James Patterson's hilarious story of perseverance and courage shows everyone's favorite troublemaker, Rafe Khatchadorian, the star of the Middle School series, learning to become a leader at long last.
After a rough summer, Rafe is heading back to the dreaded Hills Village Middle School, the site of the very worst years of his life. And as if that's not bad enough, he's learned that he's going to be held back a year unless he can prove himself on an outdoor survival excursion complete with dangerous white-water rafting, dizzying rock climbing, and fanatical counselors. Rafe and the rest of the pack of "delinquent" trainees are forced to cooperate as they prepare for the final test: a solo excursion in the deep woods. Can Rafe come out of the experience in one piece? And if he does, he go home as the same insecure kid?
"Something tells me this story isn’t going to have a happy ending. I’m hanging on the side of a cliff by the jagged edges of my broken-off fingernails. The only thing between me and the ground is about half a mile of air, and I don’t know how much longer I can hold on. Once I lose my grip and I’m betting I will, any second now it’s going to be like taking the world’s fastest elevator ride to the bottom. Without the elevator. Good-bye, cruel world! Tell my mom that I love her. Also that there’s a half-finished meatball sub under my bed. Knowing her, she’s going to want to take care of that sooner rather than later."