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Middle School book cover 1
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Middle School
Series · 18
books · 2011-2022

Books in series

The Worst Years of My Life book cover
#1

The Worst Years of My Life

2011

NOW A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE! In his acclaimed and #1 bestselling middle-grade comic debut, Children's Choice Award Author of the Year James Patterson has never been more hilarious—or heartwarming. Rafe Khatchadorian has enough problems at home without throwing his first year of middle school into the mix. Luckily, he's got an ace plan for the best year ever, if only he can pull it off: With his best friend Leonardo the Silent awarding him points, Rafe tries to 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! Pulling the fire alarm—50,000 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. 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 are sure to have young readers begging for more!
Get Me out of Here! book cover
#2

Get Me out of Here!

2012

Live large with James Patterson's winning follow-up to the #1 New York Times bestseller Middle School, The Worst Years of My Life . 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.
My Brother Is a Big, Fat Liar book cover
#3

My Brother Is a Big, Fat Liar

2013

From blockbuster author James Patterson comes the third installment in the #1 New York Times bestselling Middle School series! Georgia Khatchadorian plans to excel at Hills Village Middle School in all the places her troublemaking brother failed. She's even bet him that she'll quickly become one of the most popular girls in school. But Rafe left a big mark at HVMS, and no one will give Georgia a chance! Even worse, Rafe has sneakily signed up her band to play at the school dance, and she's terrified to embarrass herself in front of the snooty "Princesses" who run the school and the boy who's caught her eye. Will she be able to overcome her fears and win her bet with Rafe? Find out THE TRUTH about Rafe Khatchadorian's sister in the first Middle School story from the point of view of the hilarious Georgia—a girl who's ready to speak her mind! Includes black-and-white illustrations throughout.
How I Survived Bullies, Broccoli, and Snake Hill book cover
#4

How I Survived Bullies, Broccoli, and Snake Hill

2013

Rafe Khatchadorian, the hero of the bestselling Middle School series, is ready for a fun summer at camp—until he finds out it’s a summer school camp! Luckily, Rafe easily makes friends with his troublemaking cabin mates and bunkmate, a boy nicknamed Booger-Eater, who puts up with endless teasing from the other kids. Rafe soon realizes there’s more to a person than a nickname, though. This third book in the massively popular Middle School series is an unforgettable summer of hijinks, new friends, and surprises, all told with the hilarity and honesty readers have come to expect from blockbuster author James Patterson.
Ultimate Showdown book cover
#5

Ultimate Showdown

2014

From bullies to school dances, Rafe and Georgia have an opinion about everything in middle school. But who's right? It's up to you. The Khatchadorian kids are an opinionated duo, and as readers of the Middle School stories know, they don't exactly see eye to eye. But when wild-card Rafe and mostly-straight-laced Georgia go at it, the only thing more fun than their ranting is getting to join in! Their back-and-forth banter on a range of topics-from bullying to cafeteria food to school dress codes-introduces more than 40 writing and drawing prompts and other games, along with room for readers to share their own points of view. Includes over 200 illustrations.
How I Got Lost in London book cover
#5.5

How I Got Lost in London

2014

The top ten bestselling series comes to London! As school trips go, this one is pretty awesome… When I was told we were going to London to study Living History, I thought they were joking. But here I am! Rafe Khatchadorian – global jetsetter! Now all I need to do is find a way of avoiding the school bully, getting Jeanne Galletta to talk to me, and try not to get lost in London. But things are never that simple. So fasten your seatbelts and hold on tight, because this could be a very bumpy flight…
Save Rafe! book cover
#6

Save Rafe!

2014

James Patterson's hilarious story of perseverance and courage shows everyone's favorite troublemaker, Rafe Khatchadorian, the star of the Middle School series, learning to become a leader at long last. After a rough summer, Rafe is heading back to the dreaded Hills Village Middle School, the site of the very worst years of his life. And as if that's not bad enough, he's learned that he's going to be held back a year unless he can prove himself on an outdoor survival excursion—complete with dangerous white-water rafting, dizzying rock climbing, and fanatical counselors. Rafe and the rest of the pack of "delinquent" trainees are forced to cooperate as they prepare for the final test: a solo excursion in the deep woods. Can Rafe come out of the experience in one piece? And if he does, he go home as the same insecure kid?
Just My Rotten Luck book cover
#7

