Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life
| Author | James Patterson |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Laura Park |
| Language | English |
| Series | Middle School |
| Genre | Graphic Novel/ Comedy |
| Publisher | Little, Brown and Company |
Publication date | June 27, 2011 [1] |
| Publication place | United States |
| Media type | Print (hardcover, paperback) |
| Pages | 283 |
| ISBN | [[Special:BookSources/978-0316101875+%7F%27%22%60UNIQ--ref-00000001-QINU%60%22%27%7F |978-0316101875 [2]]] Parameter error in {{ISBNT}}: invalid character |
| Followed by | Middle School, Get Me Out of Here! |
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.[3] 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 [4] as he attempts to break every school rule and collect the most points any student's ever been given. The book received critical acclaim from most reviewers and went on to spawn its sequel, Middle School, Get Me Out of Here!.
Plot
The story begins when Rafe Khatchadorian enters sixth grade at Hills Village Middle School. Rafe dislikes his new school saying, “I think it was a prison for Pilgrims back then, but not too much has changed. Now it’s a prison for sixth, seventh, and eighth graders.”
Rafe is bored with sixth grade at first, but he and his friend Leo the Silent invent "Operation R.A.F.E.", a challenge to break every rule in his middle school handbook. He also deals with strife at home. His mother constantly works double shifts at a diner and barely gets to see Rafe and his sister, Georgia. He has a verbally abusive future stepfather 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.
Rafe's consequences increase rapidly, including many detentions with his English teacher, Ms. Donatello. This causes a lot of tension between Rafe, Bear, and Rafe's mother. After having a fight with Bear about how Leonardo is a bad influence on Rafe, it is revealed that Leonardo is Rafe's imaginary friend. In about the middle of the book, Rafe starts selling Zoom out of his locker, to get some extra money and also to get some pages back from Miller, who took his Operation R.A.F.E notebook.
Rafe's actions cause him to get horrible grades, get suspended, and be tutored by Jeanne Galletta, whom he is trying to avoid since he found out she doesn't like him. Finally, Miller sends all Rafe's Operation R.A.F.E details in the mail. Rafe, his mother, and Bear get to talking, then yelling, then Bear pushes Rafe's mother down the stairs. So Bear has to pack his stuff and move out. Rafe also gets expelled from middle school by spraying graffiti on the school walls, but Ms. Donatello sees the potential in the art he has been doing. He is sent to an art school instead of middle school, and in the final part of the book, Leonardo is revealed to be Rafe's dead twin brother. Rafe apparently lives happily ever after at his art school.
Internal & External conflict
Internal conflict- Rafe feels that he is going to hate middle school. External conflict- Rafe has to face the school bully, Miller, aka, " Miller the Killer".
Characters
Rafael "Rafe" Khatchadorian. The protagonist of the story who is a sixth grader at HVMS
Georgia Khatchadorian. Rafe's annoying little sister who occasionally quarrels with her brother and often acts as the family tattletale whenever she catches Rafe in the act of something wrong.
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Leonardo "Leo" the Silent, who encourages Rafe to continue playing Operation R.A.F.E. even when it makes his life difficult. He is revealed to be an imaginary incarnation of Rafe's late twin brother (also named Leonardo), who had died of meningitis at a young age.
Jeanne "Jay-Gee" Galletta, Rafe’s crush. One of the only people who knows about Operation R.A.F.E., Jeanne tries to convince Rafe to give it up and take his schoolwork more seriously.
Ms. Donatello, AKA the Dragon Lady. Rafe’s English teacher who also runs after-school detention. Later in the book, Rafe starts to like Ms. Donatello as he is in detention.
Miller, AKA Miller the Killer. The school bully. He thinks Rafe is using Operation R.A.F.E. to threaten his status as the biggest trouble-maker in school. He eventually pushes Rafe to a point where he beats him up.
Julie, "Jules" Khatchadorian- The mother of Rafe and Georgia and who's ex-boyfriend is Carl "Bear". A protagonist who is optimistic and finds solutions to problems accompanied by the teachers at HVMS to solve Rafael's problems.
Bear. Jules' abusive former fiancé.
Accomplishments
Praise
“Readers will want to stick around. Middle School has a keen appreciation of kids' insecurities and an even more astute understanding of what might propel boy readers through a book. Not only is Rafe's plight relatable, so is the manner in which he expresses it. The lingo is casual and humorous, and as self-aware as one might expect from an 11-year-old.” LA Times [5]
“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 [6]
“As Patterson artfully weaves a deeper and more thought-provoking tale of childhood coping mechanims and everyday school and family realities, readers are drawn into a deeper understanding of and compassion for the main characters.” School Library Journal [7]
"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
YALSA 2012 Top Ten Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Readers award.[8]
Based on Middle School’s success James Patterson was nominated for the Children’s Book Council’s Author of the Year award.[9]
Commercial Success
Middle School, The Worst Years of My Life was a No. 1 New York Times best-seller and a No. 1 Indiebound best-seller.[10] this was also made into a audiobook by Chivers Children's CDs.
Sequel
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.[3] 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 is the first 71 pages of middle school, get me out of here.
References
- ^ http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780316101875. Indiebound.org. Retrieved on August 1, 2012.
- ^ a b http://www.amazon.com/Middle-School-Worst-Years-Life/dp/0316101877. Amazon.com. Retrieved August 1, 2012.
- ^ a b http://www.indiebound.org/book/9780316206716. Indiebound.org. Retrieved on August 1, 2012.
- ^ http://www.csmonitor.com/Books/chapter-and-verse/2011/0701/James-Patterson-moves-into-children-s-books
- ^ http://articles.latimes.com/2011/jun/26/entertainment/la-ca-james-patterson-20110626. LA Times. Retrieved August 1, 2012.
- ^ http://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-316-10187-5 Publisher's Weekly. Retrieved August 1, 2012.
- ^ http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/slj/reviews/grade5andup/892308-316/grades_5_and_up.html.csp. School Library Journal. Retrieved August 1, 2012.
- ^ http://www.ala.org/yalsa/booklists/quickpicks/2012. Young Adult Library Servies Organization. Retrieved August 1, 2012.
- ^ http://www.cbcbooks.org/sub-news.php?id=272. Children's Book Council. Retrieved August 1, 2012.
- ^ http://www.cnn.com/2011/09/28/opinion/patterson-kids-reading/index.html?hpt=op_t1. CNN.com. Retrieved August 1, 2012.