Jeff Kinney released his newest addition to his series, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Getaway, which features the Heffley’s Christmas holiday vacation to a resort, in an effort to evade winter.  

The plot heightens when their vacation unexpectedly turns out to be a disaster, taking the reader on a memorable family journey. Problems arise from the very start of their trip when they experience traffic and flight delays.

Just when the reader thinks the Heffleys will finally get a chance to rest, they fall deeper into trouble. One of my favorite moments was when they watch hatching turtles, but the turtles fail to make their way into the water. I could just imagine the degree of disappointment from their anticipation. Another scene I liked was when the family is accused of stealing the “lost-and-found” clothes of another family and are kicked out of the hotel. The family does not want to leave the resort, so they sneak into it. I liked this because it referred to an earlier scene when they found out that they did not bring spare clothes.

One scene I did not enjoy was when Greg goes scuba diving with his family during which he swallows a gulp of water, causing him to go paranoid, forcing the family to visit a doctor. I did not enjoy it because the scene was just too unrealistic. Most parents would not believe their child if they claimed to have swallowed a fish from scuba diving.

The book ends with the Heffleys arriving home safely, but they find out that they are wanted and are forbidden to return to the resort.

As a follower of the series, I wanted to see if the book would be better than its predecessors. The book contained two new characters, the Director of Fun, an employee at the resort, and Rodrick’s new girlfriend. I liked how the book took place in a new setting like Kinney’s The Long Haul. I did not like how the book was not as funny as its predecessors. 

I would recommend this book to anyone who wants to stay up to date on Kinney’s series, but if they are looking for a good laugh, then this book will be disappointing.