Before bringing in the construction crew, the Heffleys attempt to do minor maintenance and repairs themselves-during which Greg fails at the work in various slapstick scenes. Greg’s mom calls a family meeting to determine what to do with their share, proposing home improvements and then overruling the family’s cartoonish wish lists and instead pushing for an addition to the kitchen. When Great Aunt Reba dies, she leaves some money to the family. The Heffley family’s house undergoes a disastrous attempt at home improvement. A middle-class white cast in the Midwest populates the pages, but the base of the story-navigating boyhood with positive reinforcement from friends, family, and faculty-is a broad one.Ī nostalgic slice of Rockwell Americana with a contemporary filling.

Said doting uncle is in love with aforementioned student teacher: it’s Peck’s intent to spark a discussion for young readers about same-sex marriages, a topic that standardized testing and textbooks haven’t caught up with yet. There’s another layer to this lighthearted coming-of-age book that makes it special in the current sociopolitical climate. It’s this cluelessness that makes his journey so easy to empathize with. In fact, he’s pretty clueless in general, something his fiery best friend, Lynette, reminds him of perpetually. He has a dedicated father, endearing grandfather, doting uncle, and awesome male student teacher, but that doesn’t mean he’s entirely sure-footed in following their confident strides. Male role models aren’t a scarce commodity for Archer Magill, but when two of them fall in love, what does that mean for his comprehension of the weird world of adults? Then there’s all that impending puberty stuff.īookending his tale with two weddings (one a YouTube'd pants-splitting disaster and one a heartfelt finale with a fabulous new suit), Archer recounts his traverse from first grade to sixth, navigating family ties, school, bullies, death, marriage, and au courant political hot topics.

The best man by richard peck