Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Getaway by Jeff Kinney is the twelfth book in the series, and it takes the Heffley family on a much-needed holiday vacation that quickly turns into a series of comical disasters. The story begins when Greg’s parents decide to escape the stress of the holiday season by taking the family to a tropical resort. What should have been a relaxing getaway soon becomes a nightmare as the Heffley’s face everything from airport mishaps to stomach-churning food, and from creepy crawlies to sunburns.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Meltdown by Jeff Kinney is the thirteenth book in the series, and it plunges Greg Heffley into the icy chaos of a neighborhood snow war that takes on epic proportions. As winter descends and a massive snowstorm hits, Greg finds himself caught in the middle of a conflict between the kids on his street. The battle lines are drawn, with the Upper Surrey Street kids on one side and the Lower Surrey Street kids on the other.
Meren is secret royalty living under an alias in order to protect her princess sister. The identical twin to the crown princess, Meren steps in when the seen royal is in potential danger. After the queen passes and the ruthless King Eidolon demands to be wed to the crown princess, that potential danger increases dramatically. That’s why when Meren takes her sister’s place at the princess’ coronation, Meren is the one kidnapped by a mysterious stranger. Dragged through the woods and across the continents, Meren is amazed at the world around her.
Evie Thomas has stopped believing in love. After her parents’ divorce and her dad proposes to the woman he cheated with, Evie has cemented her opinion on love. Which is, to be clear, that it must be avoided at all times in order to preserve sanity. That is, until she meets X. Her attraction to him is unexpected, and him being her new dance partner isn’t helping matters. X is very different from Evie, in a good way. They sign up for a dance competition together, with only a few weeks to prepare. The strangest thing keeps happening to Evie, too.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Old School by Jeff Kinney is the tenth installment in the series, and it takes Greg Heffley on a journey through the challenges of living without modern technology. When Greg’s town decides to go on a “voluntary” electronic-free weekend, he’s forced to confront life without his usual comforts.
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Long Haul by Jeff Kinney is the ninth book in the series, and it takes Greg Heffley on a wild and hilarious family road trip that’s anything but ordinary. The story begins with Greg's mom deciding that the family needs some quality bonding time, so they set off on a road trip across the country. What starts as a well-intentioned family vacation quickly spirals into chaos, with a series of misadventures that include everything from a runaway pig to disastrous hotel stays.
Anne’s House of Dreams, the fifth book in the Anne series, packs quite a punch. My favorite novel of the series, Anne’s House of Dreams begins with Anne’s lovely wedding to Gilbert in the orchard of Green Gables. The story continues as they move to their first home on the other side of Prince Edward Island, as Gilbert begins his medical practice, and as Gilbert and Anne start their family and their married life together.
While this novel is enjoyable, Anne of Windy Poplars is the weakest of the Anne series. Written partly in an epistolary style, the book allows the reader to see the world of Windy Poplars and Summerside High School from Anne’s perspective, as she writes love letters to her fiancée Gilbert, a medical school student in Nova Scotia. Parts of the book retain a traditional narrative style, but many of the characters and anecdotes echo too closely those previously described in earlier books of the series.
Marin has a promising future ahead, as a top achieving student and editor of the school paper. Her goal is to attend Brown University, an achievement her English teacher, Mr. Beckett, assures her is within reach. Marin looks up to Bex, and maybe has a tiny crush on her teacher. When he takes things too far and tries to kiss Marin, she feels shocked and terrified. By the time she decides to come forward, no one believes her story. Marin questions everything she had done with Bex, had she somehow given him the wrong idea, or did she misunderstand his intentions?
Science Comics: Dogs by Andy Hirsch, is a graphic novel that explains the science and history of Dogs in the fashion of a story. We follow a dog named Rudy as he time travels throughout history, looking for his tennis ball. At first, Rudy discusses where dogs fall in the taxonomic system, as well as how genes and alleles work, bringing certain wolves earlier in history to be more friendly towards humans, and making them eventually turn into dogs.
