Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules is the second book in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. The book is mainly about Greg, Rodrick, and the first half of the school year. The book was released on February 1, 2008.

Characters

 * Greg Heffley
 * Rodrick Heffley
 * Manny Heffley
 * Susan Heffley
 * Rowley Jefferson
 * Frank Heffley
 * Grandpa

Plot
At the start of the book, Greg explains how bad his summer was with his brother Rodrick, who knows a secret that Greg is trying to keep. When Greg returns to school, he finds out he still has the Cheese Touch, but he gets away with passing it on to a new kid, called Jeremy Pindle.

Later, it is clear that Greg and Rodrick are always broke, so their mother starts a "Mom Bucks" program. Rodrick, at first, mismanages the money on his magazines, whilst Greg carefully manages the cash. Rodrick has an upcoming science project, and tells it that he would prefer to do it on 'Gravity', but clearly shows no effort, and asks his family members to do it for him.

Rodrick later pretended to have the flu and Susan and Frank leave the house for 24 hours, Rodrick later called every friend he knew in a grin and it started from a visit to a party. Rodrick tells Greg to go to the basement to fetch some spare tables and chairs, Greg does not like the idea one bit but since he hasn't seen a high school party before, he is curious and goes to the basement, however when Greg entered and the door locked, The party trashes the house. Greg and Rodrick clean the house but there was a sign on the inside of the bathroom on the door saying "Hi Rodrick!" They switch the doors with one in the furnace room (basement).

Half a month later, Greg notices Rowley has play money identical to that of "Mom Bucks" and takes it home to put under his mattress. When Greg fails to do his history homework, he must borrow an assignment from Rodrick and pay him $20,000 in Mom Bucks. Unfortunately, their mother found out about the stolen Mom Bucks when Rodrick tries to cash in the lot and she confiscates all of it.

In December, Rodrick's party is uncovered and he is grounded for a month. Greg is accused of being an 'accomplice' to Rodrick, and is banned from playing video games for being Rodrick's accomplice, even though he had been locked in the basement the whole time and had nothing to do with the party, much to Greg's dismay.

Rodrick then starts preparing for the talent show, despite his punishment (he wasn't allowed to leave the house). Frank then ends his punishment two weeks early because he hated listening to Rodrick's band, Löded Diper, play every day. After Greg hurts Rowley by putting a dumbell in a pillow that Rowley kicks, Greg must perform in the talent show with a first-grader, Scotty Douglas, who Rowley was partners with.

They don't qualify, but Rodrick's band does. Rodrick, eager to continue to the talent show, hands in his Gravity science project earlier, but then is forced to do it again, since his project lacked several requirements. Rodrick tries to tell the teacher clearly about it, but then the teacher claims that it was a fairly easy experiment and did not make clear sense.

Frank tries to persuade to Rodrick to give up the show, but Rodrick insists on the show, so that he can send it to record label companies and bail out of school so he and Löded Diper can get noticed. Frank accepts this, half-heartedly. During the talent show, Rodrick has his band's performance taped so he can send it to the record companies, but afterwards the video is rendered useless after it is found that their mother (who was taping the video) had talked the whole time and everything she said was heard on the tape.

Rodrick accuses Greg, and they fight. Greg's secret is spilled to the entire school. However, Greg ends up getting popular for what he did because the story gets extremely twisted from going to the women's bathroom in a retirement home to invading the girls' locker room in Crossland High School. Greg helps Rodrick with his science project at the end, just because he is his brother. If they make The Last Staw, a film they had to make stuff up.

Film Adaption
The movie based on this book was released on March 25, 2011. Zachary Gordon and Robert Capron returned for the sequel. David Bowers directed the film.

Trivia

 * In the film, Rodrick said the word, crap, in one of the scene where he picks Greg up. Though the first time there was a swear word in the book series is Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw