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==Summary== ==Summary==
Greg explains that since his and Rowley's fight in the ], their friendship is history. Greg's mother Susan goes back to college to stimulate her mind and the Heffley men must take care of themselves. Food is often ruined and Greg is short of clean clothes. Greg's father Frank makes Greg responsible for waking himself up. Greg puts his ] under his bed, but the ticking sounds like a bomb and he cannot sleep. He accidentally activates the school ] and the school closes early. Frank is not happy to be called from work to pick up Greg.
{{Long plot|section|date=May 2023}}
This story begins with Greg explaining that since he and his best friend Rowley have had a big fight in the ], their friendship has been "history". ], Greg's mother, announces that she will be going back to college for a few months in order to stimulate her mind. As a result, the Heffley men must take care of themselves, and most stability falls apart. Food is often ruined, and since Susan usually does the chores around the house (such as laundry), Greg is short of clean clothes to wear. With Susan in college, Greg's father, Frank, gives Greg the responsibility of waking himself up in the morning. Greg tries a wind-up ], which he believes will be more effective than his last one, and puts it under his bed so that he has to get out of bed to find it. But with the clock ticking loudly under the bed, he feels like he is on top of a bomb and is therefore ]. As a result, Greg accidentally activates the school ] in his sleep-deprived state, causing the entire school to evacuate. The fire department is called, but no fire is found. Everyone goes back in, and the principal tells them that whoever pulled the alarm will be ] and should turn themselves in. Greg decides to keep a low profile about the culprit and does not get caught, but a rumor goes around that the fire alarm squirts an invisible liquid when the handle is pulled, which the teachers could detect with a special wand. Many dismiss this rumor as a trick for the teachers to see who goes to wash their hands first. As a result, no one goes to wash their hands, and since it is the middle of ], the school closes early. Since Susan is studying, Greg has to call Frank from work to pick him up, which Frank is not happy about.


Susan then announces to the family that they will get "domestic help" with a maid named Isabella, since both parents are busy, who will help take care of the kids after school. However, instead of doing her responsibilities, Isabella secretly spends her time watching ] and eating the Heffleys' snacks, leaving Greg and the rest of the family with extra work. Worse, Greg finds a pantyhose sock in his bed, showing Isabella has been napping there. Isabella also attempts to hide her ways making Susan feel fooled into thinking she's actually working. Meanwhile, Greg gets ready for a dentist appointment, but Frank takes Greg to his dentist, Dr. Salazar Kagan (who takes oral health seriously) because he thinks Greg is too old for his usual dentist, Rachel. As Dr. Kagan cleans his teeth, Greg accidentally bites Dr. Kagan's finger while having X-rays taken, which results in him being prescribed ] for his ]. The next day, however, Greg loses his headgear and later finds Manny wearing it. Greg subsequently vows never to wear the headgear again regardless of what Dr. Kagan says. A maid, Isabella, arrives to help with the kids after school. She spends her time watching ] and eating snacks. Greg finds her sock in his bed, showing she has been napping there. Frank takes Greg to his dentist, and Greg accidentally bites his finger resulting in him being prescribed ] for his ]. The next day, Greg loses his headgear then finds Manny wearing it. Greg vows not to wear the headgear.


Later, Greg finds out that the school is having a ] for Friday night, in which participants would sleepover and spend time doing activities. Greg signs up, but when he arrives, he is shocked that 90% of the crowd is all boys, and even worse for him, Rowley is also there as well. He decides to go back home, but finds that one of the chaperones had already locked the door, meaning he was stuck at school for the entire night. During the sleep period, the boys make multiple attempts to leave the school building after believing it is like prison. However, at around 3:00 AM, most of the parents arrive at the school, angry because the kids weren't able to answer their cell phones (because one of the chaperones, Mr. Tanner took them away and locked them in the teacher's lounge), sending them all into a panic. As a result, most of the parents take their kids home early, leaving Greg and Rowley behind as the only kids without cell phones. The following week, Greg becomes sick due to a lack of sleep at the Lock-In. Although he has faked illness in the past, Susan takes his temperature and agrees that he genuinely is sick. She leaves him with Isabella. Greg later falls asleep but wakes up due to the noise from downstairs. He looks out his window and sees a bunch of cars parked in front of the house. Susan comes home to take care of Greg and finds out Isabella invited all the maids in the neighborhood to watch ]. As a result, she fires Isabella, which pleases Greg. The next day at school, Greg sees Rowley with a big pimple on his forehead and he tells Greg that his mom says he's "becoming a man", which irks Greg. Afterward, Greg finds out he is growing slower in puberty than Rowley. At home, Susan and Frank talk about their experiences being late bloomers to Greg. The next day, Rowley shows off his pimple to some girls, which Greg finds annoying, so he writes a fake note to Rowley signed "The Girls" about no one liking his zit, which worked out on him. At the school ] Greg is shocked that 90% of the crowd is boys. Mr. Tanner confiscates their cell phones. At 3:00 AM some parents arrive to take their kids home because they did not answer their cell phones, leaving Greg and Rowley behind. The next week, Greg becomes sick from lack of sleep and Susan leaves him with Isabella. He is awoken by noise from downstairs; Isabella has invited all the neighborhood maids to watch ]. Susan fires her, pleasing Greg. Rowley has a pimple on his forehead, and tells Greg he's "becoming a man". Susan and Frank talk to Greg about their experiences of being late bloomers. Greg writes a fake note to Rowley signed "The Girls" about no one liking his zit.


