Escape to Australia

Middle School #9

by James Patterson, Daniel Griffo (Illustrator)

In this adventurous installment of James Patterson's bestselling Middle School series, everyone's favorite underdog hero Rafe Khatchadorian is headed to the dangerous wilds of Australia!
Rafe isn't exactly considered a winner in Hills Village Middle School to say the least, but everything's about to change: he's won a school-wide art competition, and the fabulous prize is getting to jet off to Australia for a whirlwind adventure!

But Rafe soon finds that living in the Land Down Under is harder than he could've ever imagined: his host-siblings are anything but welcoming, the burning temperatures are torturous, and poisonous critters are ready to sting or eat him at every step. So with the help of some new misfit friends, Rafe sets out to show everyone what he does best: create utter mayhem!

Genres: Middle Grade, Fiction, Humor, Childrens, Young Adult, Realistic Fiction, Graphic Novels

288 pages, Hardcover

First published March 6, 2017

About the author

Official US Site
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JIMMY Patterson Books
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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, and Michael Crichton, 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

[Axel_8D1 · Rating 2 out of 5]

I rated this book a 2 star because I didn't like the story and it was kind of babyish text, but the book it self-was fine.

[LauraW · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am glad this book exists, so that middle school kids, usually boys, have something funny to read. The premise is beyond unlikely, so if they can swallow that, the rest of the book is ha ha hilarious. Or not. I am not the right demographic for this book. I don't think bullying or harassing people is funny. And puke and poop jokes just aren't for me either. Out of masochism, I did actually read the whole book, so there is that to be said for it. Other than that, I will pass.

[Braulio Simon · Rating 4 out of 5]

BOOK REVIEW: MIDDLE SCHOOL:ESCAPE TO AUSTRALIA BY JAMES PATTERSON
BY:BRAULIO SIMON

The title of the book is called Middle School: Escape to Australia, the author of this book is James Patterson. Can Rafe make it out alive of
Australia while he meets tons of different animals, and also struggles to fit in with the other people. Will he make it out alive or is he going to get eaten by the most dangerous animal. Rafe and his mom are the main characters. The setting is in Australia and his home town, this book also falls in the category of realistic fiction. We then go on to see what is the internal conflict which I think it's person v.s nature, this might seem silly but here is the reason why I picked this conflict. Rafe has to deal with the extreme weather and there is also time to time where the storm gets really hard and it starts to rain hail. Hails as big as golf balls this means he is going against nature because he doesn't expect it which makes the book more intense. Another internal conflict is person vs self. Rafe has to versus himself to decided if he wants to be the best artist at his school or be a class clown and a troublemaker. He doesn't know if he wants to stay like that or become the best artist.

The book was really good in my opinion it was funny, entertaining, and exciting, and yes I might seem gross when Rafes mom throws up but trust me the book will get your needs of satisfaction. Which brings me to my next point not many people would like this book but I extremely recommend the people that like comedy, funny books, and books that make you look at the world more disgusting and mean, which is the opposite of sunshine and rainbows.

[Katie (hiding in the pages) · Rating 3 out of 5]

There seems to be a lot of bullying going on in this book, which kind of disappointed me. Yes, it made for some crazy, entertaining moments, but it made me a little uneasy, as I was reading this aloud with my kids.

Rafe wins an art competition and gets a trip to Australia to showcase his work in an exchange of sorts. The host family is horrendous, as are their friends. You'd think for a program such as this, they'd try to be kind and civil. Rafe takes matters into his own hands to exact revenge and once again finds himself in hot water, planning and carrying out insane plans without really thinking about the consequences.

It was fun to read about his adventures in a new setting, but this one isn't my favorite of the series.

[Ocarl243 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rafe is doubtful, In the beginning of the book he thinks that he isn't going to win the art contest for a free trip to Australia. Then he does and then when his mom says shes going with him he gets more doubtful on top of the fear of sharks.

