The Last Straw (Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series #3)

by Jeff Kinney

Overview

Let's face it. Greg Heffley will never change his wimpy ways. In The Last Straw, book 3 of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series from #1 international bestselling author Jeff Kinney, somebody just needs to explain that to Greg's father.

You see, Frank Heffley actually thinks he can get his son to toughen up, and he enlists Greg in organized sports and other "manly" endeavors.

Of course, Greg is able to easily sidestep his father's efforts to change him. But when Greg's dad threatens to send him to military academy, Greg realizes he has to shape up . . . or get shipped out.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781419741876
Publisher:	Amulet Books
Publication date:	01/01/2009
Series:	Diary of A Wimpy Kid
Pages:	224
Sales rank:	7,792
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.10(h) x 0.90(d)
Lexile:	970L (what's this?)
Age Range:	8 - 12 Years

About the Author

Jeff Kinney is a #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series and the Awesome Friendly Kid series. He is a six-time Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Award winner for Favorite Book and has been named one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World. He spent his childhood in the Washington, D.C., area and moved to New England, where he and his wife own a bookstore named An Unlikely Story.

Hometown:

Southern Massachusetts

Date of Birth:

February 19, 1971

Place of Birth:

Maryland

Education:

University of Maryland

Website:

http://www.wimpykid.com/

Editorial Reviews

The Wippiness Wars have escalated. Greg's father just can't accept that this son is an inveterate wimp. To cure him, Dad signs him up for organized, "manly" sports. When that doesn't work, he threatens use of the ultimate weapon: an involuntary stint at military academy. The threat makes our favorite wimp realize that if he doesn't shape up, he will be literally shipping out!

The third book in this genre-busting series is certain to enlarge Kinney's presence on the bestseller lists, where the previous titles have taken up residence for the past two years. Kinney's spot-on humor and winning formula of deadpan text set against cartoons are back in full force. This time, Greg starts off on New Year's Day (he resolves to "help other people improve," telling his mother, "I think you should work on chewing your potato chips more quietly") and ends with summer vacation. As he fends off his father's attempts to make him more of a man (the threat of military school looms), Greg's hapless adventures include handing out anonymous valentines expressing his true feelings ("Dear James, You smell"), attempting to impress his classmate Holly and single-handedly wrecking his soccer team's perfect season. Kinney allows himself some insider humor as well, with Greg noting the "racket" children's book authors have going. "All you have to do is make up a character with a snappy name, and then make sure the character learns a lesson at the end of the book." Greg, self-centered as ever, may be the exception proving that rule. Ages 8-12.
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Publishers Weekly

Gr 4-8

Greg Heffley's crazy antics continue in this latest installment in the series. Kinney portrays humorous and touching family dynamics between the boy and his competitive father, whom he seems to disappoint numerous times. The fast-paced narrative successfully balances Greg's home and school life, revealing an egocentric yet lovable character. As in the previous books, cartoons and journal entries blend seamlessly to convey Greg's middle school angst. His uncanny ability to fall into amusing predicaments will win even more converts to this popular series. His witty voice coupled with memorable characterization will have this offering flying off the shelves.-Meg Smith, Cumberland County Public Library, Fayetteville, NC

School Library Journal

The third book in Kinney's popular series opens with Greg's New Year's resolution: Since he's already perfect, he'll focus on helping other people address their character flaws. (And he's surprised by their negative reactions to his helpful suggestions.) Though some older listeners may tire of the smart-aleck boy humor evident here, narrator Ramon de Ocampo does not: He brings as much energy to his lively characterization of Greg as he did in the first book. De Ocampo's tone (smart-alecky yet clueless) and his depictions of Greg fumbling his way through playing soccer badly, getting a merit badge in Boy Scouts, and having a first crush are sure to delight the boys who are so clearly Kinney's audience. J.C.G. © AudioFile 2010, Portland, Maine

MARCH 2010 - AudioFile