Later, Greg and Rowley are invited to a party by an older kid named Jordan Jury, a popular kid in the grade above him. Greg is excited because there are going to be girls there. However, Susan tells him he cannot go because his uncle and Frank's brother, Gary Heffley, has his fourth wedding the same day. Greg calls Rowley that he can't go to the party and states that it's unfair for Rowley to go without him, but Rowley insists on going, saying he can make his own decisions. Greg is worried about being the reader of the ] because adults think it's cute when a kid cannot pronounce a word. On Saturday the Heffleys prepare for the wedding and Greg is nervous about getting "The Talk" from his 95-year-old great-grandmother, Gammie. Meanwhile, in the car, Susan calls Gammie about being late because they have to pick up Greg's tuxedo. Greg is thrilled because he thinks he's going to be a ]. After they arrive at Gammie's, Greg meets multiple family members including Uncle Gary and his ] Sonja. Later that evening, Greg has to sleep in a crowded room with all the family ]s, which include Rodrick, Manny, Uncle Gary, Benjy Heffley, Charlie Heffley (also known as Uncle Charlie), Terrance Heffley, and Arthur Heffley. Greg sneaks out and instead sleeps in the bathroom, waking up just in time before Gammie comes in to take a bath. Jordan Jury, a popular kid in the grade above, invites Greg and Rowley to his party. However, Susan says he cannot go because his uncle Gary's fourth wedding is on that day. Greg worrys about reading the ] because adults think it's cute when a kid cannot pronounce a word. He is nervous about getting "The Talk" from his 95-year-old great-grandmother, He hears Susan talking about picking up "Greg's tuxedo", and is thrilled thinking he's going to be a ]. At Gammie's, Greg has to sleep in a crowded room with all the family's ]s. He sneaks out and sleeps in the bathroom, waking just in time before Gammie comes in for a bath.


A few hours before the wedding rehearsal dinner, Greg complains about the lack of entertainment at Gammie's, and describes how old and valuable her belongings are. Greg explains how he ate some old ] once and got sick; he later saw a photo of his father, Frank, eating the same candy when he was a boy at Greg's age. Later Greg finds out during the wedding rehearsal that he was going to be an assistant flower boy to Manny, and not a groomsman, much to his dismay. On the day of the wedding, after the ceremony, the Heffleys go into the hall where food is served and Uncle Gary's best man Leonard gives a speech about how Uncle Gary and Sonja got engaged. When Gary and Sonja went to a baseball game, Gary was about to have a break-up talk with Sonja so he could date her sister. But then an airplane with a banner reading "Marry me Sonja?", which wasn't meant for Gary's Sonja, coincidentally flew over the stadium and Sonja reacted to it. Sonja is upset after hearing that and Greg thinks they will divorce soon. Before the rehearsal dinner, Greg describes how old and valuable her belongings are. He says he ate some old ] once and got sick; he later saw a photo of his father eating the same candy when he was Greg's age. He discovers to his dismay he will not be a groomsman, but an assistant flower boy to Manny. Uncle Gary's best man Leonard gives a speech about how Uncle Gary and Sonja got engaged. At a baseball game, Gary was about to break up with Sonja so he could date her sister, but an airplane with a banner reading "Marry me Sonja?" - not meant for Gary's Sonja - coincidentally flew over the stadium and Sonja reacted to it. Sonja is upset and Greg thinks they will soon divorce.


After the wedding, Greg gets The Talk from Gammie where she talks to him about how getting older is not all it is cracked up to be. It is also revealed upon returning to school that Greg dodged a bullet by not going to Jordan's party, because the real reason Jordan invited kids in Greg's grade was to use them (Rowley included) as servants. Greg and Rowley ultimately go back to being friends again when Greg chose to make a difference instead of just waiting for Rowley to come to him. Greg gets "The Talk" from Gammie. She talks about how getting older is not all it is cracked up to be. Upon returning to school Greg finds he dodged a bullet because Jordan had only invited them to his party to use as servants. Greg and Rowley go back to being friends when Greg chooses to make a difference instead of just waiting for Rowley to come to him.


==Reception== ==Reception==

Revision as of 19:14, 18 September 2023

Novel by Jeff Kinney
Diary Of A Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth
Cover art
AuthorJeff Kinney
IllustratorJeff Kinney
Cover artistJeff Kinney and Chad W. Beckerman
LanguageEnglish
SeriesDiary of a Wimpy Kid
GenreComedy
PublisherAmulet Books (US)
Puffin Books (UK)
Publication dateNovember 9, 2010 February 1, 2012 (paperback re-issue)
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint (paperback, hardcover)
Pages219
ISBN978-0-8109-8491-2
Preceded byDog Days 
Followed byCabin Fever 

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth is a 2010 bestselling children's fiction book by American author and cartoonist Jeff Kinney and is the fifth book in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. The Ugly Truth sold 548,000 copies in its initial week of publication, edging out Decision Points, which sold 437,000 copies.

