Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life: Chapters 1–32

by James Patterson
Rafe Khatchadorian and his friend Leonardo come up with a game in which they earn points for breaking middle school rules. But a school bully discovers their journal full of the game's details and threatens to turn them in.

Here are links to our lists for the novel: Chapters 1–32, Chapters 33–76
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. desperation
    a state in which all hope is lost or absent
    It feels as honest as the day is crummy that I begin this tale of total desperation and woe with me, my pukey sister, Georgia, and Leonardo the Silent sitting like rotting sardines in the back of a Hills Village Police Department cruiser.
  2. woe
    misery resulting from affliction
    It feels as honest as the day is crummy that I begin this tale of total desperation and woe with me, my pukey sister, Georgia, and Leonardo the Silent sitting like rotting sardines in the back of a Hills Village Police Department cruiser.
  3. pathetic
    deserving or inciting pity
    Now, there’s a pathetic family portrait you don’t want to be a part of, believe me.
  4. dread
    be afraid or scared of
    The dreaded middle school years. If you’ve ever been a middle schooler, you understand already.
  5. obnoxious
    causing disapproval or protest
    That’s Georgia, my super-nosy, super-obnoxious, super-brat sister, whose only good quality is that she looks like Jules might have looked when she was in fourth grade.
  6. bottom line
    the crucial or decisive point
    Bottom line, Leonardo the Silent is my best friend, at Hills Village or anywhere else.
  7. podium
    a platform raised above the surrounding level
    They herded us all into the gym and sat us down on the bleachers. There was a podium on the floor with a microphone, and a big sign on the wall: WELCOME TO HVMS!!!
  8. ado
    a great deal of fuss, concern, or commotion
    The principal, Mr. Dwight, got up and spoke first. After a speech that went something like [Welcome blah blah blah lunch blah blah blah and without furtherrrr ado…(blah!)]...he brought out the cheerleaders, who brought out the football, soccer, and cross-country teams, who brought everyone to their feet, yelling and screaming.
  9. expulsion
    the act of forcing out someone or something
    By the time we got to Section 6 (“Grounds for Expulsion”), my brain was turning into guacamole, and I’m pretty sure my ears were bleeding too.
  10. guacamole
    a dip made of mashed avocado
    By the time we got to Section 6 (“Grounds for Expulsion”), my brain was turning into guacamole, and I’m pretty sure my ears were bleeding too.
  11. stupendous
    so great in size, force, or extent as to elicit awe
    And that’s when I got my idea.
    My really stupendous, really, really Big Idea. It came on like a flash flood.
  12. decibel
    a unit of sound intensity
    I’m not sure what the fire alarm sounded like in the gym, but it was about ten thousand decibels in that stairwell: wah-AH! wah-AH! wah-AH!
  13. orderly
    neat or organized
    “Everyone remain calm! Line up with your teachers and proceed in an orderly fashion to the nearest exits.”
  14. execution
    the act of accomplishing some aim
    When I found Leo outside, he gave me a big, double high five. “That’s one for execution and one for the idea,” he said.
  15. tamper
    play around with, alter, or falsify, usually dishonestly
    I opened up my copy of the Code of Conduct and turned to Section 11, Rule 3: “Students shall not tamper with smoke or fire alarms under any circumstances.”
  16. hibernation
    cessation from or slowing of activity during the winter
    “Ditka, down! Down!” Bear said, coming out of hibernation as I walked in the door.
  17. subtle
    difficult to detect or grasp by the mind or analyze
    “Listen to the language as we read through,” she told everyone. “Notice how every line has ten syllables. Notice the subtle rhyming. That’s not easy to do. Nobody wrote like Shakespeare. Nobody!”
  18. motivated
    strongly driven to succeed or achieve something
    I spent the next couple of weeks just working on my technique. Leo started giving me bonus points for creativity, and that helped keep me motivated.
  19. dedicate
    address to or inscribe as a sign of honor or respect
    Eternal flame dedicated to the lives lost on the Obstacle Course
  20. designate
    indicate a place, direction, person, or thing
    NO BIKES, SKATES, SCOOTERS ARE ALLOWED OUTSIDE Designated Areas
  21. pounce
    move down on as if in an attack
    I’ve done this about a million times, but Ditka still falls for it. He pounced on that cheese like it was the last meal on earth, and I just closed the door and walked away.
  22. pry
    move or force in an effort to get something open
    I tiptoed over to where Bear was sleeping and pried his fingers off the TV remote, one by one.
  23. touchy
    difficult to handle; requiring great tact
    Leo’s kind of a touchy subject in our house.
  24. sheath
    a protective covering, as for a knife or sword
    My sword rings in the air as I pull it out of its sheath.
  25. exterminate
    destroy completely, as if down to the roots
    I wanted to throw something, hit something, and exterminate Bear, all at the same time.
  26. ceramic
    relating to or made from clay baked at a high temperature
    I picked up this old ceramic turtle I’d made in second grade and threw it against the wall.
  27. impress
    have a powerful and usually positive effect on
    “I broke the dress code,” I tell him. He doesn’t look very impressed.
  28. beckon
    summon with a wave, nod, or some other gesture
    They carry out the body of the last victim, and the Lizard King himself beckons me inside with one long, green, sticky finger.
  29. muse
    the source of an artist's inspiration
    “No, honey,” she said. “I’ve been thinking about this. We all talk to people who aren’t there, all the time, with texting, and computers, and even answering machines. Artists talk to their muses for inspiration. Some people even talk to themselves.”
  30. inspiration
    arousal of the mind to unusual activity or creativity
    “No, honey,” she said. “I’ve been thinking about this. We all talk to people who aren’t there, all the time, with texting, and computers, and even answering machines. Artists talk to their muses for inspiration. Some people even talk to themselves.”
Created on Wed Dec 11 16:07:41 EST 2019 (updated Mon May 02 15:31:41 EDT 2022)

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