children's book review: Diary of a Wimpy Kid #2 - Rodrick Rules by Jeff Kinney

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I loved the first book in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, and this one is almost as good. Greg is back with his diary that features his simple and usually hilarious cartoons. Not much has changes, which is a little confusing, as the first book covered an entire year, yet Greg appears to be the same age.

Fans of the first one will likely delight in this one too. For me, as an adult reader, there was a little more of a "woe is me" attitude about Greg's dealings with his older brother, Rodrick. His interactions with Rodrick lacked a little bit of humor for me. Rodrick seems to get away with everything, while Greg gets away with nothing. While I don't doubt Greg feels this way, the first book had a touch more humor when dealing with things Greg perceived as unfair. The scenes with Rodrick were my least favorite, but the rest of the book was up to its old form.

Greg's mom is in serious danger of stealing the show. Her quiet hilarity is fantastic, and I hope this trend continues. The best part of the book for me was the hysterical take on something very similar to Dungeons and Dragons. Although I've never played the game, it often appears in pop culture in tv shows, movies and books I enjoy. Diary of a Wimpy Kid had the best scenes and treatment I've seen of Dungeons and Dragons. Those scenes alone almost made me give this book five stars too. If you haven't read the series, start with the first one. It's delightful for parents and children alike.

Rating: 4.5 stars (out of 5)
Pages: 224
Publication: February 1, 2008
Source: my local public library

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