[Alessandro Gjuzelov · Rating 3 out of 5]

Perchè Leo pensa sempre, ma c'è una (o di più) parte che parla.

[Laura (kroosreadsandreviews) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was disappointed with this one. The level of bullying by adults and kids was so high. The story line really wasn't that great. AND the narrator changed from the last books and fell flat :(

[Carter Gruver]

My opinion on this book is that it is terrible. It was probaly one of the most boring books I have ever read. The reason I say that is because their was no action, and all the characters do is talk and talk and talk. Id rate this book a 2 star and that you shouldnt read it.

[Spencer · Rating 5 out of 5]

bad things can happen but just keep going!

[Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read Middle School: Escape to Australia by James Patterson. The plot of this book is that they are holding a art competition and whoever wins gets to go to Australia. Rafe doesn't know if he should enter the contest or not, but decides to anyway. The setting of the book is in Sharks Bay in Australia. The main characters in this book is Rafe Katchadorian, the mayor, Rafes mom, and Rafes sister. The first reason why you should read this book is it is good for children of all ages. The second reason why you should read this book is it is good for people with creative minds. The third reason is it is an action filled book and one of the best ones. The age recommendation that I would give for this book is 8-15. Rafe has a lot worse things to come.

[Wolfdreamer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Decent read, but the premise is so bizarre and out there that I just rolled my eyes. A middle school student wins an art contest to create art in Australia? Not buying it.

[Kaylee · Rating 4 out of 5]

the kid goes though bullying and other stuff. its a good book just a little boreding

[Justin · Rating 5 out of 5]

A boy who makes trouble and is always in trouble goes to Australia. By winning and art contest at school, Rafe Khatchadorian gets an all expenses paid trip to go to Australia. He stayed in a town called Shark’s Bay in the mayor’s house. Things don’t go well for him in Australia. He pukes in people from being car sick, he is picked on by the mayor’s kids, his mom finds herself a boyfriend he doesn’t like, and he is publicly humiliated three times. Things start to grow his anger and wants revenge on them all. Will Rafe get his revenge or get in trouble before he can do it?

The main characters of this book are Rafe, Ellie, Kell, Jules( His mom), and Biff. The secondary characters of this book are Bradley, Belinda, Dingbat, Mikey, Sal, and Nico. Everyone in this story is a human and not some alien creature although there is one in the story. What makes Rafe interesting is he is an artist that got sent to Australia for winning a contest, Ellie is interesting because she makes horror movies which not many people like. Everyone is a nice person except for Bradley, Kell, and Belinda. Also Rafe, he is good at times but he does so many pranks and plans revenge that it makes him evil too. My favorite character is Rafe because he can draw well, he does lots of cool and funny pranks, and his imagination is wild.

Rafe wins an art contest at school that lets him go to Australia with all the payments already made. He makes it to Australia and they find out that their luggage is missing. Not only that he had to ride the public bus for seven hours. Then he had to ride in Biff the mayor’s car to his house and Rafe’s mom puked on Biff. When they got there to Shark’s Bay, they met the mayor’s kids, Bradley and Belinda. Rafe puked on Belinda which didn’t start his trip well with her. Rafe had a dream that night that he was on a tightrope that turned out to be a snake but when he woke up there was a snake in his bed and he ran so hard and fast he made it downstairs and crashed the T.V. Bradley got it on video and posted it on social media. The next day he went to the beach with Bradley, Belinda, and their friends to go surfing. They saw what Rafe called the outsiders which nobody liked. Rafe failed terribly at surfing and washed up on shore. One of the outsiders did CPR on him to save him. After he came back to life he got up and realized that his shorts had fallen off and he was bare naked. That was the second time he got publicly humiliated. Went he came home his mom came in with some guy named Kell Weathers. It seemed like they were in love and Rafe was mad about it. Later Kell told Rafe to watch out for drop bears which could kill you easily. It turned out to be a prank that a teddy bear was dropped onto Rafe and he was scared to death and ran into the pool, number three. The next day he ran into one the outsider who saved him, She was Ellie. She showed him that she and the outsiders were making a horror movie about a teenage alien called a bunyip. They went to go shoot the last scene which we cost all their money to make and Bradley, Belinda, and there friends ruined it. They wanted revenge like Rafe did.

