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  • The Worst Years of My Life by James Patterson book cover
  • The Worst Years of My Life by James Patterson book cover
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The Worst Years of My Life

by James Patterson

A rule-breaking plan meets the realities of middle school

$11.53 USD
$19.22 USD $11.53 USD
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Awards & Recognition

  • Bestseller

    #1 New York Times bestseller

  • Critical praise

    Starred review from School Library Journal

    Starred review praising the book's treatment of childhood coping mechanisms and school and family realities.

AlbakiReads Editorial

A rule-breaking plan meets the realities of middle school

Rafe Khatchadorian arrives at middle school with a points-based scheme: break the school’s Code of Conduct and rack up a score. As the game begins to catch up with him, the story brings its focus to the consequences of his choices and the challenges he has been avoiding. Bullying, first crushes, family life, and the search for what makes each person special all shape this middle-grade story. In-text illustrations accompany Rafe’s school-year misadventures, while the central dilemma asks whether winning matters more than facing difficult truths.

Good fit for readers who enjoy

  • Middle-grade readers interested in school stories and rule-breaking schemes
  • Readers looking for fiction that addresses bullying, first crushes, and family challenges
  • Readers who enjoy books with in-text illustrations

Themes

BullyingSchool rules and consequencesFirst crushesFamily challengesSelf-discovery

Based on publisher information and book metadata.

Book overview

Over 2 million copies sold of this #1 New York Times bestseller!

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)
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