Max soars above the world . . . but in James Patterson's
thrilling adventure,fantasy can come crashing down to reveal the
nightmares of the Angel Experiment.
Maximum Ride and her "flock" -- Fang, Iggy, Nudge, Gasman and Angel --
are just like ordinary kids, only they have wings and can fly. It
may seem like a dream come true to some, but their lives can morph
into a living nightmare at any time.
Percy Jackson is a good kid, but he can't seem to focus on his schoolwork or control his temper. And lately, being away at boarding school is only getting worse-Percy could have sworn his pre-algebra teacher turned into a monster and tried to kill him. When Percy's mom finds out, she knows it's time that he knew the truth about where he came from, and that he go to the one place he'll be safe. She sends Percy to Camp Half Blood, a summer camp for demigods (on Long Island), where he learns that the father he never knew is Poseidon, god of the Sea. Soon a mystery unfolds and together with his friends -- one a satyr and the other the demigod daughter of Athena -- Percy sets out on a quest across the United States to reach the gates of the Underworld (located in a recording studio in Hollywood) and prevent a catastrophic war between the gods.
Fearless, bold, athletic, magical. Young Alanna of Trebond is all of these things, and more than anything else, she has always craved the adventure and daring allowed only to boys. So she and her twin brother, Thom, switch places: Thom heads for the convent to become a sorcerer, and Alanna—pretending to be a boy—is off to the castle of King Roald to begin her journey to knighthood.
At birth, Ella is inadvertently cursed by an imprudent young fairy named Lucinda, who bestows on her the "gift" of obedience. Anything anyone tells her to do, Ella must obey. Another girl might have been cowed by this affliction, but not feisty Ella: "Instead of making me docile, Lucinda's curse made a rebel of me. Or perhaps I was that way naturally." When her beloved mother dies, leaving her in the care of a mostly absent and avaricious father, and later, a loathsome stepmother and two treacherous stepsisters, Ella's life and well-being seem to be in grave peril. But her intelligence and saucy nature keep her in good stead as she sets out on a quest for freedom and self-discovery as she tries to track down Lucinda to undo the curse, fending off ogres, befriending elves, and falling in love with a prince along the way. Yes, there is a pumpkin coach, a glass slipper, and a happily ever after, but this is the most remarkable, delightful, and profound version of Cinderella you'll ever read.