Parents' Guide to

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules

By Terreece Clarke, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 8+

Big dose of sibling rivalry in very funny sequel.

Book Jeff Kinney Humor 2008
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

Community Reviews

age 10+

Based on 18 parent reviews

age 11+

Aged like milk

I didn’t like the values and messages in these books at all. The main character was celebrated for sneaking into the girls locker room. Really? These books have aged badly.
age 8+

Maybe some violence won't hurt

Teaches you the importance of not blackmailing

This title has:

Educational value

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (18 ):
Kids say (80 ):

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 likable 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.

Book Details

  • Author: Jeff Kinney
  • Illustrator: Jeff Kinney
  • Genre: Humor
  • Book type: Fiction
  • Publisher: Amulet Books
  • Publication date: February 1, 2008
  • Publisher's recommended age(s): 8 - 14
  • Number of pages: 224
  • Last updated: July 19, 2018

Did we miss something on diversity?

Research shows a connection between kids' healthy self-esteem and positive portrayals in media. That's why we've added a new "Diverse Representations" section to our reviews that will be rolling out on an ongoing basis. You can help us help kids by suggesting a diversity update.

Common Sense Media's unbiased ratings are created by expert reviewers and aren't influenced by the product's creators or by any of our funders, affiliates, or partners.

See how we rate