Last year we met Rafe in the 6th grade as he raised all kinds of H-E double hockey sticks. He also had a friend named Leo that kept ratcheting up the ante which didn't help at all. Turned out that Rafe had a lot of past pain he had to work through and needed to be addressed. Leo turns out to be an interesting character, indeed.

This year Rafe moves in with his grandmother in the city and has to start all over in a new school. Fortunately, he gets into another art institute for the artistically gifted and, surprisingly, makes a friend, Matty the Freak. Unfortunately, he also makes some enemies. In this book, Rafe deals with more difficult stuff but very pertinent. The question is addressed - Who is a good friend? What happens when you find out the good friend is not who you thought he was? Also, Rafe finds out what happened to his father as his Rafe's mother decides he is old enough to know more.

Interesting characters that either make an encore appearance or the reader is introduced to in this one include Rafe's grandmother, Scary Hairy, Matty the Freak, and sideline characters. Another well written, fun but then relevant book about social situations and dealing with difficult issues.