Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Old School is Finally Here!

Kinney has a lot to live up to in this installment, considering the wacky misadventures that unfolded in his laugh-packed ninth Wimpy Kid book, The Long Haul, which saw the Heffleys taking an educational road trip at the insistence of their long-suffering and yet perennially optimistic Mom. Of course there were awkward hijinks galore, including a seagull attack, a trip to view the world’s biggest piece of popcorn, and a smelly shoe contest (spoiler alert: Rodrick won). Filled with brilliant flashbacks (from the time Greg thought the television could read his mind, to the time he and Rodrick held up “These people are kidnapping us!” signs and nearly got their parents arrested), The Long Haul was arguably one of the funniest Wimpy Kid books to date, but fortunately the long awaited tenth book fills those big (smelly?) shoes handily.

The premise alone is dynamite, and enough to set fans giggling: In Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Old School, Greg’s town decides to unplug completely and go electronics-free—which, as you can imagine, places Greg and his oddball family in just the sort of predicament we have come to expect and enjoy from the Wimpy Kid series. A beloved anti-hero who isn’t gracious and tactful under the best of circumstances, Greg is notably NOT a huge fan of such character-building experiences as “roughing it” or “making do.” On the contrary, his laziness is legendary (“The only reason I get out of bed at all on weekends is because eventually, I can’t stand the taste of my own breath anymore”) and he lives for the shortcuts and conveniences that make life easier. After all, this is someone who has considered the time-saving benefits of having false teeth (“If I had dentures, I could have someone ELSE take care of my teeth, and I could spend the extra time doing something I actually enjoy”).
Not only is watching Greg go without his beloved modern devices in book 10 going to be epic, painful, and above all, hilarious, but it’s sure to inspire your young readers to as you about what life was like like during those dark days when we were all churning our own butter, calling each other from landline phones, and getting up each time we wanted to change the TV channel. Not only that, but it will make both parents and kids wonder how they would handle Greg’s tragic situation—and is there anything better than a funny book that also makes you think?
Whether you’ve celebrated the conveniences of modern life by pre-ordering your copy of Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Old School, or you’ve gone old-school yourself and are planning to wait in line at your local Barnes & Noble to pick it up today, don’t miss your chance to commune once again with Greg Heffley, one of our favorite underachievers.
Are you and your young readers excited about Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Old School?