Just My Rotten Luck

2015

TOUCHDOWN! James Patterson will have kids busting out laughing as they follow lovable bad-boy Rafe's struggles to score big on the field-and in the social scene! In this seventh Middle School episode, Rafe heads back to the place his misadventures the dreaded Hills Village Middle School, where he's now being forced to take "special" classes. He also finds himself joining the school's football team-alongside his main tormenter, Miller the Killer! But Rafe has grand plans for a better First, he decides to start a super-secret art project that's sure to rock the school. Then, if Rafe manages to make a play to save his team, he might have to deal with something completely popularity!
Middle School book cover
#7.25

Middle School

2015

James Patterson's bestselling Middle School series heads Down Under! Life is finally starting to look up for everyone's favourite troublemaker, Rafe Khatchadorian. No bullying, zero girl dramas, rising grades – the whole tamale. And when Rafe wins an all-expenses-paid trip to Australia, he can't quite believe his luck. That is, until his dreams of beaches, surfer chicks and cuddly koala bears go horribly wrong. Australia isn't exactly the island paradise Rafe imagined. And nobody mentioned the zombies! Can a group of social misfits show Rafe a different side of Australia and encourage him to be the great artist he was born to be? Or will Rafe's plan for holiday revenge end up being his worst idea ever?
Going Bush book cover
#7.5

Going Bush

2016

Rafe's been to the beach and now he's headed to the bush - watch out Australia! It's fair to say that Rafe's recent trip Down Under could not easily be called a success: in Australia he and his Mom were forced to flee a pack of bloodthirsty zombies after the 'performance piece' by Rafe and The Outsiders traumatised Shark Bay (aka 'Australia's Bravest Town'). Yet, when Rafe receives an offer to attend all-expenses paid 'Cultural Campout' in the Northern Territory, Australia, he takes precisely six seconds to say 'yes'. What happens next is full-throttle outback adventure in which Rafe will have to draw on every bit of his new-found 'Man of Experience' persona to make it out alive.
Dog's Best Friend book cover
#8

Dog's Best Friend

2016

Discover the series that inspired the Middle School movie with this hilarious installment of James Patterson's hit series starring everyone's favorite underdog, with non-stop laughs on every page. It's a dog-eat-dog world, and Rafe Khatchadorian is just trying to live in it. Life in middle school is finally starting to seem bearable-until Rafe spots his grandmother standing on the free-meal line at the local soup kitchen. In order to help bring in more money, Rafe concocts a brilliant plan: a dog-walking business that soon turns into a huge money-making neighborhood empire. He'll even have extra cash to buy his own WormHole Deluxe Multi-Platform GameBox! That is, until two terrible twins launch the Great Dog War by sabotaging Rafe's flyers and stealing his customers. Plus, his bratty kid sister Georgia has skipped a grade, so now she's in all of Rafe's classes. Throw a kid a bone!
Escape to Australia book cover
#9

Escape to Australia

2017

In this adventurous installment of James Patterson's bestselling Middle School series, everyone's favorite underdog hero Rafe Khatchadorian is headed to the dangerous wilds of Australia! Rafe isn't exactly considered a winner in Hills Village Middle School to say the least, but everything's about to change: he's won a school-wide art competition, and the fabulous prize is getting to jet off to Australia for a whirlwind adventure! But Rafe soon finds that living in the Land Down Under is harder than he could've ever imagined: his host-siblings are anything but welcoming, the burning temperatures are torturous, and poisonous critters are ready to sting or eat him at every step. So with the help of some new misfit friends, Rafe sets out to show everyone what he does best: create utter mayhem!
From Hero to Zero book cover
#10

From Hero to Zero

2018

Join lovable troublemaker Rafe Khatchadorian on a trip to London, where he must cope with a bully, a secret crush, and one hilarious embarrassment after another. After a mostly-successful stint at Hills Valley Middle School, Rafe is excited to visit the incredible city of London with his class. Sightseeing around a foreign country sounds like a blast, until Rafe finds out his roommate is Miller the Killer, bully extraordinaire! Then he's forced to work on a class project side by side with his crush Jeanne Galletta and her too-perfect boyfriend, which might be even worse than rooming with Miller. And it's no surprise that Rafe's bad luck follows him across the pond, putting him in one crazy situation after another—all under the watchful eye of his bad-tempered principal. Out of all of his adventures, this trip could prove to be Rafe's most embarrassing yet, undoing everything good he has going for him back home!
Born to Rock book cover
#11

