Jeff Kinney uses laugh-out-loud humor to convey the middle school experience of Greg Heffley: a video-game playing, cartoon-drawing, undersized geek, who computes his class ranking to be “around 52nd or 53rd most popular this year.” In a combination of text and comics, Greg brings us through his sixth-grade year, as he runs for class treasurer (he loses), survives the wrestling unit in Phys Ed, and participates in the school play under parental duress. When he takes his buddy Rowley for granted, Greg discovers he’s underestimated the importance of Rowley’s friendship. Often lighthearted and silly, Greg’s journal also manages to tap into common issues of early adolescence—controlling parents, school bullies, evolving friendships—that will resonate with his real-life peers. (Ages 10–14)