Fifth-grader Ava writes in her diary about her family, losing her best friend to a new girl, and adopting an injured, skittish, and very special cat.

When his mother brings home a guinea pig instead of the dog he has always wanted, fifth-grader Rufus is not happy--until the rodent starts acting exactly like a dog.

While trying to find a new best friend after feuding with Rowley, middle-school slacker Greg Heffley is warned by older family members that adolescence is a time to act more responsibly and to think seriously about his future.

Penny comes home from school eager to share her very own song, but must wait until the time is right to teach it to her parents and the babies.

Devastated when her parents are killed in a car accident, sixteen-year old Jackie moves from New York City to Colorado to live with her mother's best friend, who has twelve children, including two boys who start to show an interest in Jackie that goes beyond brotherly.

"Life was better in the old days. Or was it? That's the question Greg Heffley is asking as his town voluntarily unplugs and goes electronics-free. But modern life has its conveniences, and Greg isn't cut out for an old-fashioned world. With tension building inside and outside the Heffley home, will Greg find a way to survive?"--

A child relates how the family celebrates both Christmas and Hanukkah, enjoying the rich traditions of both religions.

"The lucky penny in Judy Moody's pocket sure does seem to be working. She can't stop winning-at bowling, spelling, the unbeatable Prize Claw, everything! For sure and absolute positive, she'll ride that wave of good fortune all the way to Washington, D.C."--

"Jack Minot and Janey Pecq are next-door neighbors and best friends so frequently seen together that Janey earns the nickname Jill after the rhyme "Jack and Jill." Unfortunately, the sweet moniker proves prophetic when a wintry day spent sledding ends ina terrible fall that leaves both young people seriously injured"--

The Penderwick family return to Arundel for Rosalind's wedding, but Lydia, who has only heard stories of the grand estate, is eager to explore the place where her older siblings had endless adventures.