Book #3: Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days by Jeff Kinney

On a hot Friday, during a day where the kids were just as brutal as the heat, I decided during lunch to pick up a book on the nearby shelf. I had read author Jeff Kinney's first "Diary..." installment (entitled "Diary of a Wimpy Kid") last summer and found myself laughing out loud on more than a few occasions. Naturally, I thought another dose of simple, child-appropriate humor would hit the spot. And I was right. The books read so easily that I was down to the last 15 pages by the end of my second (albeit brief) break of the day, and had it done by sundown on Friday.

The diary follows the summer vacation of the 'uncool from the outside, but totally justified in being absolutely normal if you get it' protagonist Greg Heffley. The ideal summer of uninterrupted video gaming, late-night, wake-up-late lifestyle choices are interrupted early by Greg's mother, who has her own ideas of how great a summer could be. I find, in reading these books, a kid not unlike myself who wants to bask in the freedom of no school, but who ultimately doesn't get to make that choice. Looking back on my own summers, there were more than a few opportunities to relax that were blown when "plans" got in the way.
What I wish I could have been making on my summer vacation, circa 1996.

What ensues is 210 pages (which again were super-easy to read, as it's in diary format, complete with rough pictures) of worst-case-for-13-year-old scenarios: watching younger siblings, awkward family moments, nerd friends, best intentions gone awry...it seems as though the summer can't possibly get any worse for Greg. And that's what I think makes the book so endearing. At the end, when you pull yourself back from what happened and look at the big picture, life/the summer from Hell isn't all THAT bad...even if the most memorable parts were the lowlights. As an adult, I found myself laughing at my own personal experiences and nodding knowingly at the inside joke that parents/adults get.

This fourth installment of the Wimpy Kid series was delightful and lifted the mood of what could have been an adult's version of a Dog Day, indeed. I look forward to reading the rest of Greg's adventures as a relief from the real world.