Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth

Diary of a Wimpy Kid:
The Ugly Truth
Author: Jeff Kinney
Publisher: Amulet Books
ISBN: 978-0-8109-8491-2

This book in the series was kind of an interesting one, to say the least. After reading the second in the series, I was planning on attempting books three and four, because those are what the third movie is based on, but according to the OverDrive app, it turns out that somebody else had the same idea, so I ended up skipping straight to this one, which stands in line at number five, in terms of continuity.

While I didn't feel like I missed too much by skipping ahead, there was still an initial feeling of guilt because I was no longer reading the books in order. Now, granted, I had initially planned to skip book three, because it did not get its own movie, so there may be some Karmic payback there, but at any rate, I'm getting off track a little here. Back to the task at hand:

The book itself was interesting, plot-wise. It told of Greg visiting his grandmother because of the occasion of the wedding of one of his uncles. Not only was this book quite funny in that respect, but it definitely kept the spirit of the book series, where funny and awkward antics ensue/unfold. At one point, Greg and Rowley wind up ending their friendship, and even that takes an interesting turn.

One of my favorite parts is actually towards the end, where Greg's grandmother wants to have a "talk" with him, which really unravels Greg. Thinking that they are going to discuss the awkward subject of "the facts of life," Greg approaches his grandmother expecting the worst. As it turns out, the discussion isn't what he was picturing at all, and there is definitely some relief when he realizes that both his uncle and his father did not photograph well when they were teenagers, and she was trying to prepare Greg for this "genetic effect." 

To say that I would definitely read this book again is kind of an understatement. In a way, I'm almost disappointed that this novel in the series did not get its own movie adaptation, because the story itself feels solid, and definitely worthy of the silver big screen. I am looking forward now to going back and reading books three and four in the franchise to see what I have missed.