James Patterson

“Good memories are like charms...Each is special. You collect them, one by one, until one day you look back and discover they make a long, colorful bracelet.”

“There's a saying I remember from my grandmother: One today is worth two tomorrows.”

“Fang: “Let them blow up the world, and global-warm it, and pollute it. You and me and the others will be holed up somewhere, safe. We’ll come back out when they’re all gone, done playing their games of world domination."Max: “That’s a great plan. Of course, by then we won’t be able to go outside because we’ll get fried by the lack of the ozone layer. We’ll be living at the bottom of the food chain because everything with flavor will be full of mercury or radiation or something! And there won’t be any TV or cable because all the people will be dead! So our only entertainment will be Gazzy singing the constipation song! And there won’t be amusement parks and museums and zoos and libraries and cute shoes! We’ll be like cavemen, trying to weave clothes out of plant fibers. We’ll have nothing! Nothing! All because you and the kids want to kick back in a La-Z-Boy during the most important time in history!”Fang: “So maybe we should sign you up for a weaving class. Get a jump start on all those plant fibers.”Max: "I HATE YOU!!!"Fang: "NO YOU DOOOOOON'T!!"Voice: "You two are crazy about each other.”

“Fang: "There is one bright side to this."Max: "Yeah? What's that?" The new and improved Erasers would mutilate us before they killed us?Fang: *grins* You looove me. (holds out arms) You love me this much.Max: My shriek of appalled rage would probably be heard in California, or maybe Hawaii.”

“What I said yesterday didn't mean anything! I love everyone in the flock! Plus, it was the Valium talking!""Uh-huh. You just keep telling yourself that. You looove me."Max: (tries to punch him)"Pick a tree. I'll go carve our initials in it."Max: (screams and runs into bathroom)”

“Gazzy: Captain, like the captain of a ship. And then Terror, you know, T-E-R-O-R.”

“Nudge: "I look like prep school Barbie. (looks at Max) Actually, you look like prep school Barbie. I'm just Barbie's friend.”

“Max: "Fang! This is a huge break! Of course we should go check it out!"Fang: "But we're grounded."Max and Fang: (stare at each other for a second and burst out laughing)”

“Fnick -Iggy”

“How did you become blind, uh, Jeff is it?"Yeah, Jeff. Well, I looked directly at the sun, you know, the way they always tell you not to. If only I had listened.”

“I moved to leave, and Dylan actually grabbed me by my shoulders. I was so surprised that I forgot to karate-chop his elbows and break his arms.”

“Our parents were a test tube and a turkey baster.”

“The thing is, Maximum, I love you. I can't help but be focused on you when we're together. If you're in the room, I want to be next to you. If you're gone, I think about you. You're who I want to talk to. In a fight, I want you at my back. When we're together, the sun is shining. When we're apart, everything is in shades of gray.”

“Because what’s worse than knowing you want something, besides knowing you can never have it?”

“Gazzy: "What does that mean?" (points to metal plaque warning to stay off the third rail that said Stay off the third rail!)Fang: "It means the third rail has seven hundred volts of direct current running through it. Touch it and you're human popcorn.”

“In the dictionary, next to the word stress, there is a picture of a midsize mutant stuck inside a dog crate, wondering if her destiny is to be killed or to save the world. Okay, not really. But there should be.”

“Dr. Martinez: "I take it you don't want me to call your parent?"Max: "Uh, no." Hello, lab? May I speak to the test tube please?”

“If you're in the room, I want to be next to you. If you're gone, I think about you. You're who I want to talk to. In a fight, I want you at my back. When we're together the sun is shining. When we're apart, everything is in shades of gray.”

“You love him so much it feels like you can't go on without him. You feel like you might die without him.”

“Oz thinks I'm beautiful," she whispered to the stars.”

“There you have it: our lives in a nutshell. Emphasis on nut.But if the above whipped your mind into a frenzy, here's something even more interesting: Fang started a blog. Not that he's self-absorbed or trendy or anything. Nope, not him.”

“I wasn't kidding about the flying-kids part. Or the talking-dog part.Anyone who's up to speed on the Adventures of Amazing Max and Her Flying, Fun-Loving Cohorts, you can skip this next page or so. Those of you who picked up this book cold, even thought it's clearly part three of the series, well, get with the program, people! I can't take two days to get you caught up on everything! Here's the abbreviated version (which is pretty, I might add):A bunch of mad scientists (mad crazy not mad angry- though a lot of them seem to have anger-management issues, especially around me) have been playing around with recombinant life-forms, where they graft different species' DNA together.”

“On the other hand, even a big, '80s love van was less noticeable than six flying kids and their talking dog. So there you go.”

“You could have gotten a car with GPS," Total said helpfully.Yes," I said "Or we could have brought along a dog that doesn't talk." I gave Angel a pointed look, and she smiled, well, angelically, at me.Total huffed, offended at me and climbed into her lap...”

“Part 1- In search of Hot Chocolate-Chip Cookies”

“Angel?" I said. "Baby penguins eat a regurgitated mixture of partially digested fish, krill, and an oily substance form their fathers' stomachs. Are you willing to eat a bunch of raw fish and krill, and then barf it back up into a baby penguin's cute, cheeping mouth? Like, every hour?" Sometimes my crushing logic astounds even me.”

