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Diary of a Wimpy Kid. The Last Straw
Jeff Kinney
Diary of a Wimpy Kid. The Last Straw
Age Rating, Reading Level & Content Guide
by Jeff Kinney
The text is written at a 5th grade reading level, the subject matter is intended for middle graders (ages 9–12), and the content is gentle with no concerning themes.
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About This Book
Greg McDonald faces the ups and downs of family life and school challenges with a mix of humor and heart. When a forgotten holiday tradition returns, the McDonald family discovers the joy of giving in secret, turning their winter woes into warm moments. Laugh along as Greg navigates the tricky path of growing up and getting along with those closest to him.
Themes
Quick Assessment
This is a Level 5-6 book with gentle content intensity. No notable content concerns flagged. Written for readers ages 9-12.
Why we rated Diary of a Wimpy Kid. The Last Straw 10C
Diary of a Wimpy Kid. The Last Straw is written at a Level 5-6 reading level with a Lexile measure of 970L across 217 pages (approximately 21,084 words). Strong independent readers around grade 6.4 can typically handle this book on their own; with parent or teacher support, Diary of a Wimpy Kid. The Last Straw works for readers up to grade 7.4.
Read aloud, Diary of a Wimpy Kid. The Last Straw runs about 2.4 hours — long enough to span several bedtime sessions.
We rate Diary of a Wimpy Kid. The Last Straw as 10C ("Clear") because the content sits in the "Gentle" range — no conflict beyond everyday childhood experiences. Across our four dimensions (emotional, physical, social, thematic) the book reads as evenly gentle; no single dimension stands out as a concern.
No specific content flags were raised by community reviewers, which is consistent with the gentle intensity score.
Thematically, Diary of a Wimpy Kid. The Last Straw explores family, friendship, humor, diary, and middle school — these threads give the book room to mean different things to different readers.
Good fit for
- ✓ Children in the Ages 9-12 range — the maturity and attention span match the story's pacing.
- ✓ Reluctant readers who need fast-paced, hook-heavy stories to stay engaged.
- ✓ Kids drawn to stories about family, friendship, humor.
- ✓ Readers who fall hard for one book and want a long series to live in — there are 20 more books in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series.
Maybe not for
- ! Readers whose emotional readiness lags behind their decoding skills — this book's intensity outruns its reading level, a classic "gifted kid" mismatch.
For Parents
Content Intensity
10C — ClearNo conflict beyond everyday childhood experiences. Safe for sensitive readers.
Was our "Gentle" content intensity rating accurate for this book?
Reading Insights
Hook Factor
8/10High engagement — fast-paced, fun, and hard to put down. Great for reluctant readers.
Discussion Potential
1/10A lighter read — great for independent enjoyment.
Book DNA
Multi-dimensional content fingerprint
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Details
Book Length
- ISBN
- 9780810970687
- Pages
- 217
- Publisher
- Harry N. Abrams
- Published
- 2009
- Type
- Fiction
- Word Count
- 21,084
- Lexile
- 970L
- Read-Aloud
- ~2h 21m
- Text Density
- Light Text