people into a genetically enhanced master race… and destroy the rest of humanity!(!!!)

[Cue maniacal laughter.]

I recently gave the Maximum Ride books to a teenage friend of the family, and she absolutely loved them. It didn’t bother her at all that Patterson’s series is full of gaping plot holes, implausible characters, and ridiculous dialogue stolen straight out of a Saturday morning cartoon. All she noticed was that the books were fast-paced, quip-filled, over-the-top fun—and let’s face it: sometimes we’re all in the market for a little mindless entertainment. So if you’re heading to the beach, sitting in a doctor’s waiting room, or stuck in an airport, we encourage you to pick up this series, set your expectations on “Low”, and enjoy accordingly.

*The fourth book in the series, The Final Warning, comes out this month.