The fourth book in the Wimpy Kid series is a real joy. Jeff Kinney keeps the laughter coming with Greg Heffley's summer vacation--which turns out to be no real vacation at all. Greg recounts the grisly story of the muddy hand which can travel mysteriously across the United States and sneak up on unsuspecting middle school boys and kill them! His fear of the muddy hand causes much anxiety and sleep loss, until he finds a way to sleep with his entire face under the covers. He spends one night sleeping in the bathtub with all the bathroom lights on. Ridley, Greg's older brother, is his devious, bullying self. Greg's mom tries to start a Reading is Fun club for all the neighborhood children, but only has one member by the second meeting--Greg, of course!
Greg is terrified to go to the public pool, not because he's afraid of water, but because he's afraid of having to enter the pool area through the men's showers! Greg says, "The first time I walked through the men's locker room at the town pool was one of the most traumatic experiences of my life." The illustration with this statement shows really hairy men showering in a "common" shower and Greg looking mortified. Kinney's illustrations are spot on, and readers who enjoy a good joke will love this book.
Recommended for all collections, grades 4-up. Recommended for reluctant readers.
Just posted to my blog at https://booksbypamelathompson.blogspot.com/
Pamela Thompson, MLIS Library Media Specialist
This series is amazingly popular among boys and girls and interest spans the ages from independent readers to older readers. It's a hit!
The others are:
Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules
DIary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw
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