Middle School: Winter Blunderland

Middle School #15

by James Patterson, Brian Sitts

Sometimes middle school feels like a dangerous mission in the cold, unforgiving tundra. Sometimes it literally is. Will Rafe survive his most (frost)biting adventure yet?

Things heat up at Hills Village Middle School when Rafe gets an invitation from Dr. Daria Deerwin to join a research study on polar bears. How many times in life do you get a chance to come face-to-face with a real polar bear in the wild? Rafe is ready to find out!

Alaska is pinkie-freezing, hair-freezing, snot-freezing cold, but Rafe might be headed for a meltdown. He's spending every waking moment with Penelope, who he definitely has a crush on, and a polar bear Dr. Deerwin is tracking goes missing...with poachers on the tundra.

It's up to Rafe, Penelope, and their new friends to save the day in Rafe's coolest adventure yet.

Genres: Middle Grade, Fiction, Adventure, Childrens

256 pages, Paperback

Published November 17, 2022

About the author

Official US Site
Official UK Site

James Patterson is the most popular storyteller of our time and the creator of such unforgettable characters and series as Alex Cross, the Women’s Murder Club, Jane Smith, and Maximum Ride. He has coauthored #1 bestselling novels with Bill Clinton, Dolly Parton, Michael Crichton, and Viola Davis, as well as collaborated on #1 bestselling nonfiction, including The Idaho Four, Walk in My Combat Boots, and Filthy Rich. Patterson has told the story of his own life in the #1 bestselling autobiography James Patterson by James Patterson. He is the recipient of an Edgar Award, ten Emmy Awards, the Literarian Award from the National Book Foundation, and the National Humanities Medal.

Reviews

[Oliver · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved it no spoilers but it's good

[Siddharth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was quite funny and I liked it so much I finished it in a few days. Rafe goes to Alaska to see the polar bears but he gets tied up and has to rescue animals from broacher the poacher. He even saved a whale from getting harpooned.

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun read with the kids

[Katy Lovejoy · Rating 4 out of 5]

What is it with books about middle school boys starring the most insufferable people ever

[Colton Crawford · Rating 3 out of 5]

Was A Great book but could of done more with the Gronzy

[whatbooknext · Rating 4 out of 5]

An invitation from a friend comes at the perfect time for Rafe Khatchadorian. He is sweating at the back of his school's music room, in the middle of kazoo practice. There is no air conditioning and even the teacher looks like he's melting.

The invitation comes from animal expert Dr Deerwin - an all expenses paid trip to Alaska. Rafe first met her and her daughter Penelope while working in a zoo, and the thought of hanging out with Penelope again, urges his answer by text. YES! YES! YES!

Rafe mum however, has other ideas. NO! being the central theme. But with the help of his mega-smart little sister, they are soon shopping for snow shoes.

Rafe's adventure begins with a large plane and uncomfortable seating arrangements, and finishes with a tiny plane complete with skis. They land in the middle of nothing and nowhere. No sounds, no wildlife, and no sunlight either. This is Alaska. Bitterly cold and half dark - 'Polar Twilight', Dr Deerwin explains.

This Alaskan adventure is full of fun, failures and freaking out that Penelope will like one of their young hosts more than him. Rafe learns to ride a snow mobile, plummets into a polar bear cave, flees a ruthless poacher's hide out and helps a whale facing a whaler's harpoon. Throwing all caution overboard at the last possible second finally brings the attention Rafe seeks.

He might get a little homesick, lost, embarrassed and colder than a popsicle left in the freezer for a year, but he wouldn't have missed it for the world.


Another escapade for middle schooler Rafe Khatchadorian - Winter Blunderland is a crazy and chilly ride. Readers will learn stuff about Alaska along with Rafe, feel their heart pound when he faces danger again and again, and laugh at his shenanigans as he tries to impress his crush - Penelope.

Many hilarious illustrations portray the action throughout, often with a twist of Rafe's imagination.

Polar bears, poachers, fun and family, all rolled up in a snow cave or two will have readers engaged from the first page to the last.

Age - 8+

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this to see if it would be appropriate for my granddaughter. Why not have her read the world's best-selling author?? LOL I can see how a middle school student would like it, Some adventure, some awkardness and even a little crush. I started at the end of the series accidentally so I want to go back and see how the series starts. Overall, I like it for kids!

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a wonderful and different way to spend the holiday. Without giving the good parts away, anything to do with rescuing animals and nature definitely puts someone on the nice list. Happy Holidays and here's to a not as snowy winter as Alaska had in this book.

[JR · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a cool and informative kids book. Cute drawings and great lessons about many different topics from Inuit culture to whale hunting, polar bears and living in the Arctic. If I was a kid I would have enjoyed reading this and it would have for sure kept my attention.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

this book was good but I wish I read the 13 other books first. but like rafe the entire book was just getting in trouble. and also why does rafe not tell penelope he likes her at the end of the book. all in all the book was a total banger.

[Debra · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very cute

[Noel Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is very funny especially when you are in middle school or in 5th grade.

[Mark Sal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great book, slow paced action. Totally recommend.

[Roxanne Marie Leino]

James Patterson follows a formulized series that do not deviate from form. Children seem to enjoy them, although my 11-year-old grandson is beginning to tire of them as "they are all the same."

[PottWab Regional Library]

SM

[coriolis · Rating 4 out of 5]

We love you, Rafe

[Sarah Mizla Salsbury · Rating 5 out of 5]

very good

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

For a book like this I really enjoyed it and it might just be because my boyfriend gave it to me, but it was a very quick read, so I got through it really fast.

[Keith Clemmer · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[Brenda Kahn]

I lost track of this series and was surprised to find book 15 in my local library. Familiar and humorous. Rafe continues to be an endearing lunk.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was pretty disappointing compared to other books in the series. The illustrations kinda carried the book because if the illustrations weren't cool, this book probably would've gotten 2 stars instead of 3. It wasn't a terrible book, but it just wasn't up to par with the first few books. I didn't really have high hopes for this book because while I loved Middle School: It's A Zoo In Here, I had low hopes for this book. And don't get me wrong. I love James Patterson. I've read almost all his kids books and YA books, from the I Funny series, to Jacky Ha-Ha, Maximum Ride, Daniel X, Dog Diaries, and Treasure Hunters. Heck, Middle School is my favorite series by James Patterson, and probably one of my favorite book series of all time. I don't know if this book wasn't as great as the others because of the stories, or because of the new coauthor Brian Sitts, despite him doing an excellent job with book 14. I wish JP would bring back Chris Tebbetts as a coauthor because the series has gone downhill since he stopped cowriting the Middle School books. The characters were alright, but it seems like while I loved books 11 and 12 of the Middle School series, there has been no real story to the series ever since book 10. Which set up a whole bunch of things that never happened. Books 11, 12, and 13 were just more of their own thing, while books 14 and 15 have nothing to do with the 13 books that came before it, they're more of their own story. Anyways, that's the end of my review. Sorry for making it so long but I needed to talk about this. I hope book 16 is an improvement.

[Endrit Nikqi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rafe goes to Alaska with his friend Penelope and her mother from “It’s a Zoo in Here.” Things, of course, don’t go the way they were planned. Although I wish the series could have Rafe go back to school, this book was amazing. The illustrations were fantastic, and the story, although kind of crazy, was still fun. It was shorter than many of the other books, but still was really fun.

[Klare · Rating 3 out of 5]

Flows well, easy to read.