The night of the party where Rafe’s art was, was the night they would attack. Rafe met the artist judge and said he didn’t like the paintings. More revenge for Rafe. Rafe and the outsiders were getting ready to plan the biggest revenge prank at Shark’s Bay. First they shut off all the power at the party. Then they made the waterfall at the party bubble and turn green. Then the bunyip showed up and freaked everyone out, everyone! Everyone was running around screaming getting as far away as possible from the bunyip. When everyone was gone it was just the outsiders and Rafe left to watch the bunyip explode. After Rafe went back to the house everyone from the party came to the door with torches and pitchforks ready to kill Rafe but Ellie saved him by “taking a video” of all the bad things they said. When Rafe got back home he got a package from Ellie witch had a magazine with Rafe’s prank in it. The artist judge said that he liked it after that happened.

This book is called “Middle School: Escape to Australia” by James Patterson and Martin Chatterton. It is a fantastic fiction book that I would keep reading if I didn’t have other books. It is a humor type book so you might laugh. It is 258 pages but is an easier book than some. This book is in a series called Middle School and this book is book nine. James Patterson has written a lot of other series like “I Funny” and “Treasure Hunters”, which are good series by the way. This book is ages 9 to 14 for grades third to eighth. Have fun reading it!

[Jack Cibinski]

James Patterson created the awesome book Middle School. The main theme of this book is probably never to be to excited for something. The reason is because he is really excited to go to australlia but some bad stuff happens that is really funny and also bad. The idea the author wanted me to get from the book is probably to wait for things to come because he Nathan had to wait so long for his trip to come but then it finally did. He has accomplished it because now I wait for a lot of things.

So basically this story is about a boy names Nathan and his sister and his family who go on a trip to australlia and meet a guy named rocko. Those are all of the main chracters in the book. Lots of stuff happens that you would have to find out if you read the book. The genre is realistic fiction, because anything in this book could happen in real life. The setting is in australlia, their home, and on the plane. The action takes place in the middle of the book when something awesome happens. He does a good job of making me feel there because of all of the awesome words he puts in. The chracters are beleivable because they do everyday things just like a normal human would do in real life.

Some strengths in this book are that the author of the book uses really good words to describe events in the book and they give emotions to the book as well which is really good. Some weaknesses of this book are that he makes it boring in some areas by there being to much fluff which makes it broing. IN one example in the book he was listing things to do in austraillia and he elaborated to much on one and it was kinda boring. I like that the author makes it like this is the persons journal where he can write whatever he wants to. Like it says in the book this is where I keep all my secrets like a journal.

I would reccomend this book because it is really good and funny and whoever likes funny books should read this book because it is really comical.

[Sami Sabbara · Rating 5 out of 5]

Middle School: Escape To Australia by James Patterson and Martin Chatterton is a funny, comical, and an enjoyable book to read. This middle schooler named Rafe has a huge imagination, but he has one talent that makes him stand out. He has a gift for art, but he only plans it to be only his hobby and not anything further. A contest was held up in the school and it had something to do with art and going to Australia, so he wanted to look into it. He has his doubts but one of the teachers convinced him to enter the contest. He thought to himself that this could be good for himself and his mom knowing of all the trouble he had gotten into. He would use this opportunity as a redemption to make himself look worthy. Knowing that he would not win, he thought at least he gave it a try. Time passed and the results were in, the winner is Ralf. He was so happy and proud of himself. When he got to Australia he met his enemy and his friends. Bradley, the enemy, pranked him so Ralf got him back big time and they were even now. But what Ralf did, crossed the limit. He built a robot to scare Bradley, and of course, it worked. Luckily, Ralf got out of the whole mess and flew back home to the United States knowing that he has a best friend that he will never forget.
My personal opinion about this book that it was funny and it kept you hanging off your seat. I liked how the use of words made it sound like it was coming from a middle schooler. It made me, myself enjoy the book better. I loved how Ralf made new friends in Australia that were more like him. I think it made feel like he wasn't a nobody anymore. In total this book was really fun to read.
I would recommend this book to whoever loves reading comical books that are enjoyable to read. Usually, I would recommend this book to elementary to middle school. But don't get me wrong this book can really go to anyone.

