Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth by Jeff Kinney

Puffin, 2010. ISBN: 9780143304999.
Greg Heffley, ex-best friend of Rowley, is nearing puberty and having to face boy-girl parties, school sleep-overs, the forthcoming wedding of his Uncle Gary, 'the Talk' from Gammie and the changes his body is undergoing. With Rowley by his side, things may not have seemed so difficult and confusing but the two have chosen to go their separate ways, thereby causing other complications to arise.
Kinney has created another book in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series which is a total winner with both young males generally and particularly those who are classified as reluctant readers. The cartoon style illustrations which take up most of each page are interspersed with small amounts of text, written in large format font to give the impression of a hand written diary. In the same way the Penny Pollard series appealed to girls, this holds a great deal of appeal to boys who like humour, light hearted stories and perhaps have a tendency to behave like Greg, with a lack of respect for the opinions and ideas of adults.
These books could never be classified as great literature but the stories are engaging and funny and they are rarely on the library shelf. Not having previously read one of these titles, I shall now take the time to read the others in the series. This was amusing and will provide me with common ground when speaking to the boys who don't wish to read anything but Kinney's books.
Jo Schenkel