Middle School: Get Me out of Here! [Hardcover]

James Patterson (Author), Chris Tebbetts (Author), Laura Park (Illustrator)

Book Description

Release date: May 7, 2012 | Age Range: 8 and up | Series: Middle School (Book 2) | Lexile Measure: 680L (What's this?)

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.)

Editorial Reviews

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. --This text refers to the Audio CD edition.

Review

A #1 New York Times Bestseller
An Indiebound Bestseller
One of Barnes & Noble's Best Books of 2012

Praise for Middle School: Get Me out of Here!:

"Patterson and Tebbetts have created strong characters and relationships throughout the novel. Rafe has his triumphs and failures, but he's a realistic kid whom readers would want as a friend and coconspirator." (School Library Journal )

"Will be enjoyed by middle-grade boys, particularly reluctant readers." (VOYA )

"Short chapters and a partially graphic format are sure to appeal." (Booklist )

Praise for Middle School, The Worst Years of My Life:

A 2012 Top Ten Quick Picks for Reluctant Young Readers title

* "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, starred review )

"A keen appreciation of kids' insecurities and an even more astute understanding of what might propel boy readers through a book.... a perfectly pitched novel."

(Los Angeles Times )

"Cleverly delves into the events that make middle school so awkward: cranky bus drivers, tardy slips, bathroom passes and lots of rules.... Hopefully, this isn't the last we hear from Rafe Khatchadorian."

(The Associated Press )

"It's a chatty, funny, engaging book, one that often addresses the reader directly. It's filled with energetic cartoons... that will appeal to your little rebel, depicting teachers as dungeon-keepers, matadors and flying dragons. Patterson... knows how to structure a plot and builds in some surprising--even touching--twists.... Rafe is the bad boy with a heart of gold." (The New York Times )

"The book's... dynamic artwork and message that 'normal is boring' should go a long way toward assuring kids who don't fit the mold that there's a place for them, too." (Publishers Weekly )

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

"There is substance as well as appeal here.... Patterson deftly manages the pace of revelations that take readers deeper into Rafe's fragile trust.... Readers ready for something else in the same vein but more substantive than Kinney's Diary of a Wimpy Kid or Peirce's Big Nate should be introduced to Rafe."

(Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Age Range: 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 288 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown and Company; First Edition edition (May 7, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9780316206716
• ISBN-13: 978-0316206716
• ASIN: 0316206717
• Product Dimensions: 5.8 x 1 x 8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1,443 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,035 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #2 in Books > Children's Books > Travel & Cultures > Where We Live > City Life
  • #4 in Books > Children's Books > Social Situations > Family Life > Multigenerational
  • #32 in Books > Children's Books > Social Situations > School

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

28 of 31 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Hilarious! My Middle School Students Loved This Book May 18, 2012

By Shawn S

Format:Hardcover

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!

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Constant action and high energy, nonstop comedy, and zillions of funny drawings June 4, 2012

By KidsReads

Format:Hardcover

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

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Charming and real May 22, 2012

By Dora K

Format:Hardcover

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.