by Jeff Kinney
Part of Diary of a Wimpy Kid, book 8
First published 2013
Greg Heffley faces his worst nightmare. Rowley Jefferson, his best friend, has abandoned him. Middle school stretches ahead like a social wasteland. Greg walks the hallways alone, watching other kids laugh with their friends. He sits by himself at lunch. The loneliness gnaws at him. Desperate to change his luck, Greg hatches a plan. He will let chance control his choices. Every decision, big or small, will come down to rolling dice. Maybe random fate will succeed where his own judgment has failed. Greg throws himself into this new system, hoping the dice will lead him to new friendships and better times. But leaving your life to luck carries risks. The dice might roll in his favor, or they might make everything worse. Greg discovers that some things cannot be left to chance. Friendship requires more than good fortune. As he navigates the unpredictable results of his experiment, Greg must figure out whether he can truly change his destiny or if he is doomed to keep stumbling through one mishap after another.
Genres: friendship, humor, contemporary, adolescence
Vibes: emotional, thought-provoking
Tropes: best-friends, found-family
217 pages · Hardcover · Harry N. Abrams