Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Cabin Fever, by Jeff Kinney

Number 6 in the very funny Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. Greg and his family are trapped by a blizzard, after the usual shenanigans of a Wimpy Kid book- quick and cute.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth, by Jeff Kinney

#5 in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. Greg Heffley's journals are still funny, but it's hard to see how he'll go into the high school years and 'keep it clean'.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days, by Jeff Kinney

More of the same, but Greg is definitely growing up. Very funny.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw, by Jeff Kinney

Further adventures of Greg Heffley. Still funny, not as fresh.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid, by Jeff Kinney

Greg is in middle school and his mother is making him keep a diary. The whole thing is sprinkled through with cartoons (the character apparently started as a webcomic) and covers 7th grade.

Fun and quick. Definitely geared to young readers, and although I enjoyed the cartoons and the slapstick, I thought it was kind of mean. This sounds so mushy, but I really really wished he'd be nicer to people. And although it was funny, the bit about the dad hitting them with the nearest thing was a little off to me- the newspaper, sure, but the bricks? I don't know. I can see young readers getting a huge kick out of it, but even 6th graders might be over it already.

It sounds so overly sensitive and special, but book after book about kids with absolutely no empathy for others is getting me down, even when they're funny.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Quality: 6 Popularity: 8 Overall: 14