[Anthony Vernieri · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rafe Khatchadorian, middle school madman, and resident class clown, is back in the ninth installment of the Middle School series! When Rafe discovers that there's an art contest with the prize of going to Australia without his family paying, he knows that he should take the chance. Because, 1) He won't need to go to school for three weeks. 2) He won't need to see his insane principal for three weeks. 3) He will be staying in Australia for three weeks. What could go wrong? (Plenty of things, considering he's staying in a coastal town called Shark's Bay, people there call koalas "drop bears" that will eat you dead or alive, and his host family is making his life a living hell. But it's not like anything get any worse, right? WRONG.) Find out what happens in Middle School: Escape to Australia! Like every other book in the series, Mr. Patterson put in plenty of slapstick comedy, like when one of the Coogan kids drops a teddy bear onto Rafe's back to scare him out of his wits, making him think it was a koala. Mr. Patterson put something you would least expect in a children's book: anger. Rafe turns from the normally joyful and talented artist he was into a vengeful psychopath that made sure to leave his mark some way or another (in this case, he found a way to blow up a building with a malfunctioning animatronic, porta-potties, and the local child outcasts, therefore immediately regretting coming to Australia in the first place. Who knew someone like him could cause such destruction with these resources?). The mayhem level in "Escape to Australia" is unbelievably high, such as when Rafe blows up the surf club by accident, makes all of Shark's Bay run for the hills (if Australia has hills), and Rafe imagines the Coogan twins hanging by chains over radioactive sharks that recently had their teeth sharpened. Why, oh why, Mr. Patterson, did you make Rafe so dark?

[Niko Ebert · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book “Middle School Escape to Australia” is by James Patterson and Martin Chatterton. I really like this book because of the story line and how it keeps progressing throughout the story and doesn’t go back to past tense. Rafe Khatchadorian has entered an art competition to go to Australia with all expenses payed. So, his mom (Jules Khatchadorian) decided to go with. The school had said that they were gonna be on a first flight class, yet they were on a destroyed plane! As they got to the place they were staying in a beach house, and they were living with two kids and two adults. The first night of the stay Bradly (one of the two kids) put a snake in Rafe’s bed. Then the next day they went surfing and Rafe’s shorts feel off in front of the whole beach! Though he met beach kids and started to like them. Soon later in the book Rafe’s Mom saved him from monsters!

My personal opinion on this book is that I really liked it. It was one of the best books I’ve read by James Patterson, and I really like the story line that goes along with the story. I liked the comedy, and some sort of adventure. Overall I really like this book.

I would rate this book from kids in 5th grade to 8th grade. The reason for this is because of the silence of humor and the adventure that goes along with this book. Also I would say that people who have read the some stories along this series so they know the characters.

[Storm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rafe has won an art competition and will now visit their "twin" school at Shark's Bay, a surfing town north of Sydney. Having studied there in my wild and misspent youth, the altruist in me can only wish everyone gets a chance to visit Australia because there's plenty to see, or as Rafe thinks:

Australia, dude! Sun, beaches, first-class plane tickets, surfing, girls, koala bears, the Sydney Harbor Bridge, my very own exhibition, the Opera House!"

