Reviews with content warning for Bullying - Rodrick Rules

(2022/03/15 - 2022/03/15)

Forgotten how insane the main character is.

This was an entertaining read. It's certainly not groundbreaking, but I can see why younger kids would like this book.

The drawings and little doodles are adorable. The drawing style is simplistic, but also distinct, and I think it works really well for this type of book. I don't really have anything bad to say about it. As I said, it's not groundbreaking, but that doesn't mean it's bad.

Anyways, this is a segue to a unique list I will only do for this series: Why Greg Heffley is bat-shit crazy.
- basically made the new kid a loner without feeling any remorse
- made fun of a straight-a kid to the point where they're now a c-student
- cheats off of smart students
- never cares about his "best friend's" vacation stories and only cares about his own
- made fun of his "best friend's" dad right in front of him
- uses his "best friend" to talk to girls
- only cared about getting a younger brother so he could bully him
- was relieved that his "best friend" sat on a ball of tinfoil with a bunch of toothpicks just because he lost track of the ball
- played a cruel prank on a "friend" without once again, feeling any remorse
- always blames other people when he's in the wrong
- was supposed to let a dog out of the house to walk around, but decided to just let the dog do their business just because he didn't want to sit around in the sun all-day
- did i mention that he always blames his mistakes on other people?
- he forgives the kid whom he played a cruel prank on??? LIKE SHOULDN'T IT BE THE OTHER WAY AROUND?!?
- crushes a kid's hopes and dreams
- dark humour (ok honestly this was funny, BUT MESSED UP DON'T GET ME WRONG)
Rowley's grandfather: Next year, I want a chocolate cake!
Greg: That is if you're alive next year!
*everyone turns and stares*
Greg: Hey, I'm just trying to be realistic!
- too self-absorbed to the point where he thinks whenever his "best friend" is talking to someone, he thinks it's about him
- goes through his "best friend's" diary without his permission
- an accomplice to trying to hide a party from his parents
- broke a sliding glass door
- water-gunned a cat??? why would u do that?
- steals from his "best friend"
- lies to his "best friend" so they have to do his punishments together
- when he wrote a comedy skit, he made his "best friend" into a dog-like human??? at this point i'm convinced greg thinks of rowley as a slave
- he got annoyed that his "best friend" kept kicking a pillow, so he hid a dumbbell underneath the pillow. then, as a result, rowley kicked the dumbbell and got a broken toe..... GREG IS INSANE

I probably missed a few, but those are the ones I remember. Would I recommend this? As long as you don't think Greg Heffley is a role model, I think this is a fun and quick book to read. It only took me about 40 minutes to read.

Putting economic policy before fiscal responsibility is like putting the cart before the horse. - Greg

- noel

Content Warnings

bookishandjoyceful's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.5

Combo review! Recently I read the first two books of The Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. They are both extremely quick reads, I read each of them in about 2 hours each. Through both of these books we follow Greg Heffley as he writes in a diary, which he doesn't think boys do. Greg Heffley is a middle-school boy dealing with navigating through school and all of the challenges that come with it! We also learn about Greg's family, including his older brother Rodrick and what everyday looks like for Greg as a middle schooler with an older brother. Jeff Kinney makes this a fun read and this entire book is riddled with illustrations that truly enhance all that occurs in the books. This is the second time I have read these books, and I have enjoyed them, but I do feel like there can be some problematic parts. I felt like there were times in the books that don't bring the severity of bullying, where it is so severe and can have such a dramatic effect on individuals. Jeff Kinney could address this later in the series, but Greg gets away with some bullying and also gets bullied and there doesn't seem to be many consequences.

Content Warnings

jonsnowsmanbun's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

Content Warnings

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