Friday, November 29, 2013

Book Review: Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Hard Luck by Jeff Kinney

 ***Complimentary copy received in exchange for an honest review***


In Hard Luck, Greg Heffley’s on a losing streak. His best friend, Rowley Jefferson, has abandoned him, and finding new friends in middle school is proving to be a tough task. To change his fortunes,
Greg decides to take a leap of faith and turn his decisions over to chance. Will a roll of the dice turn things around, or is Greg’s life destined to be just another hard-luck story?

Diary of a Wimpy Kid is once again poised to be the biggest book series of the year, as book 8 hits stores on November 5, 2013. Jeff Kinney’s seventh Diary of a Wimpy Kid book, The Third Wheel, the
biggest book release of 2012, with a 6.5-million-copy first printing, continues to dominate bestseller lists and is the top-selling children’s title of 2013. The series has been a fixture on the USA Today
bestseller list (the first book in the series remained in the top 150 for more than 200 weeks) and is also on the Wall Street Journal and Publishers Weekly bestseller lists. The series has remained
consistently on the New York Times lists since the publication of the first book.

More than 85 million Diary of a Wimpy Kid books are in print around the world. The books have been sold in more than 44 territories in 42 languages. Published by Amulet Books, an imprint of ABRAMS,
Kinney’s work has been widely praised for its ability to turn reluctant readers on to books. Jeff Kinney was named one of Time magazine’s most influential people in the world. Three movies based
on the book series have grossed more than $250 million internationally. The book series won Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards in 2010, 2011, and 2012 (and is nominated for one in 2013), and Jeff
Kinney won a Children’s Choice Book Award in 2012. Books in the series have won numerous awards voted on by students and teachers around the globe. The Wimpy Kid island (Wimpy Wonderland)
on poptropica.com, a virtual world for kids, remains one of the most visited on the site.
 

My Thoughts

In Hard Luck, the Wimpy Kid is back and my son couldn't be more excited.  He is eleven, and these are the only books I can get him to read willingly. A lot of book series sort of fizzle out after the first few installments, but Wimpy Kid is one that just keeps getting better and better.  In this book, Greg finds himself alone in the world when his best friend Rowley ditches him. The story, though told with humor, is a very realistic look at the challenges of being accepted in middle school. Greg tries to make new friends, but cliques are already formed and it's not easy to be accepted.  Even his relationship with his parents and brother is very true to life.  As an adult, I can remember having similar feelings. Reading these books along with my kids puts me back in touch with my younger self and makes its easier for me to understand what my kids are going through. 

I love how these books are written as though it's a real kid's notebook, complete with illustrations. That is the part that really draws my son in. He feels like he knows Greg, and relates to his desire to be popular. In this book, Greg leaves his fate in the hands of a pair of dice, with hilarious results. These are definitely great stories for kids and parents to enjoy together.



***Please note that I received no form of monetary compensation for this post. The opinions expressed in the review are my own and were not influenced in any way.***

1 comments:

Dosti Shayari said...

it is a very good book again from jeff kinney.It's always better to review a product you have personally experienced so I am the one. I loved reading this book.but I think in the diary of the wimpy kid series cabin fever as been the best.so if you have not bought it you better by cabin fever.