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| Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules (Diary of a Wimpy Kid) | 
 enlarge | Author: Jeff Kinney
Publisher: Amulet Books
Category: Book
List Price: $12.95
Buy New: $4.65
You Save: $8.30 (64%)
New (45) Used (19) from $4.65
Avg. Customer Rating:  104 reviews
Sales Rank: 472
Media: Hardcover
Edition: 1
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Number Of Items: 1
Pages: 224
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.8
Dimensions (in): 8.1 x 5.5 x 0.9
ISBN: 0810994739
EAN: 9780810994737
ASIN: 0810994739
Publication Date: February 1, 2008
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: BRAND NEW, PAPER BACK EDITION, NO UGLY REMAINDER MARKS.
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Product Description
The highly anticipated sequel to the #1 NEW YORK TIMES bestselling book!
Secrets have a way of getting out, especially when a diary is involved.
Whatever you do, don’t ask Greg Heffley how he spent his summer vacation, because he definitely doesn’t want to talk about it.
As Greg enters the new school year, he’s eager to put the past three months behind him . . . and one event in particular.
Unfortunately for Greg, his older brother, Rodrick, knows all about the incident Greg wants to keep under wraps. But secrets have a way of getting out . . . especially when a diary is involved.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules chronicles Greg’s attempts to navigate the hazards of middle school, impress the girls, steer clear of the school talent show, and most important, keep his secret safe.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 99 more reviews...
 Jeff Kinney Strikes Again! PYP Funny! January 17, 2008
66 out of 86 found this review helpful
In his latest book, DIARY OF A WIMPY KID: RODRICK RULES, Jeff Kinney nearly put me into the hospital. That man is going to have serious medical bills to pay if this keeps up. I almost busted a gut laughing out loud and almost aspirated my Diet Dr Pepper on a few occasions. And, yes, I hold him completely responsible.
If not for Kinney's dry wit, keen insight into the lives of elementary school boys (especially their rationalization for EVERYTHING), and fantastic line drawing on nearly every page, I wouldn't have had so many close brushes with death in his latest book. But he put me there time and time again. Even when I thought I had things figured out (because I was once an elementary school boy with a wild imagination without a governor), Jeff would throw a wrinkle at me that I didn't see coming. He ambushed me with regularity throughout the pages.
But it's not just me that Jeff has his merciless sights on. He's taking out EVERYBODY. My wife teaches elementary school and Jeff's books are all the rage among the students. I have to admit to adding to that bonfire because I talk about his books all the time (and I have to admit that I haven't quite become the responsible adult either, because I'll rile my wife's fourth grade class up and take my leave--taking her out to dinner usually gets me off the hook and my cool points go up with the kids).
Parents have become interested in the books and I've told them they need to keep up with what their kids are reading. After all, they're supposed to be responsible parents. (I, myself, have been known to buy extra copies of Jeff's books and give out as gifts - some parents have accused me of inciting subversion, but I point out that Jeff's first book was a NEW YORK TIMES bestseller and that is a far better recommendation than I could ever make. Except the TIMES doesn't give away Jeff's books as gifts that I know of. That's why they hold me more accountable.)
But when I recommend the books to parents, I issue a stern warning. I call it the PYP warning. I especially give it to pregnant mothers and people with weak bladders who read in public places. PYP is Pee Your Pants. The books are just that funny. You're reading along, and the next thing you know, WHAM! -- you're laughing so hard you're peeing your pants.
The funniest thing about Jeff's humor, and the life of his main character, Greg Heffley, is that everything in the book COULD BE COMPLETELY TRUE. Speaking from experience, a lot of what's between those pages has been true. But I'm not going to incriminate myself now when I got away with those things all those years ago. And there should be some kind of time statute on most of them. I still don't want my mom to know, however.
Greg is THE man when it comes to taking a boring day and turning it upside down. People who underestimate the creativity of a bored child are simply asking for trouble. Nuclear war pales by comparison.
And Greg has an excuse - or a rationalization - for everything he does. Worse than that, half the time I get sucked in and totally buy into his point of view. Because, upon occasion, that point of view has been mine as well (or at least my defense). That's where Jeff's magic truly lies: he's never lost touch with his inner child. And boy, his wife must be mad and his kids must be terrified!
In this second book, I was totally blown away yet again. Greg is a middle kid, which means that his life is made miserable from both ends of the spectrum - from his older brother Rodrick and his younger brother Manny. Rodrick is the sulky teen with a band called Loded Diper. And their music stinks, so they're appropriately named. Manny is three and gets into all of Greg's stuff.
I love how Jeff sets something up in the books and continues to play off of it at appropriate times. His sense of pacing is fantastic. The work of "art" Manny creates out of toothpicks and aluminum foil is great, and I've seen that done, actually. Greg's mom tells Greg he should keep it around and he does - until it impales Greg's semi-best friend Rowley.
Another sequence in the book focuses on Greg's ringleader abilities. Kids will follow anyone with a semi-great idea. Or at least one that will bring pain or embarrassment to another kid. See, Greg is NOT hero material. At least, not yet. He does show some potential, but it's really far into the future.
One of those ideas involved making believe one of the other kids didn't exist. Following Greg's lead, the rest of the class pretends the kid doesn't exist so much that Greg gets called into the principal's office, then gets read the riot act by his parents.
I loved when Greg gets involved in the role-playing game Magic and Monsters and his mom becomes concerned. She decides to show up and play with them. And her rules don't involve all the violence and bloodshed all the kids are used to enjoying. Worst of all, some of Greg's friends start liking the way his mom plays!