Born to Rock

2019

In the next book in James Patterson's bestselling Middle School series, Rafe Khatchadorian's hilarious little sister, Georgia, is back for another rollicking adventure! This time, she's vying to be crowned winner of the Battle of the Bands—if she doesn't die of embarrassment first! It's not easy being Rafe Khatchadorian's sister. He's got quite a reputation around school, and Georgia's got it hard enough as is! With a super secret crush on her classmate Sam Marks, a Rube Goldberg machine challenge to dominate, and constant confrontations with vicious Missy Trillin and her evil Princess Patrol to look forward to, Georgia can't help but throw all her energy into the one thing that makes her her kick-butt, all-girl rock band, We Stink! When Georgia's favorite rock band, Lulu and the Handbags, advertise a major music competition where the winner gets to jam with Lulu herself, Georgia will pull all the stops to make sure We Stink wins—even if it means asking her annoying older brother, Rafe, for help! Will his crazy ideas work, or land her in serious trouble?
Master of Disaster book cover
#12

Master of Disaster

2020

In this blockbuster installment of the bestselling Middle School series, Rafe and all the favorite characters from James Patterson's books for kids get caught up in a hilarious adventure—together for the first time! Rafe and Jimmy, two misunderstood "troublemakers", are finally up to something good. They're in charge of a huge celebration of books and reading—but when a small issue snowballs into a big problem that threatens to derail the whole event, they need to work fast to keep things on track! And the best part? Rafe and Jimmy are joined by the funniest storytellers they know, including Jamie Grimm from I FUNNY, Jacky Ha-Ha, the Kidd family of TREASURE HUNTERS, super-genius Max Einstein—everyone's favorite characters from James Patterson's bestselling series for kids!
Field Trip Fiasco book cover
#13

Field Trip Fiasco

2021

Things have quieted down for lovable troublemaker Rafe Khatchadorian, and after all the mishaps and adventures he's been through, he's feeling a little restless. So when he's invited to attend an all-expenses paid art field trip in California, Rafe jumps at the opportunity. But things go sideways, as they always do for Rafe, when he arrives and realizes his trip isn't the Hollywood vacation he thought it would be. Instead, he'll be participating in a "Cultural Campout" in the desert. What follows is a series of unfortunate events that only Rafe could find himself in, including an encounter with a cranky crocodile, a claustrophobic trip into an ancient cave, and a set of cave ancient cave paintings that may or may not have been faked. To make matters worse, Rafe finds himself smack dab in the middle of a plot to smuggle a legendary missing diamond. Has he finally stumbled his way into an adventure he can't get himself out of?
It's a Zoo in Here! book cover
#14

It's a Zoo in Here!

2021

The fourteenth book in the hilarious illustrated children's series
Middle School book cover
#15

Middle School

Winter Blunderland

2022

Sometimes middle school feels like a dangerous mission in the cold, unforgiving tundra. Sometimes it literally is. Will Rafe survive his most (frost)biting adventure yet? Things heat up at Hills Village Middle School when Rafe gets an invitation from Dr. Daria Deerwin to join a research study on polar bears. How many times in life do you get a chance to come face‑to‑face with a real polar bear in the wild? Rafe is ready to find out! Alaska is pinkie‑freezing, hair‑freezing, snot‑freezing cold, but Rafe might be headed for a meltdown. He’s spending every waking moment with Penelope, who he definitely has a crush on, and a polar bear Dr. Deerwin is tracking goes missing...with poachers on the tundra. It’s up to Rafe, Penelope, and their new friends to save the day in Rafe's coolest adventure yet.

Authors

James Patterson
James Patterson
Author · 501 books

Official US Site Official UK Site JIMMY Patterson Books ReadKiddoRead James Patterson is the world’s bestselling author. Among his creations are Alex Cross, the Women’s Murder Club, Michael Bennett, and Maximum Ride. His #1 bestselling nonfiction includes Walk in My Combat Boots, Filthy Rich, and his autobiography, James Patterson by James Patterson. He has collaborated on novels with Bill Clinton and Dolly Parton and has won an Edgar Award, nine Emmy Awards, and the National Humanities Medal.

Lisa Papademetriou
Lisa Papademetriou
Author · 28 books
Bestselling author Lisa Papademetriou is the author of the 'Confectionately Yours' series, 'Middle School: Big, Fat Liar' and 'Homeroom Diaries' (both with James Patterson), and many other novels for middle grade and young adult readers. Her books have appeared on the Bank Street Best Books of the Year list, the NYPL Books for the Teen Age, and the Texas Lone Star Reading List, among others. A former editor, Lisa has worked for Scholastic, HarperCollins, and DisneyPress, and holds an MFA from Vermont College of Fine Arts. HarperCollins will publish her next novel, 'A Tale of Highly Unusual Magic', in October 2015.
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Middle School