Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Getaway

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Getaway

Author	Jeff Kinney
Language	English
Series	Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Genre	Children's novel Graphic novel
Publisher	Amulet Books (US) Puffin Books (UK)
Publication date	November 7, 2017 (Worldwide) January 24, 2019 (paperback re-issue)
Publication place	United States
Media type	Print (hardcover)
Pages	217 story pages (224 altogether)
ISBN	978-1-4197-2545-6
Preceded by	Double Down
Followed by	The Meltdown

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Getaway is the twelfth book in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series by Jeff Kinney. The book was unveiled during the 2017 Diary of a Wimpy Kid Virtually Live Event which was live streamed via YouTube as part of the 10th anniversary of the first book. The book was published and released on November 7, 2017. The book is about Greg and his family flying to a resort called Isla de Corales for Christmas. The Heffleys went there because that was the place where Greg's mom and dad went for their honeymoon.

Plot

Greg Heffley and his family see an advertisement for Isla de Corales, a resort where his parents went for their honeymoon, on TV. To Greg's dismay, they skip Christmas to go to the resort instead. After multiple mishaps at the airport, such as their flight being delayed, the Heffleys board the plane. Greg is disappointed that he has to sit in the coach class seats, and is more annoyed when he is seated between a different family with a baby.

After they land at the resort, Greg and his family find out that the resort has changed since his parents' honeymoon, and most of the activities they did are now on the adult-only section. In their hotel room, they notice that they claimed the wrong suitcase and theirs was sent back home. After a visit to a crowded pool, Greg getting scared by an iguana, and a meal being ruined by birds and slugs, the Heffleys go to sleep for the night. In the morning, Greg has an encounter with a tarantula that climbed into his slippers, and he loses track of where it went. He and his family go out to ride a banana boat because Greg's mom wants to get a Christmas card photo, but the boat gets punctured.

The next day, Greg's mother goes to visit the spa, and Greg is left to take care of his little brother, Manny. He lets Manny play at a water park, but ends up falling in water that he believes to be contaminated with urine. After this, Greg's mother books a snorkeling trip for the family, but Greg worries about getting stung by a box jellyfish. He takes a gulp of water by accident and believes that he has swallowed a sea horse, ending the snorkeling trip early.

The Heffleys return to the pool, and Manny's box jellyfish, contained in a bucket, gets into the pool. During the commotion, Greg and his family sneak back to their room. The next day, Greg visits a tennis court, out of fear that the tarantula will reappear. The other kids recognize Greg as one of the people involved with the box jellyfish incident, so he is chased out of the court and runs back to his family in the hotel room.

Manny knocks over the suitcase, and his family tries on the clothes inside. They go out to eat in a clubhouse and play golf, but are caught by security for having stolen another family's clothes and are ordered to leave the resort. The Heffleys stay at the airport hotel, and the next day, Greg's parents choose to end things on a high note and sneak back in for a family picture. After taking the picture, the family split up and run off, with Greg ending up in a private beach on the adult side of the resort. He runs away and notices his family on the other side through a hole in the wall. The wall falls down, and a lot of people rush in, letting the Heffleys escape the resort.

After he gets home, Greg visits the Isla de Corales website and finds that he and his family have been banned from the resort, which is now appealing for information about their identities.

Reception

A week since its release, it has received 4.5/5 stars on Waterstones with 786 reviews. Common Sense Media gave the book three out of five stars.