Another instance is when the parents leave for a weekend trip and put Rodrick in charge. They're no sooner gone than Rodrick is on the phone calling people over for a party. Madness ensues. A door gets painted with permanent marker. Rodrick gets Greg to help him change out doors so the parents don't find out. Later, when they're punished, Rodrick says he's going to study the effects of decompression of the spine suffered by astronauts during prolonged weightlessness. He does this by sacking out on the couch and sleeping all the time while he's grounded.
If you want, you can even read the books for free on the internet. Just go to Funbrain-dot-com to read them. One of the most interesting things about Jeff's books is that they're given away for free and STILL sold enough to make it to the top of the NEW YORKS TIMES BESTSELLER bestseller list.
You see, Jeff wants everyone to read his books that wants to. However, kids want books they can hold in their hands, share with friends, and put on a shelf. Plus, it's kind of hard to take your computer and internet along when you're stuck in the car on a family trip or out with a parent at a doctor's appointment or a shopping spree.
One of the best features about Jeff's books after you put them in your kids' hands is that you don't have to worry about batteries going dead. They're kid powered: fueled by imagination and driven by humor. They're good for the environment. Except for that whole PYP warning.
Jeff's books are hilarious. I just can't recommend them enough. Call me subversive if you want.
Is that GREAT or what? August 25, 2008
37 out of 37 found this review helpful
I think Jeff Kinney hit the BullsEye with the Diary of a Wimpy Kid. I first read some of it at the internet. However it did not take me long to figure out that I had to have a hard copy of this book. Once I got it, I read it from start to finish and was unable to put it down until the end. It is THAT hilarious! The writing by itself is good and the cartoons make all that even better! And I am not the only one to love it. Since the time I got it, my book is being borrowed again and again by all my friends. In fact, I haven't seen it myself for long. It is just being passed from one friend to another. And we are all waiting for the next book in the Wimpy Kid series. I don't have an older brother. But although Greg seems to be complaining a lot about his brother Roderick, I wish I could get all this kind of troubles that Greg gets with Roderick. Life would be that much more interesting!!!!
Another series that we all cannot get enough of is Why Some Cats are Rascals ( Book 3). We are all looking forward to book 4 in the series, It is actually a diary of a naughty cat, believe or not.
Not just for boys January 22, 2008
17 out of 22 found this review helpful
My 8th grade daughter really liked this book, even though she's never read the first one, Diary of a Wimpy Kid. "It's funny, and I like the cute little drawings," she told me as she sprawled out on the sofa, barely glancing up from the pages. It took her about three hours to read. When she finished, she said it was probably best for 6th and 7th graders, and pointed out how each page really only has a paragraph or two worth of text.
As for myself, I especially liked that the story is not just a retread of the earlier title. Some of the funnier moments involve Greg's little sister Manny heading off to preschool on Halloween, and Greg's mom playing Dungeons and Dragons. Though it's anything but a serious novel, this fun read is an engaging and, in its own way, realistic portrait of early-teen angst. Like those in the first book in this comic-inspired series, every page is illustrated.
 We're a sorry society June 6, 2008
15 out of 18 found this review helpful
It dumb founds me that our society can give accolades to Diary of a Wimpy Kid, an embarrassing comic book. It's hard to believe that an adult man actually put pen to paper with this drivel. The book is full of whining, complaining, and disrespect. It would be one thing if the main character Greg, were to have an epiphany, but unfortunately this does not happen. When my wife asked my 8-year-old and 10-year-old son's, "If Greg were your brother would he get in trouble in our house for his behavior?". Both unequivocally answered "YES". When she asked "Would you like to have Greg for a brother?". They both said, "NO!".
We're in a society where most young people going into the workforce, think they're doing us a favor because they showed up, and were giving five stars to a book that tells them that this mentality is OK. In the messages to our youth today we see complete disrespect for oneself and everyone else around you, taking no responsibility for your behavior choices or the results of those choices, and generally teaching our children that foul mouths, lying, sarcasm, disrespect, whining, and complaining are all good things. You give your kids to someone else to watch most of the day, unlimited access to the Internet, video games, and other mindless and divisive media like this book, feed them full of Red Bull, Diet Coke, fast food, and frozen food, and you wonder why your children are such behavior problems. Does anyone understand the concept of raising their children? Does anyone understand critical thinking?
As a Cubmaster, baseball coach, and father of four boys, who range in age from young elementary school through late high school, all of whom read at four to six grades above their age level, are physically fit, spiritually grounded, excellent students, and respectful young men, with my oldest soon to be an Eagle Scout, I can tell you that the youth of today need far better guidance than they're getting, especially much better scrutiny by their parents of what goes into their bodies and minds.
Mr. Kinney, I find it deplorable that you want to jump on the bandwagon of encouraging this type of behavior in our youth and mentality in our society. To some this may seem like a harmless little book, but to me, The Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, and many other books like it, serve as an indictment of our society for the moronic, disrespectful, self-centered level it has now stooped to. The intent of reading is to develop the mind. Instead, we're pushing for everything in our society to remain at a mere fourth-grade mentality level. I guess that's why they knew "Are You Smarter Than a Fifth Grader" would be such a success, because evidently, most of our society isn't. How sad.
Regardless of your age, this book is a delight! February 14, 2008
9 out of 13 found this review helpful
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules, in my opinion, is more gut-busting than the first book, and I loved Dairy of a Wimpy Kid. When an 11 year old (son), a 46 year old (Mom), and a 64 year old (Grandma) burst out laughing at the antics of the Heffley's, especially Greg, the humor is droll, superior, and a something that is easy to relate to regardless of age. It's also a book that can be read, and laughed at, multiple times. This especially makes purchasing it a bargain. How about buying two and donating one to your elementary, or middle, school library? The librarian, and students, will be delighted.
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