The Last Straw (Diary of a Wimpy Kid #3)

The highly anticipated third book in the critically acclaimed and bestselling series takes the art of being wimpy to a whole new level.

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Letand#8217;s face it: Greg Heffley will never change his wimpy ways. Somebody just needs to explain that to Gregand#8217;s father. You see, Frank Heffley actually thinks he can get his son to toughen up, and he enlists Greg in organized sports and other and#147;manlyand#8221; endeavors. Of course, Greg is able to easily sidestep his fatherand#8217;s efforts to change him. But when Gregand#8217;s dad threatens to send him to military academy, Greg realizes he has to shape up . . . or get shipped out.

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Greg and his family and friends, who make the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books a must-read for middle school readers, are back and at their best in this hilarious new installment of the series, which is sure to please current fans while attracting new ones.

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Publishers Weekly-1/19/2009:The third book in this genre-busting series is certain to enlarge Kinneyand#8217;s presence on the bestseller lists, where the previous titles have taken up residence for the past two years. Kinneyand#8217;s spot-on humor and winning formula of deadpan text set against cartoons are back in full force. This time, Greg starts off on New Yearand#8217;s Day (he resolves to and#147;help other people improve,and#8221; telling his mother, and#147;I think you should work on chewing your potato chips more quietlyand#8221;) and ends with summer vacation. As he fends off his fatherand#8217;s attempts to make him more of a man (the threat of military school looms), Gregand#8217;s hapless adventures include handing out anonymous valentines expressing his true feelings (and#147;Dear James, You smelland#8221;), attempting to impress his classmate Holly and single-handedly wrecking his soccer teamand#8217;s perfect season. Kinney allows himself some insider humor as well, with Greg noting the and#147;racketand#8221; childrenand#8217;s book authors have going. and#147;All you have to do is make up a character with a snappy name, and then make sure the character learns a lesson at the end of the book.and#8221; Greg, self-centered as ever, may be the exception proving that rule. Ages 8and#150;12. (Jan.)and#160;FandP level: T

Lets face it: Greg Heffley will never change his wimpy ways. Somebody just needs to explain that to Greg's father. You see, Frank Heffley actually thinks he can get his son to toughen up, and he enlists Greg in organized sports and other “manly” endeavors. Of course, Greg is able to easily sidestep his father's efforts to change him. But when Greg's dad threatens to send him to military academy, Greg realizes he has to shape up... or get shipped out.

Greg and his family and friends, who make the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books a must-read for middle school readers, are back and at their best in this hilarious new installment of the series, which is sure to please current fans while attracting new ones.

The authorities are closing in, but when a surprise blizzard hits, the Heffley family is trapped indoors. Greg knows that when the snow melts heand#8217;s going to have to face the music, but could any punishment be worse than being stuck inside with your family for the holidays?

A dance at Greg's middle school has everyone scrambling to find a partner, and Greg is determined not to be left by the wayside. So he concocts a desperate plan to find someoneandmdash;anyone!andmdash;to go with on the big night.

But Greg's schemes go hilariously awry, and his only option is to attend the dance with his best friend, Rowley Jefferson, and a female classmate as a andquot;group of friends.andquot; But the night is long, and anything can happen along the way. Who will arrive at the dance triumphantly, and who will end up being the third wheel?

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Jeff Kinney is a #1 New York Times bestselling author and five-time Nickelodeon Kidsandrsquo; Choice Award winner for Favorite Book. Jeff has been named one of Time magazineandrsquo;s 100 Most Influential People in the World. He is also the creator of Poptropica, which was named one of Time magazineandrsquo;s 50 Best Websites. He spent his childhood in the Washington, D.C., area and moved to New England in 1995. Jeff lives with his wife and two sons in Plainville, Massachusetts, where he owns a bookstore, An Unlikely Story.