Maximum Ride 3: Pretty Freakin’ Cool.

One of my tasks in getting ready for our adoption – one of my favourite tasks – is to explore the world of children’s literature. I’ve had my fill of books about attachment disorders and the impact of neglect on kids – now it’s time for some fun. It helps that I love kids’ books as a general rule.

Everything from picture books to teen-reading is fair game at this point in time since we don’t really know what age our kid(s) will be when they arrive. I’ve scoured the library, taken recommendations from friends and, on a few occasions, peeked at the Amazon “top 10″ list to see what other people’s kids are reading and loving.

When Mother Talk invited me to participate in a book review for “Maximum Ride 3: Saving The World And Other Extreme Sports“, I jumped on the opportunity. Book! Free! Review! Yes please!

The first thing I must note is that you do not have to read the preceeding books to understand this one – the characters are nicely introduced and the plot is laid out quite nicely – and that made me happy since there’s nothing worse than muddling through a book that repeatedly references things you don’t know anything about.

Having said that, I can’t see any reason NOT to read the earlier books – at least, if book #3 is any indication of style.

The next thing you need to know is that I absolutely hate SciFi books and, surprise!, I loved this story. It didn’t feel ridiculously over-the-top as so many SciFi books often do (to me, I mean, I can’t speak for YOUR taste!)

The characters are wonderful! Well-developed, interesting and, to be blunt, they’re believable kids – at least, as far as I can recall from my own hazy youth. There were a few points where the author seemed to be trying a tiny bit too hard but I suspect most readers of the appropriate age won’t notice.

Reading along, I found myself legitimately curious as to where the plot was heading – there are twists and turns and unexpected events and it all contributes to a great read, overall. The ending was not even remotely what I was expecting.

Would I recommend the book? Absolutely.

Why? Because reluctant kids need encouragement to read at an appropriate level, I think, in order to maintain their interest and keep them motivated to turn the pages. Maximum Ride isn’t a typical adventure story for kids, and I think the plot twists and general “cool” factor of the story will keep those readers engaged.

For a kid who already loves to read, this book will be absolutely devoured. There’s even a companion web site with (busy) messages boards for kids to discuss the book, the plot, the characters and whether or not the series will be made into a movie as so many kids wish!

All told, a great read for kids (and adults, honestly!) and definitely recommended.