“A PoemBy Max White is the color of little bunnies with pink noses. White is the color of fluffy clouds fluffing their way across the sky. White is the color of angel's wings and Angel's wings. White is the color of brand-new ankle socks fresh out of the bag. White is the color of crisp sheets in schmancy hotels. White is the color of every last freaking, gol-danged thing you see for endless miles and miles if you happen to be in Antarctica trying to save the world, which now you aren't so sure you can do because you feel like if you see any more whiteness-Wonder Bread, someone's underwear, teeth-you will completely and totally lose your ever-lovin' mind and wind up pushing a grocery cart full of empty cans around New York City, muttering to yourself. That was my first poem ever. Okay, so it's not Shakespeare, but I liked it.”

“Have you guys been playing in toxic waste again?" Fang asked severely, putting his hands on his hips. Nudge giggled. "No." "Been bitten by a radioactive spider?" Fang went on. "Struck by lightning? Drink a super-soldier serum?" "No, no, no," said Iggy. He started reaching for things around the table, and his hand landed on Total. "You're black." "I prefer canine-American." said Total. "When's that pie coming? I'm starving.”

“I'm magnetic," she whispered, half awed and half horrified. "I hope you don't start sticking to fridges and stuff," I said in disbelief. Fang dropped down next to me, and the Gasman joined us, squishing in next to Nudge. "What's going on?" Fang asked. "I'm Magnet Girl!" Nudge said, already coming to terms with her new skill.”

“If by 'miracle kids' you mean innocent test-tube babies whose DNA was forcibly unraveled and merged with two percent avian genes, yeah, I guess that would be us," I said. "Because it's a miracle that we're not complete nut jobs and mutant disasters.”

“Call me crazy, but there's just something cheering about seeing huge raptors tear into Eraser flesh.”

“Louisiana, the state road maintenance forgot.”

“you're a diabolical little pyro, aren't you?He blushed modestly.”

“I love you, i love your smile your snarl your grin, your face when your sleeping.I love your hair streaming behind you as we fly, with the sunlight making it shine, if it doesn't have too much mud or blood in it, I love seeing your wings spreading out, white and brown and tan and speckled, and the tiny downy feathers right at the top of your shoulders. I love your eyes, whether they're cold or calculating or suspicious or laughing or warm, like when you look at me.”

“Gazzy called over to me "I can't see anything!""I can't see anything either," Iggy complained."I'm rolling my eyes, Ig." I had to tell him that because he couldn't see me do it, what with his blindness and all.”

“Jackpot, Max! Jackpot!" It was Fang and he was giggling hysterically.For those of you just joining us, Fang doesn't giggle, esspecially hysterically.”

“So you have you price," I said with a mouthful of crumbs. "Your soul for a cookie." Fang made sure Dr. Martinez wasn't looking and then shot me the bird.”

“I whirled around and saw no one. No psychotic mad scientists, anyway."Jackpot, Max! Jackpot!" It was was Fang, and he was giggling hysterically. For those of you just joining us, Fang doesn't giggle. Especially hysterically.So for a second, this seemed like one of the weirder dreams of recent days. ”

“Advanced life-forms, my seweet patootie. Jerks. Both of them.”

“The house was on fire," i greeted them tersely. "In case you're interested."they both glanced up overhead as if to make sure the house was still standing. Fang sniffed, smelling the smoke.It's out, right?" he said”

“I'm going to turn fifteen tomorrow," i said, warming to the idea. "It's high time. I can't remember when i turned fourteen." (said by Max)If you get to be fifteen, then i get to be fifteen!" Iggy sounded indignant.i looked at Fang. "Wanna be fifteen?"His smile melted me. "Yeah.”

“Gazzy, man, jeezum!" Fang exclaimed. "What the heck have you been eating for God's sake?"That was a smoke bomb!" Gazzy defended himself. "Not even i could fill this whole flippin' house!”

“You're lying through your fangs," Iggy accused.Fang tried to play innocent--but "innocent Fang" is an oxymoron, so it didn't work.”

“I'll just ask now: What is it about my persona that draws every insane, power-hungry nutcase to me like a magnet?”

“Do you like to eat things?-I love eating. I list it as a hobby.”

“And Max, I've put some scraps in a bowl for your dog," Mom said. "It's on the floor, by the back door." The flock and I went still. Uh-oh, I thought. Total stomped up to me, his glare accusing. "A bowl on the floor!" he seethed. "Why don't you just chain me to a stake in the yard and throw me a bone!”

“It sucked, but it was way cool at the same time," Gazzy said. "I felt like the Blue Angels!" "Yeah, except the blue Angels are an extremely well funded, well equipped, well trained, well fed, and no doubt squeaky-clean group of crack navy pilots," I said. "And we're a bunch of unfunded, unequipped, semitrained, not nearly well fed enough, and filthy mongrel avian-human hybrids. But other than that, it's exactly the same.”

“Flying monkeys?" the Gasman called out a guess. "Like in the Wizard of Oz?"It dawned on me then. "No," I said tersely "Worse. Flying Erasers.”

“I'm pretty sure that if you looked up the word "nuts" in the dictionary, you'll find my picture. Just another fun feature of my mutant-birdkid-freak package.”

“What are they teaching these thugs?-Why are there so many of them?-What is the Institute for Higher Aeronautics?-How many of the are there? There are only six of us! Why?-Why is DC public transportation so weird?-Why don't we mug those Eraser goons for money more often?-Fang's Blog”