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Middle School, The Worst Years of My Life

Contributors

By James Patterson

By Chris Tebbetts

Illustrated by Laura Park

Formats and Prices

Price

$14.99

Price

$19.99 CAD

Over 2 million copies sold of the #1 New York Times and Indiebound bestseller!

Don’t miss the book behind the major motion picture! In the hilarious and awkward start to this mega-bestselling series, beloved misfit Rafe Khatchadorian takes on his first year of middle school…by breaking all the rules!
 
Rafe Khatchadorian has enough problems at home without throwing his first year of middle school into the mix. Luckily, he’s got a foolproof plan for the best year ever, if only he can pull it off: break every rule in his school’s oppressive Code of Conduct. Chewing gum in class–5,000 points! Running in the hallway–10,000 points! But when Rafe’s game starts to catch up with him, he’ll have to decide if winning is all that matters, or if he’s finally ready to face the rules, bullies, and truths he’s been avoiding.

Beloved #1 bestselling author James Patterson’s debut middle-grade novel addresses some of middle schoolers’ biggest issues: bullies, first crushes, and finding out what makes each of us special, all with a hilarious main character and fantastic in-text illustrations that will have young readers begging for more!
 
★ “Patterson artfully weaves a deeper and more thought-provoking tale of childhood coping mechanisms and everyday school and family realities.”―School Library Journal (starred review)

Series:

  • Praise for Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life
    A #1 New York Times Bestseller
    A #1 Indiebound BestsellerA 2010 Oregon Children's Choice Award WinnerA 2012 Top Ten Quick Picks for Reluctant Young ReadersA 2013 Hawaii's Children's Choice Award WinnerA 2013 ALSC Summer Reading List BookA 2014 Oregon Reader's Choice Award NomineeA 2014 ALSC Summer Reading List Book
  • ★ "Patterson artfully weaves a deeper and... thought-provoking tale of childhood coping mechanisms and everyday school and family realities.... Hand this book to misbehaving, socially awkward, or disengaged boys and girls.... It might help them believe that there is a place for them in the world, no matter how dire times may seem in the present."
    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
  • "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

On Sale
May 6, 2014
Page Count
320 pages
ISBN-13
9780316322027

James Patterson

About the Author

James Patterson is the most popular storyteller of our time. He is the creator of unforgettable characters and series, including Alex Cross, the Women’s Murder Club, Jane Effing Smith, and Maximum Ride, and of breathtaking true stories about the Kennedys, John Lennon, and Princess Diana, as well as our military heroes, police officers, and ER nurses. He has coauthored #1 bestselling novels with Bill Clinton and Dolly Parton, told the story of his own life in James Patterson by James Patterson, and received an Edgar Award, ten Emmy Awards, the Literarian Award from the National Book Foundation, and the National Humanities Medal.

Learn more at jamespatterson.com

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Chris Tebbetts

About the Author

James Patterson has had more New York Times bestsellers than any other writer, ever, according to Guinness World Records. Since his first novel won the Edgar Award in 1977 James Patterson’s books have sold more than 300 million copies. He is the author of the Alex Cross novels, the most popular detective series of the past twenty-five years, including Kiss the Girls and Along Came a Spider. He writes full-time and lives in Florida with his family.

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Laura Park

About the Illustrator

Laura Park is a cartoonist and illustrator. Her work has appeared in the Best American Comics, The Anthology of Graphic Fiction, The Paris Review, and on Saveur.com. Park is also the illustrator for two middle-grade kids’ book series written by James Patterson, Middle School and I Funny. She is a member of the jam comics collective Trubble Club. Park currently lives in Lanas, France.

Learn more about this illustrator