Accompanied by his mother, Rafe flies over and experiences in quick succession - lost luggage, horrible heat, no air conditioning on their 7 hour bus ride, gale force winds and hailstorms, all the while being reassured by the driver and other Aussies "she'll be right, mate." Aussies, from my experience, are tough. Shark's Bay is home to the most fearless Aussies, because, there are Sharks in the bay and people STILL surf there.

Rafe discovers 2 types of people. The beautiful surfers, like the twin kids of his host family, and The Outsiders. No prizes for guessing how soon the bullying starts, and how fast a revenge plot can be hatched. Personally I loved this entire bit, enjoyed the story immensely, consequences and all, and I was honestly expecting someone to whip up that slogan again!

[Joshua Adams · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the book Middle School Escape to Australia the main character Rafe wins a school art contest and gets to go to Australia. When they get to Australia Rafe’s mom pukes on the person that is taking care of them on the trip to start the trip off bad. Then Rafe gets pranked bu the other people that are staying there by putting a snake in his bed and recorded him freaking out. Rafe disliked the people that were staying with him because all they would do was make fun of him play pranks on him and mock him. Rafe begins to plan hos revenge and gets them back and the end.

I really liked the book but I would change that Rafe didn’t have to go there because on an art competition. I think he should have just gone as a vacation and then all of the stiff would happen to him. Otherwise I wouldn’t change anything because the book was very good and I enjoyed it.

I would recommend this to 7th to 8th graders because it is about a middle schooler who is sharing his troubles about middle school and how he dislikes is so much. I would maybe recommend this to 6th graders to kind of show them what middle school is like in a way.

[Drew Frietzsche · Rating 5 out of 5]

My opinion on this book is a great book to read and you learn more details on this book and, the series that you can study on this book. The writing of this book was powerful because it can show that people want to go to Australia and visit them so you can use it as a bucket list. The strengths of this book is that they went to a different place like Australia. The weakness of this book is that the animals would not be friends with you as a human. If this book was part of the series, I would continue with this book and get more information on this book so you can study it on the test or put this book on the reading log. The audience would appreciate this book so they can get more information so they can study it on the test or put this book on their reading log. This book was true to my voice that the book can changed a lot and they can be more useful so you can like the book.

[Danielgantuangco · Rating 4 out of 5]

Following up to one of my negative reviews, this book is alright. I like how the included Australia into a book about middle school. Some parts of the book made me smile some parts made me bored. What I liked about this book was the plot and how Rafe went to Australia to participate in a art contest held at Australia. There were also some funny parts throughtout the book. The thing that I did'nt like about this book was how the pages weren't lengthy and how the book was short. There were parts of the book that were useless. They were like filler pages. I'm still debating whether I may or may not read the next book in the series. My brain is leaning into the yes side because although these books were ok, it's still fun to read when you're bored. In conclusion, this book on my scale is a 7/10 because although it may be really short, it's still pretty fun to read.

[John S · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this book, Rafe is participating in a school art contest. The winner of the contest would win a 3-week trip to Australia without any price. Before the contest, Rafe was pretty much a loser at school. But this time, he knew that he was going to win that prize, and he actually did. The good news is that he gets to skip 3 weeks of school while being far away from home. However, he might not make it out alive. Will he survive in Australia? How will he withstand the heat and bugs there? Will he make it back home safe? Read Middle School: Escape to Australia and find out what happens next.
As a person who read three books in this series, I thought that this book was as good as the other books. Some things that I liked is that the book didn’t bore me at all and the pictures were good. Overall, five stars for this book. Therefore, I am looking forward to reading the other books in this series. I think you should read this book as well as the other books in this series if you have a good sense of humor and if you want to entertain yourself.

