The Expression Hub

Author: Jeff Kinney

Genre: Comedy

“Summer means happy times and good sunshine . It means going to the beach, enjoying the scenery , having fun with family and friends.

-Brian Wilson

How is the weather and climate in your country? Well, it is scorching hot in my country with temperatures breaking new records as per as highs are concerned. If you are a citizen of my country, then please do drink a lot of water along with other fluids and please avoid going outdoors especially in the afternoons till the Sun has set. Also, apply a lot of sunscreen even if you are indoors. Proper care taken always helps prevent instances of dehydration, sunburn and other problems which can be caused by intense summer. Though on the other hand, summer is also a great time to have fun with your family especially if you love traveling . Do you agree with this ? If yes, do feel free to share your memorable summer experiences in the comments section. Maybe inspired by your comments, we all might get some goals of how summer must be spent . And if you do not love to travel, then it should not be a major problem. This is because when you have a good book or a good source of entertainment, then you are bound to enjoy yourself even if it is hot outdoors. Isn’t it ?This week’s pick revolves around a similar theme. And the best part is that it is a book which might brighten up your summer and help you beat the heat.

About the book: Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days is a book which has been written by Jeff Kinney. It is written in the form of diary entries by a teenage boy named Greg Heffley. In the book, he describes of how he intends to spend his summer. He describes himself as an indoor person who intends to spend his summer playing video games as he is supposed to be an indoor person. But his mother, intends to have a great summer by spending some time outdoors despite having a tight budget.

Greg invites his best friend Rowley for a sleepover . But it turns out that the sleepover does not turn out the way as it is supposed to be. This is because the experience which they had by watching the horror movie scares the daylights out of them. When Greg’s mother gets to know about this, she starts a reading club as a punishment for the boys . So, does the reading club started by Greg’s mother become a hit? Also, does Greg have the best summer ever ?Or does he end up a summer which ruins all the fun he had intended to have?

Analysis: The book recounts of how a boy who has entered his teenage years plans to spend his summer vacations. I am sure when we were children, even a lot of us would have had pretty similar experiences if not the same. So, this book serves as a great opportunity to remember the fun times we had when we had our summer vacations. The mess which Greg usually finds is pretty hilarious and will give you a lot of reasons to laugh though some of the jokes might seem adult in nature, This is because the book is set in a society which normalizes a few things which are still a taboo in my society but are acceptable with some classes as well . Also, the book provides some insights of how a teenage boy’s mind functions. This can be useful for parents who have their children enter this phase of life. The phase of adolescence is when curiosity about the surroundings is the highest. Though some incidents are pretty embarrassing, but they still make you laugh a lot. Furthermore, it chronicles the relationship a son shares with his father. This can be a tricky territory to explore but aren’t most of the relationships are ?It is with time that you try to understand what a relationship means to you.F

Verdict: This is a book which can be termed as a laugh riot . This one will tickle your funny bone a lot. Also, it will bring back a lot of memories especially for adults of how they used to spend their summers when they were children with their families. Or if they did not like spending summers with their families, how they were forced to spend time with them in the name of family time.😅😝. So, do take this trip for sure you will not have a dull moment in it. But instead will end up releasing a lot of happy hormones by laughing a lot.And maybe also opening up a storehouse of memories.

Rating: *** and 1/2 stars

Cite Bite: “For me summer vacation is basically a three-month guilt trip.”