Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life

Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life is a realistic fiction novel by James Patterson that serves as the beginning of Patterson's Middle School series.[1] Published in the United States by Little, Brown and Company on June 27, 2011, the book follows sixth grader Rafe Khatchadorian as he begins middle school and "copes with the awkwardness of adolescence: crushes, bullying, family issues"[3] as he attempts to break every school rule in the code of conduct. The book received critical acclaim from many reviewers and went on to spawn a sequel, Middle School: Get Me Out of Here!.

For the film adaptation of the book, see Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life (film).
Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life
Author
IllustratorLaura Park
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
SeriesMiddle School
GenreGraphic novel, comedy
PublisherLittle, Brown and Company
Publication date
June 27, 2011[1]
Media typePrint (hardcover, paperback)
Pages283
ISBN978-0316101875 [2]
Followed byMiddle School: Get Me Out of Here! 

Plot

Rafe is bored at Hills Village Middle School with sixth grade at first, but he and his friend Leonardo the Silent invent "Operation R.A.F.E." (stands for "rules aren't for everyone"), a challenge to break every rule in his middle school handbook. He also deals with problems at home. His mother constantly works double shifts at a Swifty's Diner and barely gets to see Rafe and his sister Georgia. He has a verbally abusive stepfather-to-be named Carl (aka Bear), who "watches" over him when his mother is not home. He finds consolation in Jeanne Galletta, who is skeptical of Operation R.A.F.E. and encourages him to work on his schoolwork. Miller, also known as Miller the Killer, the school bully, stole Rafe's journal that had drawings and Operation R.A.F.E inside. Miller refused to give Rafe his journal back unless he pays $1 per page. Near the end of the book, Rafe has to go in with his mother to talk to the principal about one of the rules he broke. But when they get there, Rafe and Miller end up getting into a fight which leads to Rafe getting expelled. One of the teachers looks inside of the journal and sees the drawings. The teacher then suggests that Rafe goes to a special art school called Airbrook. The book ends with Rafe preparing to go to Airbrook.

Characters
  • Rafe Khatchadorian – The main character of the story who is a sixth grader at Hills Village Middle School who does not have many friends, apart from Leo the silent.
  • Leonardo the Silent – Rafe's quiet, imaginary friend who gets Rafe into trouble. Rather than being a figment of fantasy, like most imaginary friends, Leo the Silent was originally a real person – Rafe's twin brother, Leonardo, who died of meningitis when the boys were toddlers.
  • Georgia Khatchadorian – Rafe's annoying younger sister who occasionally quarrels with her brother and often acts as the family tattletale whenever she hears a secret.
  • Jeanne Galletta – One of Rafe's only friends in HVMS. She also tutors Rafe, who has a huge crush on her.
  • Miller the Killer – The school bully. He thinks Rafe is using Operation R.A.F.E. to threaten his status as the biggest troublemaker in school. He eventually pushes Rafe to a point where he beats him up (this happens at the end of the book).
  • Jules Khatchadorian – Rafe and Georgia's mother. A character attributed for making Rafe quit his game in the middle of the story. She is divorced.
  • Carl "Bear" – Jules' abusive, lazy fiancé, from whom she ends up parting.
  • Ms. Donatello "Dragon Lady" – A teacher of HVMS who seems mean to Rafe at first, but turns out to be nice and helps him.
  • James Patterson – An older version of Rafe. Also the author.

Accomplishments

Praise

"The book's ultra short chapters, dynamic artwork, and message that ‘normal is boring’ should go a long way toward assuring kids who don't fit in the mold that there's a place for them, too." – Publisher's Weekly[4]

"As Patterson artfully weaves a deeper and more thought-provoking tale of childhood coping mechanisms and everyday school and family realities, readers are drawn into a deeper understanding of and compassion for the main characters." – School Library Journal[5]

"Incredibly detailed and imaginative illustrations... add depth and humor.... an enjoyable story that even the most reluctant readers should enjoy." – Library Media Connection[2]

Awards

The book was named a Young Adult Library Services Association (YALSA) 2012 Top Ten Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Readers award.[6]

Based on Middle School’s success James Patterson was nominated for the Children's Book Council's Author of the Year award.[7]

Commercial success

Middle School, The Worst Years of My Life was a No. 1 The New York Times best-seller and a No. 1 Indiebound best-seller.[8] It was also made into an audiobook by Chivers Children's CDs.

Sequels

Middle School: Get Me Out of Here! was published on May 7, 2012. It follows Rafe in his new art school as he trades Operation: R.A.F.E. for Operation: Get a Life.[1] It also featured a sneak peek at Patterson's new novel I Funny which almost serves as the series' spiritual successor in terms of style. In Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life there are the first 17 pages of Middle School: Get Me Out of Here.

On March 18, 2013, another book, this time about Georgia, Rafe's little sister, called Middle School: My Brother is a Big, Fat Liar, was released.[9]

On June 24, 2013, another book called Middle School: How I Survived Bullies, Broccoli, and Snake Hill was released.[10]

After that, another book called Middle School: Ultimate Showdown was released, which did not have a story base. It was more of an activity book.

The story returned with Middle School: Save Rafe!, and was succeeded by Middle School: Just My Rotten Luck, Middle School: Dog's Best Friend, Middle School: Escape to Australia, Middle School: From Hero to Zero, Middle School: Born to Rock,Middle School: Master of Disaster and Middle School: Field Trip Fiasco.

Film adaptation
Main article: Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life (film)

A film adaptation was released by CBS Films in October 2016. Griffin Gluck played Rafe Khatchadorian.[11]

References
  1. "Middle School, the Worst Years of My Life - IndieBound.org". Indiebound.org. Retrieved 9 November 2017.
  2. Patterson, James; Tebbetts, Chris (27 June 2011). "Middle School, The Worst Years of My Life". Amazon.com. Retrieved 9 November 2017.
  3. "James Patterson moves into children's books". The Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 9 November 2017.
  4. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-04-02. Retrieved 2017-11-09.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  5. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2012-09-01. Retrieved 2012-10-06.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. "2012 Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Readers". Ala.org. 25 January 2012. Retrieved 9 November 2017.
  7. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2013-01-04. Retrieved 2012-08-01.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  8. "How to get your kid to be a fanatic reader". Cnn.com. Retrieved 9 November 2017.
  9. "Books: Middle School: My Brother Is a Big, Fat Liar – The Official James Patterson Website". Jamespatterson.com. Retrieved 9 November 2017.
  10. "Books: Middle School: How I Survived Bullies, Broccoli, and Snake Hill – The Official James Patterson Website". Jamespatterson.com. Retrieved 9 November 2017.
  11. "CBS Films Enrolls in 'Middle School' Based on James Patterson Book Series (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. 4 August 2015. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
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