Jun 14, 2015 03:46 PM
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(Updated Jun 14, 2015 03:46 PM)
The book starts on January 1 with Greg talking about his family's New Years resolutions. Life becomes more difficult for Greg and Rowley when their school bus is "rezoned" and they have to walk to and from school. He also talks about how his dad compares him unfavorably to his boss's sons, who are very athletic.
They have conflicts over Greg wanting to stay inside and watch TV on Saturdays and his dad stealing his school snacks. Eventually his dad makes him sign up for rec league soccer. At first he rides the bench, but becomes the starting goalie when the other goalie is injured. He allows a goal to ruin his team's perfect season because he took a break to pick dandelions on the field.
After this, Greg's dad runs into a neighborhood troublemaker who has apparently reformed after going to military school. Impressed with his former enemy's turnaround, he signs up Greg for a summer military school program, hoping Greg will change for the better. To impress his dad and thereby avoid military school, Greg decides to join the Boy Scouts. However, he is sick and misses their camping trip, which his dad has to go to anyway (he's a chaperone) and has a terrible time.
Later, when Greg and his dad (and Rodrick) have a camping "do-over", they end up at a hotel, where Greg gets locked out of his father's room in his underwear. After this, Greg becomes more resigned to his military school fate, especially after his attempts to make a good impression on a girl in his class. But on what he thinks is his only day of summer vacation, Greg ends up saving his dad from making a fool of himself at their neighbor's birthday party. The next day, his dad decides Greg doesn't have to go to military school after all, and the book ends with Greg looking forward to his summer vacation.
