Greg records his sixth grade experiences in a middle school where he and his best friend, Rowley, undersized weaklings amid boys who need to shave twice daily, hope just to survive, but when Rowley grows more popular, Greg must take drastic measures to save their friendship.

Greg Heffley tells about his summer vacation and his attempts to steer clear of trouble when he returns to middle school and tries to keep his older brother Rodrick from telling everyone about Greg's most humiliating experience of the summer.

"Greg Heffley's on a losing streak. His best friend, Rowley Jefferson, has ditched him, and finding new friends in middle school is proving to be a tough task. To change his fortunes, Greg decides to take a leap of faith and turn his decisions over to chance. Will a roll of the dice turn things around, or is Greg's life destined to be just another hard-luck story?"-- Provided by publisher.

Middle-schooler Greg Heffley nimbly sidesteps his father's attempts to change Greg's wimpy ways until his father threatens to send him to military school.

Middle-schooler Greg Heffley is the prime suspect when it is discovered that school property has been damaged, but when a surprise blizzard hits and school is closed, Greg is stuck indoors with his family, unable to prove his innocence.

"In this latest misadventure, Nate, the all-time record-holder for detentions, gets to see how the other half lives as he follows his best friend Francis's example and becomes a total neat freak; has Nate totally flipped out?"--

A pigeon pleads with the reader to give him permission to drive a bus while the driver is away.

With his school's centennial approaching, Nate is asked to befriend the new kid--Breckenridge--who somehow seems familiar to Nate. As the two become real friends, and Breckenridge becomes a valuable addition to Nate's scavenger hunt team, Nate suddenly remembers who Breckenridge really is.

Principal Krupp once again turns into the superhero Captain Underpants in order to save the world, and Jerome Horwitz Elementary School, from the evil talking toilets and the Turbo Toilet 2000.

The carrots that grow in Crackenhopper Field are the fattest and crispiest around and Jasper Rabbit cannot resist pulling some to eat each time he passes by, until he begins hearing and seeing creepy carrots wherever he goes.