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Reviews
Middle School: My Brother Is a Big, Fat Liar by Lisa Papademetriou, Neil Swaab, James Patterson
mehsi's review against another edition
4.0
I recently bought (at Deventer boekenmarkt) Rafe's camp book, and after that I wanted to continue with this series. Now I am home again from vacation I could finally do just that. I was curious about Georgia, so her book was the first one I bought.
And I am happy I did, though I have to say that I hated the school. Wow, so because someone in her family ruined things at school you will treat her like crap? That is just a no-no. She doesn't even get a chance to explain, she doesn't get a chance to show she isn't as Rafe. Gee, great teaching right there. :| Really, I was just so pissed at the teachers and principal for acting the way they did. I know Rafe ruined a lot, Rafe destroyed a lot, but is that really professional to blame the sister as well and treat her like crap? No. Just no.
But even with the crappy school I really liked the book. The characters are fun, it was definitely fun to see Rafe again. Sure, he is a bit of a destructive force, but I did like him a lot. He doesn't have a major role in this one, but we do see him quite a few times. Teasing his sister, doing his best at school (Gasp!), pranking people left and right, and much much more. He even showed some sweet moments (though he immediately went back to being normal Rafe again).
Of course my favourite was Georgia. I liked that girl. She wanted to show the world she was better than Rafe, and she did at times.
It was fun to see things happen from her POV as it gave more insight in the family, and also in Rafe.
We even find out something about her in this book. Wow, that must have been quite a shock for her, I can imagine how hard it would have been for the mom, and also for the grandma (even if she forgets everything it seems).
Plus it was quite fun to see her pave the way in school. To make happy memories. To make friends.
I did also feel sorry for her, that she had to take care of stuff at home. Don't get me wrong, I am all for kids helping out in the house. But having her make sure her grandma doesn't completely do stuff wrong, having to cook or else there is no food? Also the fact she didn't really have anyone to talk to about the stuff that happened to school. Poor thing. :( Luckily she is resourceful, and she will try her best to find out stuff herself.
The band was a fun addition, though I do think that Georgia really needs more lessons. Then again, the whole band could use that. :P
The ending, the dance, the Battle of the Bands, it was all a delight, I was so happy for Georgia. And she also finally had a chance to be honest with her mom and tell her all that was bothering her! Yay!
But I have to remove 0.5 stars for the copy-pasting of a character from another series/show. Sorry, but Rhonda? She was just as Grenda from Gravity Falls. I recently watched that show, and I can say that while I know there are stereotypes for characters in every book, I never have seen a Grenda, and I do read quite a lot of books a year. Rhonda was just like Grenda. I am not sure if this was a tribute, or something else, but everything matched. Their names are almost the same. Rhonda is also a big girl. Rhonda shouts all the time (yes, I would say Grenda definitely shouts, she is quite loud). Both Rhonda and Grenda don't get the word privacy. Both of them also don't get the concept of no. I could go on, but I won't. I just think it is a shame. :( Instead of seeing Rhonda I just saw Grenda. :|
All in all though, this was a really fun book, and I enjoyed it a lot. Guess I will be buying the other books soon because I want to see more Rafe and Georgia.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
And I am happy I did, though I have to say that I hated the school. Wow, so because someone in her family ruined things at school you will treat her like crap? That is just a no-no. She doesn't even get a chance to explain, she doesn't get a chance to show she isn't as Rafe. Gee, great teaching right there. :| Really, I was just so pissed at the teachers and principal for acting the way they did. I know Rafe ruined a lot, Rafe destroyed a lot, but is that really professional to blame the sister as well and treat her like crap? No. Just no.
But even with the crappy school I really liked the book. The characters are fun, it was definitely fun to see Rafe again. Sure, he is a bit of a destructive force, but I did like him a lot. He doesn't have a major role in this one, but we do see him quite a few times. Teasing his sister, doing his best at school (Gasp!), pranking people left and right, and much much more. He even showed some sweet moments (though he immediately went back to being normal Rafe again).
Of course my favourite was Georgia. I liked that girl. She wanted to show the world she was better than Rafe, and she did at times.
It was fun to see things happen from her POV as it gave more insight in the family, and also in Rafe.
We even find out something about her in this book. Wow, that must have been quite a shock for her, I can imagine how hard it would have been for the mom, and also for the grandma (even if she forgets everything it seems).
Plus it was quite fun to see her pave the way in school. To make happy memories. To make friends.
I did also feel sorry for her, that she had to take care of stuff at home. Don't get me wrong, I am all for kids helping out in the house. But having her make sure her grandma doesn't completely do stuff wrong, having to cook or else there is no food? Also the fact she didn't really have anyone to talk to about the stuff that happened to school. Poor thing. :( Luckily she is resourceful, and she will try her best to find out stuff herself.
