Maximum Ride

Author:  James Patterson
Rating:  4
Summary:  A group of children has grown up all their lives being experimented on, because of their unique abilities- they are 2% avian.  Fortunately, the children escaped from their captors, and have been living alone in the middle of nowhere for six years.  But, now the scientists in white lab coats have found them again, and have concoted a plan to get them back.  The rest of the series, is what follows.
Note:  I am going to be honest with you- I never read past the first book.  I can't really tell you what goes on in the books passed The Angel Experiment, but I know that my twelve year old friend read them, so I just don't know.  Make your call, I'm sure there are other sites that have a more thorough review than mine.
Violence and gore:  These children were experimented on for their childhoods, and Max- the main character- does reflect back on those experiments a few times.
Sexual content:  There is a romance brewing between Max (Max is a girl.  The scientists named her Maximum, for certain reasons, and she likes to be called Max) and Fang.
Language:  There is the occasional 'd' word- much more occasional than others book
Morals:  These kids are very brave, and are great examples of surviving hard times
                                    Girls, 13-14 years old, science fiction

The Missing

Author:  Margaret Peterson Haddix
Rating:  5
Summary:  Thirteen-year-old Jonah has always known that he was adopted, and he's never thought it was any big deal. Then he and a new friend, Chip, who's also adopted, begin receiving mysterious letters. The first one says, "You are one of the missing." The second one says, "Beware! They're coming back to get you."
Catholicism:  In the second book, Sent, catholicism is discussed by a king, and the kids discuss it later in the book.  However, this is not Christian book, and they seemed to agree with the beliefs of catholics.  
Morals:  What would you do to find your family?  What is family?  These are all questions the series asks, and answers.  Does the family we come from identify us?
                 Neutral, 9-12 years old, sci-fi

Michael Vey

Author:  Richard Paul Evans

Rating:  4

Summary:  Michael Vey has a secret.  He can create electricity.  In the beginning of book one, Michael's mom is kidnapped, and he has to go to California with some of his friends to save her.  Unfortunately, it turns out in a way bigger ordeal than what it seemed to start out as.  He discovers that there is an electric company building an empire to take over the world- and this company is the reason Michael, and sixteen other teenagers, have electrical powers.  Throughout the rest of the series, Michael and his team- they call themselves the Electroclan- travel all over the world to take down the empire called, the Elgen.

           Violence and gore:  Michael's power is being able to shock people, and throughout the series his power grows to the point that with hardly a flinch he can kill people.  He doesn't do this often, but there is once or twice where he comes close to it, and that doesn't mean he doesn't hurt people.  They use bombs in the books, someone is thrown into the ocean, the Elgen inflict physical and emotional pain to people, and a kid is shot and killed in the third book.  None of this is explained graphically at all, though.

           Sexual content:  Michael has a girlfriend, and they do kiss, and you do find out that they have slept together before.

           Religion:  Richard Paul Evans is a mormon, and, surprisingly, it is actually brought up a couple times in the series.  Dr. Hatch- the villain- refers to himself as the anti-christ, and constantly refers to the end times, and what will come.

           Morals:  This book asks the reader what they would do to save the world, and what they would do to save their loved ones?  And what would you do if you had to save one or the other?

Boys, 9-12 years old, science fiction

Miss Peregin's Home for Peculiar Children

Author:  Ransom Riggs

Rating:  2

Summary:  Jacob’s grandfather has died.  Jacob can’t believe it, or what he saw that night, and he wants to understand.  Jacob goes on a journey to find out how his grandfather died, and what he did every time he left.  What he finds is a peculiar time full of peculiar people- a world that he wants to be a part of.  But then, he finds out that he can be a part of it.  But what are the costs?  And what will he be giving up?  And does he really have a choice?  

Violence and gore:  There are creepy monsters that kill children, and the children also kill.  There is also a really creepy kid who raises people from the dead for like two minutes at a time.  There is actually a moment, where they do that with a kid.  One of the kids is shot.  The entire book has a very dark atmosphere.

Language:  There is the occasional ‘s’ word

Note:  I just have to say, I didn’t really enjoy this series.  It was well written, but I wasn’t captivated by it.  The reason it’s on here, is because I know there are a lot of other people who enjoy it.  

Neutral, 15-18 years old, horror