Character Clues

Character Analysis

Names

What's in a name? A lot if you're reading Middle School: The Worst Years of My Life.

Obviously, there's a whole lot of art and drawing in this book, so it fits that a bunch of the characters are named after artists. Georgia is named for Georgia O'Keeffe. Rafe gets his name from Rafael Sanzio of Urbino. Leo the Silent comes from Leonardo da Vinci.

And, of course, we can't help but notice that Mrs. Donatello's name reminds us a whole lot of the famous Renaissance painter, Donato di Niccolò di Betto Bardi.

(We'd also like to point out that we're exactly one Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle short of a full sewer.)

How about other names? Well, there's Mrs. Stricker, who is—you guessed it—pretty strict. Then there's Rafe's mom Jules, who sure seems like a bright, shining jewel to us when it comes to being a great mom. Bear gets his nickname because he loves the Chicago Bears, but it's also probably because he's mean, nasty, and likes to hibernate.

Speech & Dialogue

The way characters speak—or even the way they don't speaks—reveal a lot about them. Just look at Leo. He never talks at all. Except to Rafe. That's probably because he's not real, but it's also probably because Rafe himself isn't much of a talker.

Bear, on the other hand, is pretty loud and demanding. He's constantly yelling or shouting at the kids. This is one guy who makes sure he's heard…even though he doesn't really have anything worthwhile to say.

Social Status

For every cool kid at the top of the social ladder, there's got to be someone on the lowest rung.

Meet Rafe Khatchadorian. This kid has no friends and participates in zero activities. As a result, he gets totally picked on by bullies and has to resort to making up imaginary friends. Womp womp.

Miller, on the other hand, is definitely at the top of the social food chain. Sure, kids might not like him, but he definitely commands respect…and fear. You don't mess with Miller the Killer.

Jeanne Galletta is pretty and popular, too, but she goes about winning friends and influencing people a different way—by being nice. It's one of the reasons Rafe likes her so much.

It's worth noting, though, that Rafe does start to climb the social ladder a bit once he starts in on Operation R.A.F.E. As he breaks the rules more and more, other students start to figure that he's an alright kid. Even Jeanne talks to him.