Review: Diary of a Wimpy Kid-The Last Straw

Diary of a Wimpy kid: The Last Straw by Jeff Kinney is the 3rd book in the series Diary of a Wimpy Kid. I've read all of the books in the series now. To be honest, I understand why kids are drawn to them but as an adult reading them all back to back they got a bit old. As I've shared in my reviews of the other books in the series, this is one of my son's favorite book series. My son AJ who is 10, was so happy that I read the first book and when I finished it, he lined up book 2 and 3 in the series on my nightstand. It was nice to know what he was reading and talk about the books with him. I'll definitely do this again with other books and of course, I will read the 4th book in the Wimpy Kid series which according to the Wimpy Kid website, it will be out on October 12, 2009. My son will be sure to mark the calendar for that one.

This book, continues the story of Gregory, a middle schooler who started writing a diary one summer when his mother bought him one. He's continued writing his stories and complementing them with comics. The comics definitely add a lighter, fun feel to the book and kids seem to love this part. Gregory continues to get himself into embarrassing situations and learns lessons the hard way. This book starts off on New Year's Day where he tries to help other people improve and then it ends at the start of summer vacation. His father seems to be a bit disappointed in his son's and the antics they get into. He decides that they need to learn how to be "men" and threatens to send Gregory to military school. Gregory ends up doing all he can to "bond" with his father and of course, ends up in many precarious situations and not at all what he intended in the first place. The book also details ways that Greg tries to get along with his brothers, his attempts to impress a girl named Holly in his class, and how Greg attempts to get through being placed on a soccer team he doesn't like. It's obvious in the book that Greg is doing all he can as a kid to get through life. He tends to be self centered and socially awkward and kids can definitely relate to that as well as the theme that grown ups really don't get it. I think that is a universal rule in childhood...Kids don't think that their parents or any grown ups "get it"!

The reading level for these books are ages 9-12 but they are fun for adults to read as well. These are great books for boys and girls, well read and reluctant readers as it will draw them in through humor and the comics. According to the author, Jeff Kinney's website, the series started off as a web comic online at Funbrain.com . This book mentions at the end that Jeff Kinney is also the creator of Poptropica , a fun kid's game website.

• The first book in the series is: Diary of a Wimpy Kid, you can read my review here.
• The second book is: Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick rules, you can read my review here.
• Another book in the series, Diary of a Wimpy Kid Do- it-yourself Book(an interactive journal).