Dog Days (Diary of a Wimpy Kid #4) by Jeff Kinney
It’s summer vacation, the weather’s great, and all the kids are having fun outside. So where’s Greg Heffley? Inside his house, playing video games with the shades drawn.
Greg, a self-confessed “indoor person,” is living out his ultimate summer fantasy: no responsibilities and no rules. But Greg’s mom has a different vision for an ideal summer . . . one packed with outdoor activities and “family togetherness.”
Whose vision will win out? Or will a new addition to the Heffley family change everything?
About Author
Jeff Kinney is an author of children’s books including Diary of a Wimpy Kid book series. Jeff was born in College Park, Maryland, in 1971 where he created a comic strip called “Igdoof.”He also created the children’s website ‘Poptropica’.
Recap
Summer vacation has started, and Greg Heffley has big plans: stay indoors, play video games, and relax. But his mom has other ideas—family fun, outdoor activities, and “bonding time.”
Things spiral into chaos when:
- Greg spends time at the country club with Rowley, enjoying smoothies—until Rowley’s dad gets a huge fruit smoothie bill, which becomes a major conflict. Greg has to now somehow make money to repay his share of the tab.
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The Heffleys try a family vacation that ends in awkwardness and embarrassment. What else is new?
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Greg gets a dog, Sweetie, but it’s more trouble than fun.
The book is all about Greg’s disastrous summer plans going (hilariously, mostly) wrong.
Review
The whole time I read this book, I had just one thought in my head: what’s wrong with Mum Heffley?
I mean, I generally laugh at Greg’s failed ideas of making money or being friends with a girl, but many times, it is her his mother who makes things worse. In this episode of summer vacation, I felt bad for Greg for his fish and for his birthday and for the money that he had to pay for all the smoothies.
I mean, his mother is just plain stupid, and does shitty things in the name of bringing the family together .
Okay, that is sounding harsh so here’s good and bad both.
Pros
- Classic Wimpy Kid humour — Greg’s internal commentary and misadventures are hilarious.
- Relatable summer vibes (lazy days, awkward family trips, embarrassing moments).
- Visual comedy with Jeff Kinney’s doodles still top-notch.
Cons
- Susan’s overbearing “family fun” agenda feels frustrating or unrealistic to me.
- Greg is often passive, which makes the story feel like a string of bad luck rather than active mischief.
- Not much character development; more like situational humour which I mostly love, but this time felt a bit repetitive.
Final Thoughts
I’m done with Wimpy series for a while now. Susan is too much for me, even if Greg Heffley is a darlin.
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Stay tuned for more book reviews.
Until next time, happy reading!
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Shabana Mukhtar