STORYLINE: Greg Heffley goes from thinking about
being good for the holidays to worrying that he’s set off down the road to a
life of crime. Through a series of capers-gone-wrong, Greg is sure he’s being
hunted by the police and will be sent to jail. His ordeal doesn’t materialize
as a blizzard blows through town and his family is snowbound leading up to the
holidays.
PLAYERS: Greg Heffley
is a resourceful kid, who’s way too old for his age. According to my ten-year-old
son, Greg’s brother Rodrick is lazy, loud and sloppy. Baby brother Manny he
describes as small, short and awful. He says the Dad is ‘just there’ and says
the mother is frequently seen, but not exactly in everything. These are
accurate descriptions.
I LIKED: the themes
the writer spoke to in this book in a way that wasn’t overwhelming. Greg talked
about bullies, the fact that a life of crime doesn’t pay and somewhere in there
I got the message of how horrid his little brother is because he’s allowed to
be that way. You know the usual family situation where the youngest gets to run roughshod over everybody else?
I COULD HAVE LIVED WITHOUT: the few times
when the story material was unbelievable, like when the mother sends Greg down
to check the fusebox when he finds out theirs is the only house on the block
without electricity. There is no way I’d send my child into a wet basement to
see what’s going on with the electricity. I also found it unbelievable that the
baby cut the power off in every room in the house apart from his own. My son didn’t
buy it either. Okay, so this is kid stuff and anything can happen, but
still…kids messing around with fuse boxes. I don’t think so.
OVERALL COMMENTS: It took me
less than two hours to read Cabin Fever, which is always a plus in my book. The
format is kid friendly, which means my reluctant reader finished it in that
time frame too. We’ve only read two books in the series so far and we’re looking
forward to reading the rest. It’s a plus when a book for children carries
positive messages in a way that isn’t preachy.
Some bits I found especially funny:
The water was freezing cold and the only towel in
the bathroom was the one Mom used yesterday. So I had to dry myself with some
gauze I found in the cabinet under the sink.
…And Rodrick is spoiling the food we have left. He
drinks milk straight from the carton, so there’s no way I’m gonna touch that.
Greg—the substitute parent—when his brother won’t
eat what he prepares unless it’s done just right: See this is
the kind of nonsense I’m dealing with right now. I’ve seen a lot of movies where a kid my age
finds out he’s got magical powers and then gets invited to go away to some
special school. Well, if I’ve got an invitation coming, now would be the
PERFECT time to get it.
Can you tell I enjoy Greg’s attitude and voice?
COVER NOTE: The cover is
fitting for the format of the book.
SOURCE: My son
borrowed the book from his teacher.
