The Last Straw (Diary of a Wimpy Kid #3) (Volume 3) Hardcover – Illustrated, January 1, 2009

If your kids know and love Jeff Kinney's bestselling `Wimpy Kid' books, this latest installment will not disappoint. If you and your family haven't yet read these hilarious cartoon novels, let this green-bound book be your delicious introduction.In "The Last Straw" we rejoin middle school student Greg Heffley journaling his frank opinions about school, suburbia and his own zany family. But unlike Harriet the Spy, another intrepid chronicler of everyday American life, Greg's greatest ripostes are at his own expense. He cheerfully confesses to an attempt to make change from the church collection plate and also describes digging up a time capsule and pocketing the contents. (There's an especially funny reflection about the dilemma of a young man with no clean underwear except a worn Speedo and a pair of Wonder Woman Underoos.) Happily unethical, young Greg is always searching for the shortcuts in life. For example, after he signs up with Boy Scout Troop 133, he is dismayed to learn he must earn a `whittling badge.' Greg determines he can squeeze the soap into shapes instead of carving it. After turning in a soap with four protuberances as a "sheep" Greg then turns it upside down and resubmits it as "the Titanic." While Greg will never make Eagle Scout, he does remains true to himself and his fear of sharp objects.One of the best things about this best-selling series is how addictive the books are to young people, even the reluctant reader. If your child enjoys this book, he or she will happily move on to the original, red-bound "Diary of a Wimpy Kid," ($[...]) and the second in the series, "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules"($[...]) There's also the fun "Diary of a Wimpy Kid Do-It-Yourself" book ($[...]) This orange-bound book will get your child to journal and answer some rather tough questions. A sample: True or False: Have you ever peed a swimming pool?It's interesting to note that Kinney, a former college cartoonist, worked on his Wimpy Kid concepts for six years before publishing in installments on [...] To date, the online version has had more than 70 million visits. Having won a vast online and print audience, `Wimpy Kid' is expected to move to the big-screen, with a casting call now underway for the film version of Greg Heffley's adventures. [...]As with Charlie Brown creator Charles Schultz, Kinney's work revolves around childhood events like the school Valentine party, sibling rivalry, or warming the bench during the big game. But unlike Schultz, Kinney suggests that being the underdog is not so bad. In fact, the underdog may even get the last laugh in the end--or at least avoid military school.Time will tell if Kinney's works deserve to be ranked with Schultz' Peanuts gang, or with Bill Watterson's Calvin & Hobbes series, for that matter. In the short term, these books will be a rollicking, well-read addition to your family bookshelf.

Great book

my 12 year is still going strong on these books. its lower then his reading level so finishes the books within 45 mins but he still loves to re read them

I have an 8 year old third grader, and he loves this series. It is the only book series that he's asked for me to purchase for him. Ever. It's an "AR" book that will help him achieve points in school as well. It's done in the style of a comic strip with drawing and text. I read through some of the first pages and found it comical and representative of what a school age kid might write. The only issue for him with writing the book report was he said that too many funny things happened in the story. He had a hard time translating that on paper.At first he was upset that I got him the first book because he requested the latest copy. I explained to him the series has chronological order. I think the stories are self contained, but I figured it would be best for him to read it from the first story on. Anyway, when he read it, he laughed out loud numerous times! It was just a pleasure to hear that he was enjoying this book so much. He said that he can't wait to read the rest of the books in order. I'm so glad for this series, as it's sparked an interest in reading for my son. Now it's a no-brainer on what gifts to give him as well. Couldn't be more happy with this purchase!

My 7 year old son has gotten into these books recently and asked for book 3rd book for Christmas after finishing the 2nd that he got for his birthday. This series is written for slightly older children but my son gets a lot of the humor and likes the books anyway. I think some parents would find some of the humor inappropriate. The main character, Greg, is largely self-centered and often not kind to his family and main friend, Rowley. These character traits often lead to the comedy but I could see how someone would interpret the book as condoning some of this unkind behavior.This third entry is much similar to the first two. The kind of hijinks are the same although the jokes don't seem too stale. The format is the same but still works for the content.Book printing and bind quality is the same as the first two books we purchased in the series and is pretty good for the price point.

Daughter loves it

Love this series perfect for 10-year-old boy

I love this book so much it is definitely one of my favorites of all time and worth the price