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 to score big in class, he needs to find a way to turn his boring life into the inspiration for a work of art. His method? Operation: Get a Life! Anything he's never done before, he's going to do it, from learning to play poker to going to a modern art museum. But when his newest mission uncovers secrets about the family Rafe's never known, he has to decide if he's ready to have his world turned upside down. (Includes over 100 illustrations.)
From School Library Journal
Gr 5-7-Rafe Khatchadorian is artistic, uber creative, and prone to embellishing stories. In James Patterson and Chris Tebbetts's hilarious sequel (2012) to Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life (2011, both Little, Brown), Rafe relates his adventures during the seventh grade. When his mother loses her job, the family is forced to move into the city with grandma. Her house is tiny and crowded, and she keeps calling Rafe by the wrong name. Rafe is accepted into the prestigious Cathedral School of the Arts, and he makes his first "real, live human friend" since starting middle school. Things are looking up, but not for long. The trouble begins with a couple of bullies at school and continues when Rafe decides to embark on a mission to "get a life." What ensues is a tale of things broken-families, water balloons, artwork, and trust. Bryan Kennedy perfectly voices Rafe, expertly navigating his ups and downs. Have the book available so students can peruse Laura Park's illustrations. This fast-paced tale of middle school mishaps and mayhem will appeal to reluctant readers and students who enjoyed Jeff Kinney's "Diary of a Wimpy Kid" series.-Lisa Hubler, Charles F. Brush High School, Lyndhurst, OH α(c) Copyright 2011. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
