Greg draws pictures of getting knocked to the ground by one bully and being chased by scary neighborhood kids and a dog. One of Greg's wild toddler cousins goes to the emergency room for stitches, and another finds a razor and shaves with it. Mentions of a great-grandmother's death in the past.
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It's a mixed bag of messages. Hard Luck is heavy on the potty humor, for one. When Greg gets treated to ice cream for good grades and his brother with bad grades gets ice cream, too, Greg says, "It taught me that even if you try your best, someone is just gonna mooch off your hard work." But then, after relying on a Magic Eight Ball to tell him what to do, he realizes that "the BIG decisions are up to me," and one of those is showing compassion toward a friend.
Positive Role Models
a little
Oh, Greg. He's always doing something a little bit rotten, like using a Magic Eight Ball for a test or altering school yearbook photos of kids he doesn't like. That's where the humor lies. Luckily, he's got a mom who keeps him in line, and he's not willing to do anything too reprehensible; he thinks about buying an old science fair project but changes his mind. He's a boy growing into his conscience, and it's clearly taking some real time and effort.
Educational Value
very little
No talk in this installment about how Greg's keeping this diary and how it helps him. But he does join the yearbook committee and learn how to manipulate pictures on his computer -- in an unflattering way, of course -- but it may encourage kids to get creative with fun photo software.
Parents Need to Know
Parents need to know that Hard Luck is the eighth regular installment in the Wimpy Kidgraphic novel series. Reluctant readers are huge fans of this bestselling series, which parents either tolerate because they're thrilled their kid's reading or dislike because the main character, Greg, is always doing something a little bit rotten. Here Greg uses a Magic Eight Ball for a test, alters school yearbook photos in unflattering ways, and lets his grades slip because he's lost all his books and doesn't tell anyone. He's clearly a boy growing into his conscience -- slowly -- but he does the right thing when it really counts, like deciding not to buy another kid's science fair project and showing compassion to a friend at the right time. Violence is pretty low with a few pushy bullies. It's all the potty humor that stands out in this one. Pants are pulled down a few times showing stick cartoon legs in small underwear; Greg's sitting on the toilet a few times, as well. Then there's poor Dad, who has a dog pass gas in his face. Ewww.
It’s safe to say for certain, this has A bucket filled with potty humor. On the nudity side, On page 118, aunt Gretchen‘s two kids Peek in the shower While Greg in inside, when taking a picture of him. Also Greg is shown taking a dump, When the phone is dropped in the toilet. Also down by the street, three boys are shown undressing down to their underwear wrestling in the front yard. Also sweetie Farts in Dad’s face. People who are puny should be supervised while reading the book .
My book is Diary of A Wimpy Kid," Hard Luck." Rowley was Greg's best friend. Rowley left Greg for the reason of getting a girlfriend. In the book Greg stated,"Rowley would be the last person on earth I would think to get a girlfriend!" Greg was not very fond of Rowley's girlfriend either, for she was the reason for his friendship with Rowley ending. The problem with Rowley not hanging out with Greg was that Greg started to get lonely so he made the decision to replace Rowley. Greg tried to replace Rowley with the weirdo kid Fregley! Things between Greg and Fregley didn't end well, it was funny so you should read the book. I learned from Rowley that friends may not always be there in your life, it has to end something. I think that this book is a small guide of events that you can learn from. An example I read was about losing a friend, things can and will get better in time. I can recommend this book for people who like stick figures since this book is filled with them. This book is basically Greg Heffely's stick figured diary. Oh and by the way if you wanna know how Rowley and his little girlfriend ended up, totally read the book.
What's the Story?
Poor Greg. His one good friend, Rowley, has done the unthinkable. He's actually gotten a girlfriend. Now who will walk to school with him and carry his books while watching out for dog messes on the sidewalk? Greg will just have to find himself another sidekick. The only boy desperate enough to take him up on the offer is his bizarre neighbor Fregley, who drops all Greg's books on their first trip to school while running away from the scary Mingo brothers. And then it's Easter, and mom's quarreling sisters and daredevil cousins come to visit. When Greg finds a Magic Eight Ball, he thinks things are finally looking up. It helps him with all kinds of decisions, like which club to join to stay away from the Mingo brothers after school. But he's let his grades slip -- he has no books to study with -- and his science fair project is due next week. What's a Wimpy Kid to do?
Hard Luck doesn't hold together as well as the other installments. Here's the true test of whether HARD LUCK is up your alley: Does the picture of Greg's dad getting tooted on by Grandma's dog send you into hysterical laughter, or do your eyes immediately roll skyward? If this prompts you to stop reading this review, the book is not for you. Is Jeff Kinney running out of gas/ideas? The quarreling-relatives storyline is a real low point; kids don't care about that stuff.
But there are always little redeeming moments, like all the things Greg finds in his mom's closet. Moms will like this mom with her parenting books and backup stuffed animals and the way she lays down the law to get Greg to bring up his grades but types his paper for him after he turns things around. Maybe that will sink in a little with kids once they're done laughing at the tooting dog.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the mega popularity of the Wimpy Kid series. What do kids love about it?
What do kids think of Greg? What do parents? Does he do anything in Hard Luck that you couldn't believe? Why do characters like Greg always seem as if they have one bad day after another?
Do you keep a journal? If so, how often do you write or draw in it? How can a journal be helpful?
Available on:
Nook, Audiobook (unabridged), Hardback, iBooks, Kindle
Last updated:
July 12, 2017
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