Common Sense Media Review
By Carrie R. Wheadon
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Family road trip goes hilariously awry in 9th installment.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 8+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 5 parent reviews
Based on 36 kid reviews
Kids say the book offers a humorous adventure that captivates readers, particularly engaging reluctant readers with its relatable themes and well-illustrated content. While many find the story entertaining and funny, some critiques focus on the lack of character development and the presence of inappropriate elements for younger audiences.
- humor
- relatable themes
- adventure
- character critique
- audience appeal
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
What's the Story?
Greg's all ready to kick back for a whole summer in his basement playing video games. Then Mom springs a surprise on the whole family: road trip! Even worse: no electronics allowed. They're expected to play family games and listen to Spanish-language CDs the whole way to county fairs and roadside landmarks. Of course Greg's mom's perfect family vacation starts to go awry before they even leave the driveway. Then there's the stinky motel, a biting pig, a busted radiator, those awful gas station bathrooms ... and that's all before their wallets and phones are stolen.
Is It Any Good?
It could all be cliché, but Kinney's done this comedy thing before and knows how to set the story up pretty cleverly and throw in a few surprises. Greg's mom has such high hopes for a family vacation that readers will almost be sorry it doesn't go at all according to plan -- but of course, that's what makes THE LONG HAUL extra funny. There are brief moments where the family listens to her Spanish CDs -- especially little Manny, apparently -- and everyone plays the car games she's brought and eats her healthy "Mom Meal" lunches. But mostly the trip goes wrong. It's like author Jeff Kinney has the road-trip-misadventure checklist handy: car breaks down, money's gone, motel smells, animals reek havoc (more than one here), they get lost in the wrong place (hunting area -- yikes!).
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about real family car trips. Are they perfect like the ones in Greg's mom's magazine? Or are they closer to how Greg's family experiences them?
How does The Long Haul compare with other books in the Wimpy Kid series?
Greg's mom bans electronics on their trip. Are you allowed electronics during family time? If not, do kids and parents follow this rule together?
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : Jeff Kinney
- Genre : Humor
- Topics : Transportation ( Cars & Trucks ) , Family Stories ( Siblings ) , Animals
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Amulet Books
- Publication date : November 4, 2014
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 8 - 12
- Number of pages : 224
- Available on : Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : October 9, 2025
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