Rafe Khatchadorian lands a guitar spot in a rock band and a part-time job at the trendiest new place in Hills Village, and for once the bottom of the school pecking order feels a long way off.
The catch arrives quickly: the band is fronted by the school bully, the group sounds terrible, and the Best Band Competition is coming. Told in short chapters with cartoon-style drawings running through them, the story follows Rafe as he tries to drag the band into shape without losing the small bit of cool he has finally earned.
Key features:
• Rafe narrates his own run at popularity, band practice and a first job
• Short chapters and illustrations that suit reluctant readers
• A bully-turned-bandmate setup that keeps the tension comic rather than grim
• Part of the Middle School series and readable on its own
Written for readers roughly nine to thirteen, useful for classroom libraries, and an easy pick for a funny-fiction shelf built at Boipoka.