Part of Middle School, book 7.25
First published 2015
Rafe Khatchadorian finally catches a break. His grades are climbing, the bullies have backed off, and girl problems seem like ancient history. Then he wins a free trip to Australia. Rafe pictures himself lounging on pristine beaches, meeting surfer girls, and cuddling koalas. Reality hits hard when he arrives. The Australia he discovers bears no resemblance to his tropical fantasies. Worse yet, zombies roam the landscape. A group of local outcasts takes Rafe under their wing, showing him parts of the country he never expected to see. They push him to embrace his artistic talents and discover what he might become. But Rafe has his own agenda. He's cooking up a revenge scheme that could backfire spectacularly. The question becomes whether this adventure will unlock his creative potential or whether his latest plan will rank as his most catastrophic mistake yet.
Genres: fiction, adventure, contemporary, young-adult
Vibes: fast-paced, thought-provoking, whimsical
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, found-family
Setting: Australia
Period: 21st-century
320 pages · Paperback · Random House Australia