School’s Out – Forever (Maximum Ride, Book 2) by James Patterson
Reviewed by JenniferRatings
Content Ratings based on a 0-5 scale where
0 = no objectionable content and
5 = an excessive or disturbing level of content
LANGUAGE
VIOLENCE
SEXUAL CONTENT
ADULT THEMES
Ratings Explanation
Language: Frequent profanity, occasional swearing and some crude words like “piss” and “crap”.
Violence: As in the first book, Erasers and the Flock battle repeatedly with kicking, hitting, slashing with claws, etc. Fang and Ari are both brutally beaten. During training, Ari hits his opponents over the head and back with a long, thick stick. As both species can fly they fight in the air using round house kicks and flying side kicks. Hand-to-hand combat. Ari bits his own arm in anguish and rips a bite out of Angel’s arm. Max strangles her opponent but stops before killing her. Gazzy and Iggy blow things up but no one is hurt.
Sexual Content: Fang and a girl kiss and he slides his hands up her back. Max and Sam kiss. He puts his arms around her waist.
Adult Themes: Ari is jealous of his father’s affection for the Flock. Ari steals a Game Boy. More than anything, the Flock wants to find their real parents and live normal lives. They are able to locate Iggy’s real parents and he goes to live with them, but they eventually want to exploit him for money. The Flock is betrayed by Anne.
Synopsis
This second installment in the Maximum Ride series finds the Flock still on the run and fighting the Erasers, but their lives change dramatically when Anne, an FBI agent, takes them into her home. Although, they are not completely certain they can trust her, life sure is easier knowing they have somewhere to sleep and three meals a day.
Having a home doesn’t cure Max’s headaches though, and she still hears The Voice in her head telling her she has to save the world. That’s kind of a lot of pressure since The Voice doesn’t tell her how or from what. And finding their real parents is still a priority for all six of the kids, so things get complicated when they actually find Iggy’s parents and they want him to live with them. It’s another great Maximum Ride so hang on!
James Patterson can write a page turner, but, like Angel Experiment, I think the violence and language are a little heavy for the younger end of the 6-10 grade spectrum suggested by Library Journal and Booklist. My favorite part of book 2, as with book 1, is Max’s character. She is one tough chick, but so tender with her little flock. I really like her.