Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules
Common Sense Note
Parents need to know this book has sibling rivalry, one wild party, and some scheming to cheat on tests and get out of chores. The great thing is, like most middle school kids, the characters get caught and are punished.
Families can talk about lying and friendship. Why was Greg's mother more upset when she found out he lied? How would you feel if your friends treated you like Greg did Chirag? Have you ever done something in school that made other people feel bad, but made you feel cool and popular?
Common Sense Review
Reviewed By: Terreece Clarke
A worthy follow-up to the first book Diary of a Wimpy Kid, RODRICK RULES gives us more of Greg's funny take on the world around him through his comics-laced journal. Greg's in more scrapes this time around, and worse than that, his bully brother Rodrick knows one of Greg's secrets that could definitely get him into trouble and threatens to tell the world. Here comes the brotherly blackmail (and a great topic for parent-kid discussions).
The cartoons that go along with Greg's journal entries are hilarious. Bestselling author Jeff Kinney does a great job portraying the hazardous environment of middle school and of showing us a relatable kid whose full of foibles -- while he's very likeable he can be sarcastic, snarky, and occasionally pretty mean to his friends. The situations Greg finds himself are both familiar and embarrassing. While Greg likes to think he's the victim of misunderstandings, like when he promises to be honest and takes it too far, the majority of the time he gets what he deserves.
From The Book
Mom and Dad were supposed to be back by 7:00, and we still had a TON of work to do.
It wasn't easy to erase all the evidence of the party, because Rodrick's friends had left bottles and trash in all these crazy places. At one point, when I went to make myself a bown of cereal, about a hundred bottle caps poured out.
Plot Summary:
Greg Heffley is just trying to put the summer and its events behind him. It would be a lot easier if his mean older brother Rodrick didn't know his darkest secret. All Greg has to do is keep Rodrick quiet and keep his journal out of Rodrick's hands and everything should be OK, well not OK, but tolerable.
Related Books:
More Delightful School Stories:
No Talking by Andrew Clements
A Word to the Wise by Jane Lawrence Mali and Alison Cragin Herzig
In the Year of the Boar and Jackie Robinson by Betty Bao Lord
Stargone John by Ellen Kindt McKenzie
Someday Angeline by Louis Sachar
There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom by Louis Sachar
Fourth Grade Rats by Jerry Spinelli
Bad Girls by Cynthia Voigt
My Life as a Fifth Grade Comedian by Elizabeth Levy
The View from Saturday by E.L. Konigsburg
Flying Solo by Ralph Fletcher
Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
Loser by Jerry Spinelli
Sparks by Graham McNamee
Trout and Me by Susan Shreve
Sahara Special by Esmé Raji Codell
The Teacher's Funeral: A Comedy in Three Parts by Richard Peck
Sex Kittens and Horn Dawgs Fall in Love by Maryrose Wood
The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt
Related Web Site:
Wimpykid.com
Reviewed: 01/29/2008
Rate It!
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Sexual ContentA kid gets kuddos for getting into the opposite sex's bathroom at school. Boys are described as trying to get girls to be interested in them. |
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ViolenceRodrick draws some violent cartoons, including one of his brother Greg being pushed off a cliff. A boy is shown injured when he kicks something heavy. |
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LanguageMild name calling, like "jerk" and "nerd." |
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Social BehaviorSibling rivalry, mean pranks played at school, and some plots for cheating. The characters are sarcastic, but for the most part understand the difference between right and wrong. |
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Drug/Alcohol/TobaccoA cartoon shows a presumed high-schooler smoking. |
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