This book is just good fun! It’s a page-turner that will make kids chuckle as they read about the mishaps and missteps that Greg Heffley makes – and how he handles them – as he winds his way through his first year of middle school. Everyone will be able to see themselves somewhere in this book. The illustrations are simple, but a lot of fun to look at. Your kids or students could journal a story about something that happened to them at school and draw their own cartoon to match. After you have read the book, definitely rent the movie to watch and discuss how the book was used in the film. Then read the rest of the series too!

Fans of The Five Ancestors book adventures will want to snatch up this final installment of the series – Dragon.  On his website, author Jeff Stone talks about how he practices martial arts every day.  He visits schools to talk about his books and the nation of China, and to show students the animal fighting postures that that are styles of characters in his books:  Tiger, Monkey, Snake, Crane, Dragon, Mantis and Eagle. My favorite chapters are the ones where the author describes how Long, the Dragon, learns to ride different horses. There is fighting and violence in this tale, but reluctant readers are likely to be drawn in by this adventure story, set in a mysterious and distant land. Since the names of the numerous characters can be slightly confusing if your child hasn’t read any of the Five Ancestors books, the first book in the series – Tiger – is where they should start.