The band was a fun addition, though I do think that Georgia really needs more lessons. Then again, the whole band could use that. :P
The ending, the dance, the Battle of the Bands, it was all a delight, I was so happy for Georgia. And she also finally had a chance to be honest with her mom and tell her all that was bothering her! Yay!
But I have to remove 0.5 stars for the copy-pasting of a character from another series/show. Sorry, but Rhonda? She was just as Grenda from Gravity Falls. I recently watched that show, and I can say that while I know there are stereotypes for characters in every book, I never have seen a Grenda, and I do read quite a lot of books a year. Rhonda was just like Grenda. I am not sure if this was a tribute, or something else, but everything matched. Their names are almost the same. Rhonda is also a big girl. Rhonda shouts all the time (yes, I would say Grenda definitely shouts, she is quite loud). Both Rhonda and Grenda don't get the word privacy. Both of them also don't get the concept of no. I could go on, but I won't. I just think it is a shame. :( Instead of seeing Rhonda I just saw Grenda. :|
All in all though, this was a really fun book, and I enjoyed it a lot. Guess I will be buying the other books soon because I want to see more Rafe and Georgia.
Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/
jenreadalot's review against another edition
4.0
I saw the movie last night (Middle School: The worst years of my life) and remembered I had one of the books in the series. (Btw, the movie was great 5/5 and the main actor was super cute- drooling the whole time) The sister is so cute, and I could relate to some of her problems.
swiftie7013's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
librateanjes's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
loloreader8's review against another edition
5.0
As if I could love James Patterson any more!!! It is amazing the versatility he shows with his YA book series and I am head over heels in love with it. What better way for a teacher to create life long readers than to introduce students to an author that they can grow with all the way into adulthood? I have loved reading this series and my students follow my lead.
shighley's review against another edition
3.0
Some parts of this book were imaginative and funny, but too often I felt like Patterson was writing down to kids. Some of the stereotypes were too... stereotypical. It would be possible for students to read this book without reading the first two, narrated by Rafe. I listened to this on CD, which was relatively easy to follow. The drawings are available on the final CD; I didn't think they were as essential to the story as they were on the first two in the series.
Sometimes I got roped into believing Georgia's descriptions of what she said or how she reacted, before she revealed it really didn't happen that way. The scenes with the Lizard were very funny. An adult can see some of these as satirical, but I don't know how it will come across to students.
I liked the fact that the bullies, "the princesses", were not big, ugly students. But, I can't believe that all of the things they said and did would go unchecked in a school. I think it's true that sometimes younger siblings are unfairly compared to older brothers and sisters. I liked Georgia's mom stepping in when staff members were not fair to her daughter, but I would think in real life she would have said something sooner. However, I felt the treatment of Dottie was very insensitive. When Georgia's mom was going to tell her something in private, I thought she was going to reveal that Dottie was suffering from dementia or Alzheimer's. It wasn't fun to make fun of her randomness.
I liked the way that it wasn't revealed at first that Georgia had a slight handicap. I didn't feel the other big reveal about her background was really necessary.
Ultimately, though, this book is aimed at kids and getting them to read. I'm sure Patterson would approve of discussions comparing the book to real life I was disappointed that there wasn't more about Donatello; instead, all educators were portrayed as morons, including the psychologist. But, how could you not like a book where the main character professes a love for reading. Still can't believe Rafe would steal The Book Thief, though!
Sometimes I got roped into believing Georgia's descriptions of what she said or how she reacted, before she revealed it really didn't happen that way. The scenes with the Lizard were very funny. An adult can see some of these as satirical, but I don't know how it will come across to students.
I liked the fact that the bullies, "the princesses", were not big, ugly students. But, I can't believe that all of the things they said and did would go unchecked in a school. I think it's true that sometimes younger siblings are unfairly compared to older brothers and sisters. I liked Georgia's mom stepping in when staff members were not fair to her daughter, but I would think in real life she would have said something sooner. However, I felt the treatment of Dottie was very insensitive. When Georgia's mom was going to tell her something in private, I thought she was going to reveal that Dottie was suffering from dementia or Alzheimer's. It wasn't fun to make fun of her randomness.
I liked the way that it wasn't revealed at first that Georgia had a slight handicap. I didn't feel the other big reveal about her background was really necessary.
Ultimately, though, this book is aimed at kids and getting them to read. I'm sure Patterson would approve of discussions comparing the book to real life I was disappointed that there wasn't more about Donatello; instead, all educators were portrayed as morons, including the psychologist. But, how could you not like a book where the main character professes a love for reading. Still can't believe Rafe would steal The Book Thief, though!
katrina_daquin's review
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.25