This one’s for all the teens who come into the Vortex and ask if we have Maximum Ride. Not the plain ol’ chapter books written by James Patterson, but the adapted and illustrated manga by NaRae Lee. It’s pretty rare we have more than one volume on the shelf at a time due to its popularity, so I thought I’d compile a list of readalikes to enjoy while waiting for your next Maximum Ride hold to be ready for pick up.
1. Tegami Bachi: Letter Bee by Hiroyuki Asada
Amberground is locked in darkness. A man-made star casts only a dim light over the land. The pitch-black wilderness is infested with Gaichuu—colossal insects with metal exoskeletons. The Gaichuu make travel between the cities of Amberground extremely dangerous. But thankfully the Letter Bees, a brave corps of messengers, risk their lives in order to keep the hearts of Amberground connected.
Find it in the Vortex: YAGRAPHIC ASADA
2. Nightschool: The Weirn Books by Svetlana Chmakova
Schools may lock up for the night, but class is in session for an entirely different set of students. In the Nightschool, vampires, werewolves and weirns (a particular breed of witches) learn the fundamentals of everything from calculus to spell casting. Alex is a young weirn whose education has always been handled through homeschooling, but circumstances seem to be drawing her closer to the Nightschool. Will Alex manage to weather the dark forces gathering?
Find it in the Vortex: YAGRAPHIC CHMAKOVA
3. King of Thorn by Yuji Iwahara
Narrowly escaping their island prison through the once-welded underground hatch, our band of survivors now find themselves making a tense escape through a half-submerged tunnel. The watery path may look serene at first, but what monstrosities await them beneath the inky depths? And who is the mysterious girl watching their every move? When a shocking revelation shatters the group to the core, not all of them will continue on to freedom…or answers.
Find it in the Vortex: YAGRAPHIC IWAHARA
4. Nabari No Ou by Yuhki Kamatani
Apathetic schoolboy Miharu Rokujou is content to meander through life in the sleepy village of Banten. But his quiet existence is shattered when the Grey Wolves of Iga, a powerful ninja clan, attempt to kidnap him in broad daylight. Only then does Miharu discover that the ultimate power of the hidden ninja realm—a power that can do both great good and great harm—is sealed within his body. As battles erupt among rival ninja clans seeking to control him, Miharu must overcome his apathy and learn the ways of the ninja if he wants any shot at survival!
Find it in the Vortex: YAGRAPHIC KAMATANI
5. +Anima by Natsumi Mukai
The +Anima are beings who possess animal-like powers. In this alternate universe, they walk among us—shunned by society—as they search for others who have similar traits. Cooro is a crow-like boy who is on a quest to find other +Anima. When he meets Husky, a disrespectful boy with a past shrouded in mystery, Cooro finds a kindred spirit who also possesses animal-like powers. Together, they try to gain acceptance in a world cruel to anyone or anything that is different.
Find it in the Vortex: YAGRAPHIC MUKAI
6. Alice in the Country of Hearts by QuinRose
Alice is kidnapped and brought to the strange world of Wonderland, where a war is waging between the Queen of Hearts and the Hatter gang syndicate. Alice must find her way home while escaping their wrath.
Find it in the Vortex: YAGRAPHIC ALICE
7. DN Angel by Yukiru Sugisaki
Daisuke Niwa is an ordinary, slightly unlucky, middle school student. On his 14th birthday, he comes down with a condition that has plagued the men in his family for three hundred years. When he sees his crush, Risa, he transforms into his alter ego, the phantom thief Dark Mousy. Unfortunately, when Dark Mousy sees his crush, Risa’s twin Riku, he transforms back into Daisuke. The only cure for this craziness is if Daisuke can get Risa to fall in love with him.
Find it in the Vortex: YAGRAPHIC SUGISAKI
8. Sakura Hime: The Legend of Princess Sakura by Arina Tanemura
Sakura is the grand-daughter of a mysterious moon princess who slew demons with her Blood Cherry Blossom sword. All her life, Sakura has been forbidden to look at the full moon without knowing why. Then one night, unhappy over her impending marriage, Sakura gazes up at the moon, only to learn why she was told never to look.
Find it in the Vortex: YAGRAPHIC TANEMURA
9. Trinity Blood by Sunao Yoshida
In a post-apocalyptic world of constant war between humans and vampires, many desire a peaceful co-existence between the two species, but standing between them is a group of vampire extremists who manipulate the two sides and pit them against each other. Esther is a nun in the city of Istavan. When she crosses paths with Abel Nightroad, a priest sent from the Vatican to combat the local order of vampires, the two form a holy alliance to battle the most evil of threats: Gyula, the leader of the vampires.