Kinney initially struggled with the decision of whether Greg would be a non-aging "cartoon character" or a literary character that would age and go through puberty, deciding to make puberty one of the book's themes. Kinney also debated over whether to end the series with five books, eventually deciding to continue the series.

Summary

Greg explains that since his and Rowley's fight in the previous book, their friendship is history. Greg's mother Susan goes back to college to stimulate her mind and the Heffley men must take care of themselves. Food is often ruined and Greg is short of clean clothes. Greg's father Frank makes Greg responsible for waking himself up. Greg puts his alarm clock under his bed, but the ticking sounds like a bomb and he cannot sleep. He accidentally activates the school fire alarm and the school closes early. Frank is not happy to be called from work to pick up Greg.

A maid, Isabella, arrives to help with the kids after school. She spends her time watching television and eating snacks. Greg finds her sock in his bed, showing she has been napping there. Frank takes Greg to his dentist, and Greg accidentally bites his finger resulting in him being prescribed headgear for his overbite. The next day, Greg loses his headgear then finds Manny wearing it. Greg vows not to wear the headgear.

At the school lock-in Greg is shocked that 90% of the crowd is boys. Mr. Tanner confiscates their cell phones. At 3:00 AM some parents arrive to take their kids home because they did not answer their cell phones, leaving Greg and Rowley behind. The next week, Greg becomes sick from lack of sleep and Susan leaves him with Isabella. He is awoken by noise from downstairs; Isabella has invited all the neighborhood maids to watch soap operas. Susan fires her, pleasing Greg. Rowley has a pimple on his forehead, and tells Greg he's "becoming a man". Susan and Frank talk to Greg about their experiences of being late bloomers. Greg writes a fake note to Rowley signed "The Girls" about no one liking his zit.

Jordan Jury, a popular kid in the grade above, invites Greg and Rowley to his party. However, Susan says he cannot go because his uncle Gary's fourth wedding is on that day. Greg worrys about reading the Old Testament because adults think it's cute when a kid cannot pronounce a word. He is nervous about getting "The Talk" from his 95-year-old great-grandmother, He hears Susan talking about picking up "Greg's tuxedo", and is thrilled thinking he's going to be a groomsman. At Gammie's, Greg has to sleep in a crowded room with all the family's bachelors. He sneaks out and sleeps in the bathroom, waking just in time before Gammie comes in for a bath.

Before the rehearsal dinner, Greg describes how old and valuable her belongings are. He says he ate some old taffy once and got sick; he later saw a photo of his father eating the same candy when he was Greg's age. He discovers to his dismay he will not be a groomsman, but an assistant flower boy to Manny. Uncle Gary's best man Leonard gives a speech about how Uncle Gary and Sonja got engaged. At a baseball game, Gary was about to break up with Sonja so he could date her sister, but an airplane with a banner reading "Marry me Sonja?" - not meant for Gary's Sonja - coincidentally flew over the stadium and Sonja reacted to it. Sonja is upset and Greg thinks they will soon divorce.

Greg gets "The Talk" from Gammie. She talks about how getting older is not all it is cracked up to be. Upon returning to school Greg finds he dodged a bullet because Jordan had only invited them to his party to use as servants. Greg and Rowley go back to being friends when Greg chooses to make a difference instead of just waiting for Rowley to come to him.

Reception

Critical reception for The Ugly Truth has been mostly positive, with the book gaining praise from the Los Angeles Times and the National Post. The School Library Journal gave a positive review for the entry while Common Sense Media commented that the book was not as "fresh and irreverent" as its predecessors.

References

  1. ""Wimpy Kid" creator Jeff Goody talks about his day job". Christian Science Monitor. Retrieved 5 December 2012.
  2. "George W Bush beaten by a Wimpy Kid in US". Bookseller. Retrieved 5 December 2012.
  3. Garratt, Sheryl (12 November 2011). "Diary of a Wimpy Kid: interview with Jeff Kinney". Telegraph. London. Archived from the original on 13 November 2011. Retrieved 5 December 2012.
  4. Minzesheimer, Bob (29 July 2010). "First look: Author Jeff Kinney's 'Ugly Truth' about 'Wimpy Kid'". USA Today. Retrieved 5 December 2012.
  5. "Review: The Ugly Truth". Booklist. Retrieved 5 December 2012.
  6. "Children's Review: The Ugly Truth". Publishers Weekly. Retrieved 5 December 2012.
  7. Carpenter, Susan (12 November 2010). "Book review: 'Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth' by Jeff Kinney". LA Times. Retrieved 5 December 2012.
  8. "Book Review: Diary of a Wimpy Kid #5: The Ugly Truth, by Jeff Kinney". National Post. Archived from the original on 30 January 2013. Retrieved 5 December 2012.
  9. "Review: The Ugly Truth". School Library Journal. Retrieved 5 December 2012.
  10. "Review: The Ugly Truth". Common Sense Media. Retrieved 5 December 2012.
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