Take a story's temperature by studying its tone. Is it hopeful? Cynical? Snarky? Playful?
Snappy and Sassy
Because Maximum Ride: The Angel Experiment follows the perspective of the flock members, it's full of smart, sassy observations—after all, these are some bright, funny kids. For instance, check out Max's observations when she swoops down and sees those jerk boys picking on Ella:
God, what creeps. Armed creeps. One of them was holding a shotgun loosely in the crook of his arm. America, right to bear arms, yada, yada, yada. How old were these yahoos? Did their parents know they had guns?
It gets so tiring, this strong-picking-on-the-weak stuff. It was the story of my life—literally—and it seemed to be a big part of the outside world too. I was sick of it, sick of guys like these, stupid and bullying. (21.5-6)
And because so much happens in this several-hundred-pages-long book, the tone is super snappy—it goes from one event to the next without pausing for a breath. It has to, really; otherwise a lot less would be able to happen within these pages. Sure, the book's long, but over the course of it, the flock members are kidnapped, taken to the School, go on a cross-country flight, break into the Institute, and more—all in the course of one book. And that's just the beginning.