Common Sense Media Review
By Carrie R. Wheadon
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Epic neighborhood snowball fight perks up 13th installment.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 8+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
Based on 3 parent reviews
Based on 23 kid reviews
Kids say that this installment features hilarious moments, particularly an epic snowball fight, and captures the absurdities of middle school life beautifully. While many reviews express enjoyment and recommend the book for its humor, there are some criticisms regarding the storyline and character balance.
- humor
- snowball fight
- middle school
- strong recommendation
- some criticism
Summarized with AI
Summarized with AI
What's the Story?
In DIARY OF A WIMPY KID: THE MELTDOWN, it's winter and Greg is impatiently waiting for the cold weather. His school heater is on too high, making his brain foggy. Perhaps that's why he forgot to do his country report -- he'll just have to fake it. When the weather finally turns, the school heater breaks and it's freezing in school. It's also so snowy on his walks to and from school that one day he straps pizza boxes to his feet. He's making excellent time until the boxes get soggy and the neighbor dogs smell the leftover pizza. As the snow continues to fall, neighborhood tensions rise. The safety patrol girls won't allow snowball fights after school. The kids that live up the hill won't let the kids that live down the hill sled on THEIR hill. Throw in a snow day, snow forts, and an enterprising kid selling specialty snowballs, and Greg and his friends better be ready to rumble.
Is It Any Good?
In this 13th Wimpy Kid, Greg's up to his usual bad ideas until he lands on a stellar one: an epic neighborhood snowball fight, the kind kids dream of as soon as the first flurries fly. Well, he doesn't come up with the whole idea, but his snow fort gets things rolling. At the height of the battle, there are multiple forts, team flags, shaky alliances, and a guy selling specialized snowballs. There's even a spy. And -- many parents will love this -- it all comes together because Greg's mom forces him outside, telling him that video games don't teach kids how to interact. In just one afternoon of snow-covered mayhem, kids have to plan, negotiate, strategize, and cooperate. This part of The Meltdown is such a great reminder of how amazing getting outside and looking for the good kind of trouble can be.
The rest of The Meltdown is less cohesive and engaging. There's a school report Greg forgot about, a hot school, and then a freezing-cold school, smelly socks, kids spreading germs, breaking into Grandma's house, and so on. Mixed in, you'll find an introduction to the neighbor kids who'll stage the fight later, but it's not done smoothly. Perhaps this hodgepodge fits in with the diary premise, but luckily it doesn't last the whole book. For the finale, author-illustrator Jeff Kinney includes a full-page spread of the snowball melee. That's how you know he's having a ball as well.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the snowball fight in The Meltdown. Have you ever had a snowball fight like that? What strategies did the neighborhood kids use to win? How did they come up with rules to keep things safe?
Do you think it's cruel for Greg's mom to have screen-free weekends? Do you think he would have been outside if his mom didn't force him out?
Which is your favorite Wimpy Kid book so far? Do you read other graphic novel series? Which ones?
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : Jeff Kinney
- Genre : Humor
- Topics : Adventures , Family Stories ( Siblings ) , Friendship , School ( Middle School )
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : Amulet Books
- Publication date : October 30, 2018
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 8 - 12
- Number of pages : 224
- Available on : Paperback, Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Last updated : October 9, 2025
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