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“It’s a chatty, funny, engaging book, one that often addresses the reader directly. It’s filled with energetic cartoons…that will appeal to your little rebel, depicting teachers as dungeon-keepers, matadors, and flying dragons. Patterson…knows how to structure a plot and builds in some surprising—even touching—twists…Rafe is the bad boy with a heart of gold.”
— New York Times
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“A keen appreciation of kids’ insecurities and an even more astute understanding of what might propel boy readers through a book…A perfectly pitched novel.”
— Los Angeles Times
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“Cleverly delves into the events that make middle school so awkward: cranky bus drivers, tardy slips, bathroom passes, and lots of rules…Hopefully, this isn’t the last we hear from Rafe Khatchadorian.”
— Associated Press
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“The book’s…dynamic artwork and message that ‘normal is boring’ should go a long way toward assuring kids who don’t fit the mold that there’s a place for them, too.”
— Publishers Weekly
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“James Patterson and Chris Tebbetts offer a likeable, middle-grade underachiever, Rafe Khatchadorian…This book is engaging, funny, and quirky. What the book does that is unique is provide a glimpse at what it might be like to try to exist in a system that does not make room for variation. Rafe is much more than a preadolescent gone wild; he is an artist and a writer looking for a place to flourish. Though the book will probably appeal most to sixth graders, readers who just want a good chuckle will enjoy it too.”
— VOYA
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“Patterson artfully weaves a deeper and…thought-provoking tale of childhood coping mechanisms and everyday school and family realities…Hand this book to misbehaving, socially awkward, or disengaged boys and girls…It might help them believe that there is a place for them in the world, no matter how dire times may seem in the present.”
— School Library Journal (starred review)
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“There is substance as well as appeal here…Patterson deftly manages the pace of revelations that take readers deeper into Rafe’s fragile trust…Readers ready for something else in the same vein but more substantive than Kinney’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid or Peirce’s Big Nate should be introduced to Rafe.”
— Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books
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“An enjoyable story that even the most reluctant readers should enjoy.”
— Library Media Connection
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A #1 New York Times BestsellerA #1 Indiebound BestsellerA 2010 Oregon Children's Choice Award WinnerA 2012 Top Ten Quick Picks for Reluctant Young ReadersA 2013 Hawaii's Children's Choice Award WinnerA 2013 ALSC Summer Reading List BookA 2014 Oregon Reader's Choice Award NomineeA 2014 ALSC Summer Reading List Book
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* "Patterson artfully weaves a deeper and... thought-provoking tale of childhood coping mechanisms and everyday school and family realities.... Hand this book to misbehaving, socially awkward, or disengaged boys and girls.... It might help them believe that there is a place for them in the world, no matter how dire times may seem in the present.
— School Library Journal, starred review
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A keen appreciation of kids' insecurities and an even more astute understanding of what might propel boy readers through a book.... a perfectly pitched novel.
— Los Angeles Times
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The book's... dynamic artwork, and message that 'normal is boring' should go a long way toward assuring kids who don't fit the mold that there's a place for them, too.
— Publishers Weekly
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Incredibly detailed and imaginative illustrations... add depth and humor.... an enjoyable story that even the most reluctant readers should enjoy.
— Library Media Connection