New book! Diary of Wimpy Kid 6: Cabin Fever

There's no denying the tween appeal of the Wimpy Kid series. Volume 6, which hit store shelves yesterday, had a first printing of 6 million copies. Every kid in Oscar's peer group seems to have memorized the entire series, and Oscar still rereads his collection about once a month it seems. Surprisingly, I saw Cabin Fever in the neighborhood grocery store yesterday (guess its market penetration is not in danger!) and picked it up for incentive a bribe for Oscar to clean his room. It worked -- he ran up the stairs as soon as he saw the tempting tome and even made his bed!

When the first Wimpy Kid movie came out, I heard a lot of criticism about the protagonist Greg's reprehensible behavior. Yeah, he's a jerk. That's why it's funny, people!

As for Jeff Kinney's latest, I feel like he's redeemed himself after an extremely disappointing volume 5 (The Ugly Truth). This book feels meatier -- although still a very quick read -- and funnier. Oscar ranks it between volume 3 and 4. Even though he doesn't believe the story, Greg is afraid to misbehave in front of a doll called Santa's Scout, which his mother told him reports back to Santa at the North Pole. Rowley and Rodrick have minimal roles this time, but baby Manny seems to be developing more of a quirky personality.

Any Wimpy Kid fans or foes out there? Which book series do you look forward to on release day?