The complete prose story
Start with The Angel Experiment for the original nine-novel sequence and the fullest version of Max's story.
Book Series · 9 Books
Maximum Ride Books
In order from The Final Warning to Maximum Ride Forever.
Nine fast-paced YA science-fiction novels about Max and the Flock, children with wings who escape cruel experiments and repeatedly fight to protect one another and the world.
Reviewed by the Bookroo Editors Updated
Reading order
How to Read the Maximum Ride Books
Read the nine prose novels in numbered order, from The Angel Experiment through Maximum Ride Forever. The publisher groups the first three as The Fugitives and the next six as The Protectors, but they form one continuing story.
Maximum Ride: The Manga is a nine-volume graphic adaptation of the prose story, not a sequel. Readers can choose the novels or manga based on format preference; reading both is optional.
Sources: James Patterson's official Maximum Ride list, Yen Press's official Maximum Ride manga series.
For parents
What Parents Should Know
The series uses short chapters and frequent cliffhangers, but the action includes kidnapping, cruel genetic experiments, captivity, fights, guns, injuries, deaths, and threats to children. Later books add environmental disasters and a darker post-apocalyptic finale. Romance, jealousy, and kissing become more prominent as the characters age, while sexual detail remains limited.
Where to start
Which Version Should My Reader Start With?
A visual adaptation
Start with Maximum Ride: The Manga, Vol. 1 for NaRae Lee's nine-volume graphic retelling.
Where the story begins
First Book in the Series
Sale price
$1248
Book #4 · Chapter Book · Ages 12–15 · 2008
The Final Warning
A girl with wings must evade capture and save the planet from looming threats.
256 pages· 45,636 words· Est. 4 hour read
$12.99Save 4%
Paperback
In reading order
Maximum Ride Series
9 books · Published 2005–2015
#4
Sale price
$1248
The Final Warning
Chapter Book · Ages 12–15 · 2008
A girl with wings must evade capture and save the planet from looming threats.
#5
Sale price
$2180
Max
Chapter Book · Ages 12–15 · 2009
Max and her team face a terrifying underwater enemy threatening Hawaii's coast.
#6
Sale price
$1248
Fang
Chapter Book · Ages 12–15 · 2010
A prophecy threatens to tear apart a group of winged children as they face an impending apocalypse.
#7
Sale price
$1139
Angel
Chapter Book · Ages 12–15 · 2011
A deadly force looms, but Fang's absence threatens everything. Can Max and her friends face the ultimate showdown?
#8
Sale price
$1139
Nevermore
Chapter Book · Ages 12–15 · 2012
Two threats unite to end humanity. Can love and loyalty save the world?
Sale price
$1248
The Angel Experiment
Chapter Book · Ages 12–15 · 2005
Winged teens flee sinister experiments, facing danger to uncover their origins and save one of their own.
Sale price
$1248
School's Out - Forever
Chapter Book · Ages 12–15 · 2006
A bird-kid must save the world while facing her own clone.
Sale price
$1248
Saving the World and Other Extreme Sports
Chapter Book · Ages 12–15 · 2007
Can a scattered group of winged teens stop a sinister plan to create a master race?
Sale price
$1248
Maximum Ride Forever
Chapter Book · Ages 13–17 · 2015
In a ravaged world, a girl who can fly seeks answers in a thrilling finale.
Graphic adaptation
Maximum Ride: The Manga
9 books · Published 2009–2015
A nine-volume visual retelling of the prose adventures, with story credit to James Patterson and art by NaRae Lee; it does not continue beyond the novels.
#1
#1 in Series
Graphic Nov.
Sale price
$1235
Maximum Ride, Vol. 1 (Graphic Novel)
Chapter Book · Ages 13–17 · 2009
A winged girl must rescue her friend and face a world-altering destiny.
#2
#2 in Series
Graphic Nov.
Sale price
$1235
Maximum Ride, Vol. 2 (Graphic Novel)
Chapter Book · Ages 13–17 · 2009
A winged girl must rescue her friend and uncover her destiny amidst danger.
#3
#3 in Series
Graphic Nov.
Sale price
$1235
Maximum Ride: The Manga, Vol. 3
Chapter Book · Ages 13–17 · 2010
Can the flock find normalcy in a school without mad scientists?
#4
#4 in Series
Graphic Nov.
Sale price
$1235
Maximum Ride: The Manga, Vol. 4
Chapter Book · 2011
A group of winged children on the run uncover a conspiracy linking their origins to a powerful corporation manipulating the world behind the scenes.
#8
#8 in Series
Graphic Nov.
Sale price
$1235
Maximum Ride, Vol. 8 (Graphic Novel)
Chapter Book · Ages 13–17 · 2014
Super-human kids face a robotic army in the Antarctic.
Series
Graphic Nov.
Maximum Ride, Vol. 5 (Graphic Novel)
Picture Book · 2011
Series
Graphic Nov.
Maximum Ride: The Manga, Vol. 6 (Graphic Novel)
Chapter Book · 2012
No book description provided.
Series
Graphic Nov.
Maximum Ride: The Manga, Vol. 7 (Graphic Novel)
Chapter Book · 2013
No book description provided.
Series
Graphic Nov.
Maximum Ride: The Manga, Vol. 9 (Graphic Novel)
Chapter Book · 2015
No book description provided.
Good to know
Common Questions
How many books are in the Maximum Ride series?
There are 9 books in the Maximum Ride series. It began with The Final Warning in 2008, and the newest book, Maximum Ride Forever, was published in 2015.
What order should you read the Maximum Ride books in?
Start with The Final Warning and follow the series order — the books above are numbered #1 through #9.
What ages are the Maximum Ride books best for?
The series is best for ages 12–17, based on the age ranges of the individual books.
Which Maximum Ride book is the longest?
The Angel Experiment is the longest book in the series at 74,752 words (422 pages).
Which Maximum Ride book is the shortest?
The Final Warning (Book #4) is the shortest at 45,636 words (256 pages).
The people
The Creative Behind the Books
The people who bring Maximum Ride to life.
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