Yesterday, I completed James Patterson’s Maximum Ride series, The Final Warning. A good read. A easy read. A must read.
James Patterson is an excellent author to use as a model for multiple-genres, point of view, style, fluency, voice…and the list goes on.
Fang, one of the characters in the series, begins a blog in book three…what a great way to show my students the use of blogs and genres, all in one interesting lesson. Throughout the third and fourth novels, several chapters are some of Fang’s blog postings.
Max, the main character, now has her own blog…yes, a “real” one. Good site to send students as they learn to navigate blogs.
I have never been a great fan of reading in the first-person point of view, but maybe my style is changing (that does happen…just stop and reflect what you have read throughout your life) or maybe, just maybe, Patterson has mastered this craft. Yes, I think that is it!
(Should my students ever read this entry, I will never hear the end of the previous sentence! Two no-no’s in one sentence! “I think” and “it” ~ sorry, readers-of-mine, I will work on that!)
I also appreciate the underlying messages that this series promotes. Before beginning this series, I had heard that one of the themes was Patterson’s stand against animal testing. Good use of foreshadowing…for I watched for this as I read, and, yes, the message is clearly there.
This fourth book’s messages was definitely about global warming…learned some scary facts about global warming. Good messages, though, for young adults to read about also…and in a captivating genre as an young adult novel!
Oh, yes, Max’s on-going mission? Of course, to save the world! Her latest blog is about the use of sunscreen!
Thanks to peer teacher Ms. Sharp for recommending this series. She works with resource students, and I can also see why this series would be a wonderful way to hook slow readers onto to reading, for Patterson’s chapters are very short; therefore, the slow reader would feel as if he/she is accomplishing/reading faster. Maybe?
Interested in this series? Patterson is giving away a class set of ten books! Before Spring Break I filled out the application and was very pleasantly surprised to find the box of books on my desk upon returning to school. Go for it!
One of the thematic units I cover with my English 11 classes is Antibullying…this set of books will definitely become a lit circle/independent reading option. Check here for curriculum resources.
Patterson has a new young adult series coming out this month…The Dangerous Days of Daniel X. Going to have to pick that one up!
Originally posted on Treasure Chest of Thoughts on July 10, 2008.
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