Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life

by James Patterson

Rafe is bored at Hills Village Middle School with sixth grade at first, but he and his friend Leonardo the Silent invent "Operation R.A.F.E." (stands for "rules aren't for everyone"), a challenge to break every rule in his middle school handbook. He also deals with problems at home. His mother constantly works double shifts at a Swifty's Diner and barely gets to see Rafe and his sister Georgia. He has a verbally abusive stepfather-to-be 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. Miller, also known as Miller the Killer, the school bully, stole Rafe's journal that had drawings and Operation R.A.F.E inside. Miller refused to give Rafe his journal back unless he pays $1 per page. Near the end of the book, Rafe has to go in with his mother to talk to the principal about one of the rules he broke. But when they get there, Rafe and Miller end up getting into a fight which ever leads to Rafe getting expelled. One of the teachers looks inside of the journal and sees the drawings. The teacher then suggests that Rafe goes to a special art school called Airbrook. The end of the book is as follows: Rafe goes to Airbrook, an art school just for him.