The kids were so excited to get their hands on Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Wrecking Ball, the 14th book in the bestselling Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney which was just released in November. Both Jude and Teagan have read all of the Wimpy Kid books and love them. They get very excited every time a new book is released. I love that they are both so excited to pick up a book!
Just like all of the other Diary of a Wimpy Kid books, this one is creatively illustrated and filled with all kinds of silliness. I really like the durability of the hardcover book, which is great for traveling as both Jude and Teagan love to read in the car.
About Diary of a Wimpy Kid #14: Wrecking Ball
In Wrecking Ball, Book 14 of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series—from #1 international bestselling author Jeff Kinney—an unexpected inheritance gives Greg Heffley’s family a chance to make big changes to their house. But they soon find that home improvement isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Once the walls come down, all sorts of problems start to crop up. Rotten wood, toxic mold, unwelcome critters, and something even more sinister all make Greg and his family wonder if the renovations are worth the trouble. When the dust finally settles, will the Heffleys be able to stay . . . or will they need to get out of town?
By Jeff Kinney
In Stores Now! (Released Nov. 5)
Recommended for ages 8 – 12
Published by Amulet Books, an imprint of ABRAMS
About The Author:
Jeff Kinneyis the #1 USA Today, New York Times, and Wall Street Journal bestselling author of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series and a six-time Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Award winner for Favorite Book. The Meltdown, book 13, was published in October 2018, and was a #1 bestselling book. His latest book, Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid: Rowley Jefferson’s Journal, was published in April 2019. Jeff has been named one of Time magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in the World. He is also the creator of Poptropica, which was named one of Time’s 50 Best Websites. He spent his childhood in the Washington, D.C., area and moved to New England in 1995. Jeff lives with his wife and two sons in Massachusetts, where they own a bookstore, An Unlikely Story.
Home projects and remodeling never seem to go as planned, but through it all, it is important to have your kids involved in these changes. After all, this is their home, too. Currently, I am focused on purging and reorganizing Jude and Teagan’s bedrooms and playroom. The mess has gotten out of control. In the past, I would have been the one to do all of the purging and organizing, but now that the kids are a bit older, I want them to be apart of this home project.
Tips To Get Kids Involved With Home Projects
Think Like A Kid. Remember that the child or children you are involving in your projects are just kids. Yes, they are capable, but remember that they are not little adults; they are children. Think like them. Find ways to help them relate to the project. Explain to them what the project timeline is and why you want them to help you.
Explain The End Goal. “Go clean your room!” We all have said that to our kids and most of the time, the kids HATE hearing that phrase. So, when presenting the home project to your child, make sure you explain what the end goal is. For Jude and Teagan’s bedroom, project my end goal is to purge items that they do not use and donate them to kids in need. Then, we will find an organizing tool to help keep their rooms in order. I made sure to also tell them that I want their rooms to be a space they love and feel comfortable. Great end goal communicated!
Give Them Choices. When figuring out the home project, it is important to let your children have choices. Maybe they can choose the paint color in a room, a new rug, or the bins and baskets you might decide to use for organizing. This gives the children power. It gives them some investment in the project. I am letting Jude and Teagan choose new bins and storage options for their toys.
For Jude’s room, we are really focusing on his books and small toys. He has picked out a new bookshelf, and we look forward to sorting through his books and getting them organized by series. For his small toys, we found a great cube shelf. He was able to pick out different cubes to put onto the shelf. He decided on green, yellow, and orange. I think he did a great job coordinating with the blue paint we have for his walls.
For Teagan’s room, we are working hard on maximizing the small space she has by organizing her toys in a cube shelf as well. Her room was recently painted pink and grey so she helped me find some pretty pink and grey cubes to sort her toys into. For her, we will also be adding some labels in order to help her keep her toys organized enough so she can enjoy them. I am happy she is helping me with this part of the process so she knows how to keep her room and toys organized.
Direct Them. Again, a friendly reminder, they are children. Again, they are completely capable, but they might need some direction and instruction to get moving on any sort of home project. Direct them with a task and then step away. Allow them to take ownership of that task and check back in later.
Soften Your Expectations. I need to work on this tip myself. I have big expectations when it comes to most everything in life. I want things to go just as they have in my head when I am planning them out. But the fact is, that isn’t life. When involving kids in your home projects, this is really important. Do not let your expectations hurt the pride of your child who is invested and enjoying this project with you. Give yourself and your child grace throughout this home project.
Have Fun. Home projects are usually stressful, no matter what the project is. Step outside of the stress and remember to have fun. When cleaning out the playroom, turn on the radio and have a little dance party with your kiddo. Create a game when painting a wall. Open up and enjoy the time you have with your children when working on this project. Memories will be created.
Our Review of Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Wrecking Ball
I love hearing my kids laugh, there really is no better sound in the world! Hearing my kids laugh out loud while reading though…that is about 100 times better! Anytime Jude or Teagan starts reading any of the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books I know I will hear giggles. While Teagan does take a little longer to read these books, Jude can sit down and run through one in about an hour. I love that he has found such a love for reading, and even more so now that we have found a series that he gets super excited to pick up.
Once Jude finished Wrecking Ball, he passed it to Teagan. Teagan is still reading it and seems to be enjoying it as well. Jude has decided that it was one of the funnier books from the series and cannot wait until #15 comes out. We would recommend this book for anyone ages 7 to 12. For reference, Teagan is 7 and Jude is 9.
Have your kids started reading the Diary of a Wimpy Kid book series yet? If not, I recommend adding all of them to your holiday shopping list this season. It is a fantastic series that will get every reader excited to sit down and crack open a book!
