Author James Patterson does not only write fiction for adults. His "Maximum Ride" series is a favorite among young adults as the main characters are themselves kids and early teens. I first heard about the series when I interviewed Paige O'Hara who provides the voice of Belle in the Disney classic stories about "Beauty and the Beast." An avid reader herself, she told me, "My latest kick has been [the] 'Maximum Ride' series of the genetically engineered children that fly." Paige loves the main character Max. "She's this tough little kid that's the head of the pack and she can fly and she leads them and tries to save the world. And there are all these little kids that have these incredible talents, but they're bird children and it's just fascinating."

Currently there are seven books in the series with the eighth and last one due out February 2012. The books capture the imaginations of kids and adults in the same way the Harry Potter books do. The hybrid kids (Max, Fang, Iggy, Nudge, the Gasman, and Angel) have many of the same issues human kids their age have yet they also have more problems because of their talents and the fact that they are being hunted by evil scientists. 

James Patterson is a favorite author of adults and has penned several books in the "Young Adult" section of bookstores. The characters in the "Maximum Ride" series are engrossing. Not only do they spur on readers' imaginations, the fact that kids enjoy reading instead of playing a video game is a bonus. 

This is a series that, like Potter, needs to be read in order. To read what kids, adults, and teachers are saying about these books, go to jamespatterson.com/books.