This was a birthday present I bought for the Kiddo. The Wimpy Kid series is as popular in Vietnam as it is everywhere else, and the English editions of the books are available in most bookstores in Ho Chi Minh City. In this case, I bought it at my school's book fair fundraiser, which was run by one of the local bookstore chains.
Title: Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw
Publisher: Amulet Books (a division of Abrams; series website at wimpykid.com)
Date: 2009
Writer: Jeff Kinney
Artist: Jeff Kinney
This is the third book of the Wimpy Kid series. Like the others, it is written primarily in text with accompanying cartoons and illustrations to flesh out the story.
This volume is a bit meandering, but focuses primarily on middle-schooler Greg Heffley's relationship with his father. Greg's Dad is getting frustrated that his son is not turning out to be particularly athletic or otherwise "manly", so an escalating series of remedies, from the soccer team, to boy scouts, to a family camping trip, are attempted, with the expected comical results.
When all else has failed, the only option left might involve shipping Greg off to military school.
As with others in this series, there are some funny jokes, but a lot of cringe-worthy moments. Greg's manipulation and bullying of his friend Rowley continues to be uncomfortable to read, as Greg remains oblivious of how cruel he's being. Rowley usually "wins" in the end, but I'm still not a fan of how this whole dynamic gets played for laughs.
My son did enjoy the book, as he has the rest of the series, and I am pleased that in spite of the shortcomings I find in these books, they are keeping him interested in reading.
But this volume was a fair amount of shortcomings and a lot of just aimless wandering from one set of jokes to the next.
Rating: 4/10
Title: Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last StrawPublisher: Amulet Books (a division of Abrams; series website at wimpykid.com)
Date: 2009
Writer: Jeff Kinney
Artist: Jeff Kinney
This is the third book of the Wimpy Kid series. Like the others, it is written primarily in text with accompanying cartoons and illustrations to flesh out the story.
This volume is a bit meandering, but focuses primarily on middle-schooler Greg Heffley's relationship with his father. Greg's Dad is getting frustrated that his son is not turning out to be particularly athletic or otherwise "manly", so an escalating series of remedies, from the soccer team, to boy scouts, to a family camping trip, are attempted, with the expected comical results.
When all else has failed, the only option left might involve shipping Greg off to military school.
As with others in this series, there are some funny jokes, but a lot of cringe-worthy moments. Greg's manipulation and bullying of his friend Rowley continues to be uncomfortable to read, as Greg remains oblivious of how cruel he's being. Rowley usually "wins" in the end, but I'm still not a fan of how this whole dynamic gets played for laughs.
My son did enjoy the book, as he has the rest of the series, and I am pleased that in spite of the shortcomings I find in these books, they are keeping him interested in reading.
But this volume was a fair amount of shortcomings and a lot of just aimless wandering from one set of jokes to the next.
Rating: 4/10
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