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No. Worse. Flying Erasers.

Max, School's Out - Forever

School's Out - Forever: A Maximum Ride Novel is the second book in the Maximum Ride series by James Patterson, and also the second book of the Fugitives trilogy.

Plot

Following directly from the events of the first book, the Flock heads towards Washington D.C. in hopes of uncovering information about their real parents. However, they find themselves pursued by winged Erasers. The Erasers are larger, heavier and slower fliers, and are easily defeated, but not before Ari badly wounds Fang. The Flock has no choice but to go to a hospital.

Hospital staff immediately notice Fang's unique biology. FBI agents show up to question the Flock, but the Flock plays dumb, sticking to Max's cover story that they are adoptive siblings and the children of missionaries. An agent named Anne Walker tells Max that they have been hearing rumors of a hidden lab (the School) that has been producing various recombinant-DNA life-forms. Anne asks if the FBI can study the Flock in nonpainful and noninvasive ways, and she also offers her home as a place to stay. Max refuses to go without Fang, and the Flock stays the night in his hospital room. During the night, Max sees herself in a mirror as an Eraser and is frightened.

With Fang released from the hospital, they go to Anne's luxurious farmhouse, where Anne treats them like her own. Max is annoyed by Anne behaving like their mother and the younger kids' acceptance. She is also startled to learn that Angel's dog Total can talk. While staying with Anne, the Flock continues to try to track down their parents.

Anne enrolls them in a private school, where Max advises the others to act normal and to blend in. Nudge enjoys making friends and attending a normal birthday party, but Gazzy and Iggy repeatedly detonate explosives and anger the headmaster, William Pruitt.

Max grows jealous when she catches a flirtatious girl named Lissa kissing Fang. Max also makes a friend, Jennifer Joy, and is asked out on a date by a boy named Sam. While Sam and Max are on their date, however, Max sees Ari and a second Max. Confused, she later discusses the strange sight with Fang.

One day, the whole school goes on a field trip to the White House, and when Angel is lost, the President himself escorts her back to Max. Max learns that Angel influenced the President to alter the national budget, moving military money into public education and homeless shelters.

The Flock stays with Anne until Thanksgiving, but also finally find clues that lead them to Iggy's biological parents, Mr. and Mrs. Griffiths, from whom he was kidnapped as an infant. Iggy returns to live with his parents, while the rest of the Flock refuses to tell Anne where he is. The remaining five continue at school despite missing Iggy terribly. However, when Max stumbles into the teacher's lounge, they immediately spring to attack her, led by the headmaster. The school falls into chaos as the Flock escapes. They flee to Anne's house, only to realize that it has all been a trap by the School, and Anne is really Jeb Batchelder's boss. Ari chases after them, declaring that he wants to take Max prisoner and "be friends." The Flock escapes, taking along Total, and runs into Iggy. He explains that when his parents learned about his wings, they just wanted to use him for fame and money.

The Flock decides to go to Florida, but Gazzy wants to go to the beach. They do, but Max flies ahead to clear her thoughts of the annoying Voice. In her frustration, she tries to use a shell to cut out the chip embedded in her arm. The Flock, especially Fang, is upset.

They settle for the night in a swamp, where they encounter a boy and girl seemingly in distress. They are also mutants, who try to trap the Flock. The Flock easily stops them, and learns from them that the company that runs the School is called Itex. While investigating for more clues on Itex, the Flock stops at Disney World. However, their trip is cut short when Ari shows up trying to capture them. Max, declaring that they need to stay out of the air, has them get a car and drive instead.

The Flock spends a night in a motel, but Max is kidnapped during the night and kept in a tank by scientists. Meanwhile, Max II, her clone, plays her role by acting like Max and leading the Flock to Itex and into a trap. The real Max, however, plays dead in order to escape, and then arrives to help the Flock. She and Max II battle. Max gains the upper hand, choking her, but then refuses to kill her. She tells Jeb and the watching whitecoats that she refuses to kill Max II, and will not be their lab rat.

With a bomb from Gazzy, the Flock escapes the building. As they recuperate in the Everglades, Max asks Fang how they could tell that Max II was a fake. Smiling, he tells her that it was because Max II offered to cook.

Adaptations

Manga

Main article: Maximum Ride: The Manga (3)

School's Out - Forever was adapted by NaRae Lee as into two volumes. Volume 3 was released August 17, 2010, and features Iggy on the cover. It details on School's Out - Forever up to when Jeb and Ari Batchelder are watching the Flock in the museum in Washington, D.C.

  • At the end is a preview of the Daniel X manga.
Main article: Maximum Ride: The Manga (4)

Volume 4 was released April 2011, and features Nudge on the cover. It almost finishes the second book, but cuts off right before the real Max battles with Max II (who is not known as Maya at this point).

  • It is the first volume to have a brief character profile at the beginning.
  • The art style changes slightly.
  • At the end is a preview of the Witch & Wizard manga as well as an advertisement for other James Patterson books and Yen Press manga.

Comics

Main article: Max Ride: Ultimate Flight

The Marvel comics adaptation based the second arc, Ultimate Flight, on School's Out - Forever. This five-issue comic debuted in November 2015, and was written by Jody Houser and illustrated by R. B. Silva. As with other arcs in the comic series, the Flock's wings appear robotic rather than avian.

New Characters

Trivia

  • The extra material at the end of the book includes numerous files on the School and Itex, including the name of the school that the Flock attends, and the first mention of Marian Janssen (here spelled Jannsen).

International Editions

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