The Third Wheel

December 3, 2012
Seven books into the bestselling Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, Kinney isn't messing with a good thing, and he continues to mine middle-school life for comedic gold. He doesn't appear to be in danger of running out of material, either, covering everything from school elections and chocolate bar fundraisers (" lot of families like mine had to write a check to the school just to cover the cost of the candy bars their children ate," Greg says. "It's possible that nobody sold a single candy bar") to the traumas of "family-style" restaurants and Bring Your Child to Work Day. Greg even gives readers a glimpse of his (much) younger years, including his memories of life in the womb ("fter being hit by the cold air the blinding lights of the delivery room, I wish I'd just stayed put"). Fans will continue to enjoy Greg's ongoing efforts to come out on top, whether trying to secure a private bathroom stall at school or a date for the Valentine's Day dance. Ages 8â12. Agent: Sylvie Rabineau, RWSG Agency.

May 1, 2013

Gr 4-7-In the seventh title (Amulet, 2012) in Kinney's popular series, Greg Heffley is still trying to navigate through middle school. As always, there are challenging obstacles, including dealing with his brother's imaginary friends, getting used to Uncle Gary living on the sofa, smuggling the good toilet paper into his private bathroom stall, and trying to avoid the Mad Pantser. His biggest problem, however, is finding a date for the Valentine's Day dance. In this recording, there is a long pause between diary entries so listeners can tell when one entry ends and another one begins. Narrator Ramon de Ocampo captures Greg's quirkiness perfectly, and his expression and the sound effects make the author's words and cartoons come alive. Students may still wish to follow along with the book so they don't miss out on Kinney's trademark illustrations. Overall, a seamless fit with the rest of the series.-Anne Bozievich, Friendship Elementary School, Glen Rock, PA

Copyright 2013 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

genius1326 - (WARNING: SPOILER) I have read this book like, 8 times, and I never get tired of it! It is mostly about a school dance, and the Student Council(at Greg's Middle school), originally planned for it to be a motocross/wrestling event to raise money for the school, but the girls at the Council changed it a bit, and it turned into a DANCE. Greg got nervous because he knew that there were more boys than girls at his school, but didn't care much. Many boys agreed that they weren't going to pay 3 bucks to go to a dance they don't want to go to. But that changed after the Candy Grams were sent. It is these invitations that cost a quarter, and you can send it to anyone you like. But Greg starts to panic that he was going to not have a dance partner, because almost all the boys in his class got a Candy Gram from a girl. Like himself, his best friend, Rowley Jefferson, was partnerless. So they decide to be each others wingman, and try to find each other a partner. But there was an opening, one girl named Abigail, said her original dance partner, Michael, had to leave for a family obligation. So there is Greg, trying to swoop in and be Abigail's partner, but Rowley suggests that they go as a group. Abigail agrees, but after the dance, who will win over Abigail, read to find out! (I don't want to spoil the whole thing!)