Book Review: Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw

I wanted a light-hearted read for the moments I could snag during the little boys' swimming lessons. What can I say? You can never go wrong with a Jeff Kinney book! Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw, is the third book in the Wimpy Kid series and it delivered plenty of laughs, just like the previous books.

Bryce recently embarked on the task of ridding his room of all the childish and unwanted items that lingered. You would have thought it was Christmas for his little brothers. The book bar outside his door was piled high with games, toys, lamps, and books. They are thrilled with the lamps (Bryce had quite a collection - lava lamp, aqua lamp, disco ball) and with his trophies, but they are equally excited about all the books he granted them (we basically shifted his entire black bookshelf into Trevor and Sean's room).

As a result, the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books were already strewn around. Believe me, they've certainly noticed the commercials for the Wimpy Kid movie. We have had several good chuckles as Trevor and Sean yell out their favorite line from the movie trailer: "Hey Bryce, cute butt!" Trevor has conned me into starting to read one to him, even though he hasn't even started elementary school and the books are full of middle school humor. He considers it preparation enough that he has a middle-school brother (for a few more weeks, anyway).

Thus, I ended up packing the third book in the swim bag and easily finished it before the lessons ended (today). There were plenty of laugh-out-loud moments, but I wasn't too concerned (hopefully nobody mistook my laughter as an uncharitable reaction to Sean's protests).

In The Last Straw, Greg Heffley continues to amuse readers with his moronic antics. The book begins in January, when Greg is making resolutions for everyone else in his family and bumming over the lame Christmas gifts he received. As a result of his uncle's laundry hoop present, Greg ends up with the added chore of doing his own laundry. A responsible pre-teen would step up to the plate, but this is a "wimpy kid." Instead, he decides to try to make it to the end of the school year without doing laundry once. This decision alone elicits no end of humorous situations.

Whether Greg is trying to garner the attention of Holly Hills, the approval of his father (forever shown up by the boss with manly sons), or protection from his older brother, Rodrick, he is good for a hearty chuckle and possibly even a drink-snort or two. The illustrations alone will lure in any reader.

No matter what your age, this book is bound to bring plenty of laughs. You will find yourself thanking God that you are no longer fully exposed in those awkward pre-teen years. Even Trevor, at age 5, seems to understand the jokes and he loves the illustrations.

Even if you don't read the books, you might have fun visiting the movie website where you can view movie trailers and even wimp yourself. Here is the Wimpy Wendy that I created:


Now I think I might just head back and create a "Wimpy Cardiogirl," just for the fun of it. She'll be easy since she always sports a pony-tail.