“I guess Mom was pretty proud of herself for making me write in that journal last year, because now she went and bought me another one.”

From Jeff Kinney’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules.

Greg’s summer vacation was less than idea since his mom signed him up for swim class with super early practices and assigned his mean older brother, Rodrick, to pick him up. The start of the new school year is also a bit hectic for Greg until he gets rid of the dreaded Cheese Touch, but once he passes it off to a new kid, things improve. Despite having almost nothing in common, the always-broke Rodrick and Greg find themselves joined together in their mom’s latest lesson-teaching-plan: Mom Bucks. Initially, the Mom Bucks thing works well and keeps the brothers from fighting quite as much as normal, but when their parents go on a short trip and leave Rodrick in charge, things quickly go wrong. Despite seeming under the weather, Rodrick throws a huge party and then blackmails Greg into helping him clean up before their parents return. Despite the party craziness, Greg and Rodrick continue with Mom Bucks program, but when Greg discovers that his friend Rowley has a supply of the game money his mom has been using, he decides to use some to get out of a tough situation. However, things quickly spiral out of control as Greg desperately tries to keep things together in true wimpy kid fashion.

The book is a mix between a graphic novel and a traditional book.  The main character does not always make good decisions, but it everything works out by the end of the book.  The characters are fun and open, which helps carry the story from start to finish.  Rodrick Rules can definitely provide hours of entertainment that young readers will love.