[Steven Fox · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this adventurous installment of James Patterson's bestselling Middle School series, everyone's favorite underdog hero Rafe Khatchadorian is headed to the dangerous wilds of Australia!
Rafe isn't exactly considered a winner in Hills Village Middle School to say the least, but everything's about to change: he's won a school-wide art competition, and the fabulous prize is getting to jet off to Australia for a whirlwind adventure!
But Rafe soon finds that living in the Land Down Under is harder than he could've ever imagined: his host-siblings are anything but welcoming, the burning temperatures are torturous, and poisonous critters are ready to sting or eat him at every step. So with the help of some new misfit friends, Rafe sets out to show everyone what he does best: create utter mayhem!

[Damilola · Rating 5 out of 5]

Yeah, I really missed this lmao.

Side note: This isn't something I didn't like about the book, but it's worth mentioning. For all the glaze on Rafe's mom, she didn't do right by him.

Like, it's one thing for Rafe to be bullied in school and for his mom to maybe, maybe not hear bits and pieces of it and decide to do nothing, right? It's another thing ENTIRELY for him to be humiliated THREE times when she's supposed to keep watch of him. And the first time, she was RIGHT THERE. Look, maybe she was bullied in her time or didn't know what to say, but I find it so irritating that Rafe thought he had to settle it on his own score because his mom was busy flirting with the guy who drop beared him.

[Henry Swallow · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book was a good book. I liked it a lot. I liked it a lot because it is written by my favorite author, James Patterson, This book is about a teenage boy who is very good at art and it wins him a trip to Australia. which is a place with a bunch of very scary, deadly, and creepy creatures. The book is very amusing I found it funny. It has a sorta love story. It has revenge. It has a lot of comedy. It made me laugh so hard at a couple points. If I had to recommend it to anybody. I would recommend it to 7-16 years old because it doesn't have that hard of vocabulary. anyway that is my opinion on this book

[Blake · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a great book if you like things jammed packed with adventure. The plot of the story is at his house, the school, and australia. This adventure starts when the main character Rafe wins a art fest. He was a troublemaker for years and went to australia. He then flew to australia and saw huge spiders and koalas. The main theme of the story is bad things can happen but you can still get through them. One dynamic character is Rafe because he changed his ways of being a troublemaker and the mom is a static character because she never changes but changes her along the story. I rated it a 3 star because it was funny but lacked alot of bits and pieces of the adventure.

[Adam Ochoa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Escape to Australia by James Patterson is about this kid named Rafe who won a trip to Australia and once he meet with his Australian tour guides they pranked him and humiliated hum. He wants revenge . What will he do to get his revenge?

I liked how this book had a good amount of pages and how It was told. I rate this book a 5 out of 5 stars.

I recommend this book to people who have read the other middle school books and the people who have read the I funny books. I overall really liked this book.

[Olivia Simpson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rafe Khatchadorian has won an art contest at his school. He wins a trip to Australia- all expenses paid! Unfortunately, his mom (yikes!) will be coming along too. Hopefully, Rafe can survive the trip. But he and his new friends plan a great trick against the Surfer Kids to get payback when they ruined filming. Rafe had better not come clean- he could get in real trouble with police, his mom, and The Surfers.

This book is surprising and funny, and it draws you in. It is highly enjoyable and humorous! Make sure you read the rest of his Middle School Books and check out my reviews!

[Ron]

characters: mom dad little brother this weird ghost guy.
setting: Australia and their school and his home.
i like this book they most interesting part of this book is when their gym teacher came up to them n a chicken suit in Australia when it was hailing and his whole car got destroyed. i am giving this book a 8
because it was kinda all over the place through out the book or it would a 10. i recommend this book if you like the ifunny book.

[Rustam]

This book was very funny and interesting. I liked that he won a ticket to Australia for 4 or 3 weeks and he thought his mom wasn't coming and when it was the day of the trip his mom came and that made him really mad. I also liked that when he was super excited that he won but when he was gonna do research about the place he realized it was super dangerous and he lost interest in Australia a little bit.