Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw by Jeff Kinney

This journal picks up Greg Heffley's life in January and tracks him through the spring semester at school. Greg recaps his disappointing Christmas, where he received mostly books and clothes, because once you are in middle school no one thinks you want toys anymore.

The year goes downhill from there: his school bus changes routes without telling anyone, forcing him to walk the 1/4 mile to school; he has a crush on the fourth prettiest girl in school but can't work up the nerve to actually talk to her; his mom makes him do his own laundry; his best friend Rowley is still embarrassing sometimes; his mom hides the snacks; and his dad makes him sign up for a soccer team. But nothing can trump the worst thing: his dad wants to send him to a military academy that starts during summer vacation.

Whew! All this and more is accompanied by sketches of what Greg was going through. Will Greg survive and manage to wiggle his way out of military school?

What I Thought:
I LOVE these books, and have been anticipating the release of this book for some time now. I was not disappointed and tore this book, laughing all the way.

I adore how Kinney adds the cartoon drawings within the journal entries, they add so much personality to the story and helps make Greg and his family come to life.

The situations that Greg finds himself in are believable and I think many kids are able to relate. My favorite storyline in this book was when Greg's mom informs him that he must do his own laundry, and Greg wears all his clothes over and over, even the embarrassing items so he won't have to do actually wash his clothes.

This book is going to be a smash hit, just like the previous two books in the series. If you are, have, or know a middle school child this is a book that should be put in their hand...they will thank you!

Want to see more? Check it out on Amazon: Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw by Jeff Kinney.

A couple of interesting tidbits:
*There is another installment coming! Book Four (Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Bummer Vacation) is slated to release sometime in Fall '09/Winter '10., with book five (Diary of a Wimpy Kid: My Last Year) scheduled for sometime early 2011. (source: wikipedia.com)

*Could Greg Heffley's story become a movie? According to wimpykid.com, a Wimpy Kid movie could be coming soon!

*Check out wimpykid.com for a youtube video on how this book was printed. (Note:this film is literally film of the book being printed, which is kind of neat but would be much better with some audio explaining what was happening or the processes that were taking place to take the book from blank paper to a finished product.)