Title: Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Hard Luck
Publisher: Puffin Books (a division of Penguin; series website at wimpykid.com)
Date: 2013
Writer: Jeff Kinney
Artist: Jeff Kinney
Greg Heffley is down on his luck. His best friend Rowley suddenly has a girlfriend, and Greg has been given the full third-wheel treatment.
As his life at school spirals out of control with the loss of the friend he relied on (here meaning "exploited") for everything from homework help to dog-poop spotting on the walk to school, Greg turns to a magic eight-ball to make his decisions for him.
The romantic drama is one big sexist trope dragged out over the course of the whole book, but fortunately it does not take center stage for most of the story.
What does work is the big expansion of interesting characters from Greg's school and family, as well as a subplot about family greed over a lost diamond ring. There are also some revelations about Greg's mom as Greg gets a look at some of the secrets in her bedroom closet.
It was also nice to see Greg actually grow a bit and learn something from this round of mishaps.
Rating: 5/10
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