"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?"--

Greg Heffley and his frazzled family go on vacation to a tropical island resort to rest and recuperate. But after a series of unfortunate events, the Heffley's vacation might just be declared a disaster.

"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?"--

School property has been vandalized and Greg Heffley swears he is innocent--sort of. Just as the authorities are about to pin him down a freak blizzard hits, trapping the Heffleys in their home and leaving Greg to wonder whether being stuck with his family for the holidays really is better than facing the punishment he knows is coming when the snow is gone.

Ten-year-old Auggie Pullman, who was born with extreme facial abnormalities and was not expected to survive, goes from being home-schooled to entering fifth grade at a private middle school in Manhattan, which entails enduring the taunting and fear of his clasassmates as he struggles to be seen as just another student.

When snow closes Greg Heffley's middle school, he and his best friend, Rowley Jefferson, face a fight for survival as warring gangs turn the neighborhood into a wintry battlefield.