Diary of a Wimpy Kid (3) by Jeff Kinney

Title: Diary of a Wimpy Kid- The Last Straw

Author: Jeff Kinney

Country: US (2009)

Pages: 224

Genre: YA Fiction

Challenges: YA Book Challenge

Rating: ****

If you don't have children, or don't teach, then you might not be aware of what a huge impact the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books have had on reluctant readers.  Author Jeff Kinney really changed how kids who "hate books" perceive them.

The Diary of a Wimpy Kid books are journal entries of a young lad named Greg.(In Book 1, Greg pointed out to his mother that diaries are for girls, boys write in journals. Unfortunately for him, though, his mom bought a book that had "diary" written on the cover and the rest, as they say, is history.)  Greg's middle school life is filled with attempts to become cool through humor, being bullied by his older brother Roderick, dealing with a geeky best friend, Rowly (who still asks if "greg wants to come over and play"), and now, in Book 3, a father who wants Greg to become more athletic.

Doesn't dad realize that Greg is a wimp?  

Author Jeff Kinney is known for managing the kid's website Funbrain which is where you might have first glimpsed Diary of a Wimpy Kid.  In an article announcing the release of Book 3 (today!), Kinney comes across as down-to-earth and reveling in his fame.  

It's an easy breezy read - I read it in under an hour. It's just so much fun! It has the essence of what a no-brainer sitcom does after a stressful day.  But more importantly, it opens the doors to readers who detest reading.  Check out all of the book talks on youtube by tweens!