Written by the prolific James Patterson in conjunction with Chris Tebbetts, Middle School, the Worst Years of My Life jumps on the band wagon spawned by Diary of a Wimpy Kid and continued in the series Big Nate.  It is a mash-up of text with cartoon drawings that elementary and middle students find so compelling.  From a literary standpoint, I am not a big fan of this fad.  The writing at the beginning felt forced as it attempted to capture the voice and venacular of modern, middle-grade students.  Although later in the book, the narrative voice did smooth out.  The redeeming point of this book is its themes and the creation of a character who is truly unique:  an artistic and lonely boy with some deep-rooted emotional issues.  The main character, Rafe, is not a hero, but may be very relatable to kids who needed a literary character they can connect with.  Also, there was an unforeseen twist that was a nice touch.  Parents will hate the premise (a quest to break every rule in the school handbook), but young readers will enjoy this book.

Content Analysis:

Profanity/Language:  None

Violence/Gore:  Bully pushes a character against a wall; character fantasizes about slaying dragons (with green blood); a character verbally threatens another character; an adult pushes another adult resulting in minor injury; a child pushes an adult; two students fist fight/wrestle resulting in minor injuries and a bloody nose; report of a death many years ago.

Sex/Nudity:  A boy likes a girl and thinks she is cute; a character streaks in public wearing only boxers.

Mature Subject Matter:

Pervasive Juvenile Deliquency, Death of a Family Member, Mental Health Issues

Alcohol / Drug Use:

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