In this seventh entry in the best-selling Diary of a Wimpy Kid series, Greg Heffley continues to document his rites (and wrongs) of passage, this time by reflecting back on traumatic times before tweendom. By the time his account makes it from prenatal read-alouds to the present day, it's clear Greg hasn't evolved much over the years. His fans, however, will love and relate to him just the way he is ter all, who hasn't had an imaginary friend, suffered embarrassing relatives, gotten lost in a corn maze, been forced to babysit against their will, survived take-your-kid-to-work day, been made to merengue in gym class, mistaken a zit for the chicken pox, or tried to find a date to a Valentine's dance? What's also unchanged, as Greg deals with these complications, is the book's iconic visual style and spot-on hilarity. Although Master Heffley complains that he has no idea "what a guy needs to do to impress a girl these days," his author sure knows exactly how to make readers of all stripes ecstatic.

In this seventh Wimpy Kid installment, Greg wants to take a real date to the school dance after having to merengue with Carlos in gym class. All his plans, however, seem to backfire and leave him looking ridiculous--once even wearing his mother's coat. The black-and-white cartoon-style illustrations add to the authentic middle-school humor that is this series' trademark.

D'LACEY, Chris &; Jay D'Lacey . Rain &; Fire . 304p. Scholastic / Orchard . 2012. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-545-41453-1 . LC 2012014374. Gr 5-8 A companion guide to the Last Dragon Chronicles . Gr 58 FREDERICK, Heather Vogel . Wish You Were Eyre . 464p. (The Mother Daughter Book Club Series). S &; S. 2012. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-3064-8 ; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-1-4423-4199-9 . Gr 69 FRIEDMAN, Laurie . Mallory and Mary Take New York . Bk. 19. illus. by Jennifer Kalis. 152p. Darby Creek . Mar. 2013. Tr $15.95. ISBN 978-0-7613-6074-2 ; ebook $11.95. ISBN 978-1-4677-0962-0 . LC 2012019008. Gr 35 GUTMAN, Dan . Miss Kraft Is Daft! Bk. 7. illus. by Jim Paillot. 112p. (My Weirder School Series). HarperCollins / Harper . Jan. 2013. pap. $3.99. ISBN 978-0-06-204215-6 . Gr 23 GUTMAN, Dan . You Only Die Twice . Bk. 3. 289p. (The Genius Files Series). HarperCollins / Harper . Feb. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-06-182770-9 ; PLB $17.89. ISBN 978-0-06-182771-6 ; ebook $9.99. ISBN 978-0-06-220284-0 . Gr 58 HOLUB, Joan &; Suzanne Williams . Pandora the Curious . Bk. 9. 256p. (Goddess Girls Series). S &; S / Aladdin . 2012. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-5975-5 ; pap. $5.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-4935-0 ; ebook $5.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-4936-7 . Gr 36 IRWIN, Bindi &; Chris Kunz . Bindi: Behind the Scenes: The Wildlife Games . 192p. Trafalgar Square . Feb. 2013. pap. $11.99. ISBN 978-1-86471-839-3 . Gr 36 KAIN, P.G. Dramatic Pause . Bk. 3. 288p. (Commercial Breaks Series). S &; S / Aladdin . 2012. pap. $6.99. ISBN 978-1-4169-9788-7 ; ebook $5.99. ISBN 978-1-4169-9791-7 . LC 2012948208. Gr 58 KESSLER, Liz . Emily Windsnap and the Land of the Midnight Sun . Bk. 5. illus. by Natacha Ledwidge. 272p. Candlewick . Feb. 2013. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-0-7636-5824-3 . Gr 46 KINNEY, Jeff . The Third Wheel . Bk. 7. illus. by author. 224p. (Diary of a Wimpy Kid Series). Abrams / Amulet . 2012. Tr $13.95. ISBN 978-1-4197-0584-7 . Gr 4–8 LASKY, Kathryn . Star Wolf . Bk 6. 246p. (Wolves of the Beyond Series). Scholastic . Jan. 2013. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-545-27962-8 . LC 2012029320. Gr 4–6 MCCLINTOCK, Norah . Change of Heart . Bk. 7. 218p. ISBN 978-0-7613-8317-8 ; ISBN 978-1-4677-0701-5 ; ISBN 978-1-4677-0963-7 . MCCLINTOCK, Norah . In Too Deep . Bk. 8. 224p. ISBN 978-0-7613-8318-5 ; ISBN 978-1-4677-0702-2 ; ISBN 978-1-4677-0964-4 . ea vol: (A Robyn Hunter Mystery). Darby Creek . Mar. 2013. Tr $27.93; pap. $8.95; ebook $20.95. Gr 6 Up MCDONALD, Megan . Stink and the Freaky Frog Freakout . Bk. 8. illus. by Peter H. Reynolds. 160p. Candlewick . Feb. 2013. Tr $12.99. ISBN 978-0-7636-6140-3 ; pap. $4.99. ISBN 978-0-7636-6422-0 . Gr 1–3 MATT AND DAVE . Yuck's Fart Club . illus. by Nigel Baines. S &; S. 112 p. Jan. 2013. Tr $15.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-8153-4 ; pap. $4.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-8152-7 ; ebook $5.99. ISBN 978-1-4424-8154-1 . LC 2012027627. Gr 3–4 PILKEY, Dav . Captain Underpants and the Revolting Revenge of the Radioactive Robo-Boxers . Bk. 10. illus. by author. 224p. Scholastic . Jan. 2013. pap. $9.99. ISBN 978-0-545-17536-4 . LC 2012944030. Gr 3–6 RIORDAN, Rick . The Mark of Athena . Bk. 3. 608p. (The Heroes of Olympus Series). Hyperion / Disney . 2012. Tr $19.99. ISBN 978-1-4231-4060-3 . LC 2012017264. Gr 5–9 SELFORS, Suzanne . Smells Like Pirates . Bk. 3. 384p. (Smells Like Dog Series). Little, Brown . 2012. Tr $16.99. ISBN 978-0-316-20596-2 . LC 2012028738. Gr 4–7 SMITH, Roland . I, Q: Kitty Hawk . Bk. 3. 230p. (I, Q Series). Sleeping Bear . 2012. Tr $15.95. ISBN 978-1-58536-605-7 ; pap. $8.95. ISBN 978-1-58536-604-0 . Gr 5–8 SNIEGOSKI, Tom . Quest for the Spark . Bk. 3. illus. by Jeff Smith. 288p. (Bone Series). Scholastic / Graphix . Jan. 2013. Tr $22.99. ISBN 978-0-545-14105-5 ; pap. $10.99. ISBN 978-0-545-14106-2 . LC 2012025128. Gr 4–8