May 102013
Middle School: Get Me out of Here! – Free Preview (The First 19 Chapters)
James Patterson’s winning follow-up to the #1 New York Times bestseller Middle School, The Worst Years of My Life–which the LA Times called “a perfectly pitched novel”–is another riotous and heartwarming story about living large.
After sixth grade, the very worst year of his life, Rafe Khatchadorian thinks he has it made in seventh grade. He’s been accepted to art school in the big city and imagines a math-and-history-free fun zone.Wrong! It’s more competitive than Rafe ever expected, and
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Hilarious! My Middle School Students Loved This Book,
This is a fantastic read for anyone in middle school or about to go into middle school. I’m an elementary school teacher. I gave this book to one of my boy students who is in fifth grade and who is a reluctant reader. I’ve never seen him so excited about a book. He couldn’t put it down during our reading periods. When he finished, he asked me for something else to read. The pictures are hilarious and the main character has a great way of talking to kids an relating to them. I passed it to another student and he loved it as well. Your kids will love it, too!
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Constant action and high energy, nonstop comedy, and zillions of funny drawings,
Rafe Khatchadorian barely survived the sixth grade, but with the help of his teacher, he was accepted to Airbrook Arts Community School. Life is looking up, and Rafe anticipates expanding his art talents. But then disaster strikes. Rafe’s mom loses her job and is forced to move to the big city and live with Grandma Dotty. It’s not an ideal situation because Grandma Dotty’s house is small and crowded, forcing Rafe to sleep on the living room sofa. Rafe’s mom searches for a new job, but she isn’t having any luck. Fortunately, Rafe is accepted to a different art school, where he meets Matty the Freak, who becomes his first real live friend.
Then comes Rafe’s first art assignment critique, where the students hang their artwork in front of the entire class for everyone’s comments. It doesn’t go well, and Rafe gains a new enemy. But according to his teacher, art and life are very interconnected, and Rafe decides that in order to improve his art, he needs to expand his experiences. So he creates a brand new mission. Operation “Get A Life” challenges Rafe to discover 195 new experiences in 195 days, the number of days he has until the big spring art show at school. He has a lot of work ahead of him in order to accomplish his goal, and Matty the Freak is there for him.
Matty also proves to be a big help when Rafe decides to track down information on his father, whom he hasn’t seen since he was little. However, Grandma Dotty has some photos, and Rafe utilizes his detective skills to crack the case. Of course, experiencing life isn’t all about good stuff. Unfortunately, the combination of Rafe’s active imagination, his mission, and Matty the Freak land him in trouble over and over again. Not only will Rafe’s imagination have to work overtime in order to accomplish his goal and track down his dad, it will need to come up with ways to endure the many punishments he finds himself earning along the way. But Rafe is ready for the challenge.
With constant action and high energy, nonstop comedy, and zillions of funny drawings, this is a perfect series for both reluctant and adamant readers. Authors James Patterson and Chris Tebbetts, along with illustrator Laura Park, even add in a bit of mystery as Rafe tries to track down information on his missing father. Kids will relate to and bond with Rafe, who is hilariously funny but has trouble making friends and often gets into massive trouble thanks to his incredible imagination. Rafe has a good heart, though, and he exposes it in his search to experience life to the fullest. Fans will be thrilled to learn that a third Middle School adventure is in the works.
Reviewed by Chris Shanley-Dillman on June 1, 2012
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Charming and real,
Fun, realistic, totally honest book about the ups and downs (mostly downs) of being a middle schooler. Anybody who has a middle-schooler, or who has ever been one, will surely relate. Rafe Khatchadorian is the perfect Everyman (Everykid?) — a typical pre-teen who’s just trying to find his footing in a tricky world. It’s filled with issues and ideas to talk about, as a family…as well as charming illustrations that make the book even more fun.
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