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Middle School: How I Survived Bullies, Broccoli, and Snake Hill by James Patterson, Chris Tebbetts
mrskatiefitz's review
3.0
As I mentioned in my review of Middle School: My Brother is a Big Fat Liar, I really like James Patterson’s middle school books. The fourth book in the series (and fifth middle school book, if I Funny also counts) sends Rafe to an academic summer camp, where he can hopefully catch up with his classmates before returning to school in the Fall. At camp, Rafe quickly discovers that his bunkmates, while cool in his eyes, are the losers of the entire camp, and the targets of serious bullies. Rather than sit back and accept his fate, Rafe takes matters into his own hands, even though his noble behavior will result in his being expelled from camp.
From the Gordon Korman-esque cast of underdog characters to Rafe’s laughable crush on one of his teachers, to the return of Leo after his total absence from book three, this book has a lot going for it. Rafe tells us at the outset of the story that he has been tossed out of camp, so there is an immediate motivation for the reader to stick with the story and learn the gory details. The change of setting and introduction of new characters keeps Rafe’s troublemaking persona from going stale, and brings in a new set of obstacles and dramas that stand between him and a calm, peaceful life. Most importantly (at least to me), Rafe makes an important stand against bullying, revealing the good heart that lies beneath his outward rule-flouting.
Though I prefer school stories, and hope for a return to the school setting in the next book, this summer installment was very satisfying. I like the way Patterson balances his positive message about combating bullying with the truth of how bullies and victims often interact in the real world. Not everything in the story is likely to happen in real life, but the emotions of everything - and particularly Rafe’s behavior, and his conversations with Leo - are perfectly authentic. I could have done without Patterson’s preachy anti-bullying author’s note, as I though it trivialized the events of the story and inserted an unnecessary adult voice into the narrative, but this is a minor problem in an otherwise solid read.
From the Gordon Korman-esque cast of underdog characters to Rafe’s laughable crush on one of his teachers, to the return of Leo after his total absence from book three, this book has a lot going for it. Rafe tells us at the outset of the story that he has been tossed out of camp, so there is an immediate motivation for the reader to stick with the story and learn the gory details. The change of setting and introduction of new characters keeps Rafe’s troublemaking persona from going stale, and brings in a new set of obstacles and dramas that stand between him and a calm, peaceful life. Most importantly (at least to me), Rafe makes an important stand against bullying, revealing the good heart that lies beneath his outward rule-flouting.
Though I prefer school stories, and hope for a return to the school setting in the next book, this summer installment was very satisfying. I like the way Patterson balances his positive message about combating bullying with the truth of how bullies and victims often interact in the real world. Not everything in the story is likely to happen in real life, but the emotions of everything - and particularly Rafe’s behavior, and his conversations with Leo - are perfectly authentic. I could have done without Patterson’s preachy anti-bullying author’s note, as I though it trivialized the events of the story and inserted an unnecessary adult voice into the narrative, but this is a minor problem in an otherwise solid read.
rzmanjal's review
3.0
This was a fun, short middle-grade read to break up all the bad books I've been reading. After reading so many horrible books, I needed a silly little book like this.
We follow this young kid, Rafe, as he goes to a summer camp, and it's just what you would expect: an entertaining, short, silly book.
If you're looking for something serious, then this is an obvious no, but if you just want something fun, then go ahead with this.
We follow this young kid, Rafe, as he goes to a summer camp, and it's just what you would expect: an entertaining, short, silly book.
If you're looking for something serious, then this is an obvious no, but if you just want something fun, then go ahead with this.
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