Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Meltdown

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.