Dog Days

monstermillie - Greg Heffley wants to spend his summer indoors, relaxing, playing video games with his friend, Rowley, and watching late-night horror films. His mom has other ideas, however. She wants him to spend time with the family, improving his education, and playing outdoors. Greg tries to implement his ideas of summer, but without much success. He tries to spend time with Rowley kicking back at his friend's father's country club, but gets permanently uninvited when he accidentally tells the clubhouse manager his complaints about the place's service. Things only get worse when his mom tells him he has to find a way to pay off half of the smoothie bill he and Rowley racked up. When Greg's father comes home with a dog that won't leave him alone, he's soon at his wits end. With failed attempts to earn money, a falling out with his best friend, and a crazy dog.

Starred review from October 12, 2009
Is there a better remedy for the back-to-school doldrums than getting to see how Greg Heffley spent his summer vacation? If nothing else, the comedy of errors and indignities he suffers will make readers feel a whole lot better about any family vacation disasters of their own. In the fourth book in Kinney's bestselling Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, Greg has a falling-out with his friend Rowley over a failed lawn-care business, puts up with his parents' attempts to get him out of the house (Mom organizes a book club for boys—who pick out titles like “Sudoku Insanity” and “Ultimate Video Game Cheats”) and tries to shake off the twin horrors of the murderous “muddy hand” from a horror film he watches and the terrifying sights in the men's locker room at the pool. Kinney's gift for telling, pitch-perfect details in both his writing and art remains (such as the cursive script and cutesy content of Mom's photo album captions). No reason to think kids won't devour this book as voraciously as its predecessors. Ages 8–12.