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Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Third Wheel is the 7th book in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. Kinney announced the book in March 2012, with The Third Wheel's cover revealed in May 2012. It was released worldwide on Tuesday, November 13, 2012. The cover shows Greg looking dirty, holding a bouquet of spoiled flowers, and a heart-shaped box of chocolates with a ribbon wrapped around it.

Main Characters

See minor characters

Synopsis

Love is in the air, but what does that mean for Greg Heffley? A Valentine's Day dance at Greg's school has turned his world upside down. As Greg scrambles to find a date, he's worried he'll be left out in the cold on the big night. His best friend,Rowley, doesn't have any prospects either but that's small consolation. Then an unexpected twist gives Greg a partner for the dance and leaves Rowley the odd man out. But a lot can happen in one night, and in the end, you never know who's going to be lucky in love.

Plot

January

Unborn Greg

Back in a simpler time, Greg was in a better place. But we all knew this wouldn't last long...

Greg talks about his baby days and explains (probably from his imagination) that before being born, he was in a dark place swimming and napping anytime he liked and wanted, until being woken up by classical music that his mother Susan would send through "parental speakers". Susan would also tell Greg about her life through the speakers too, and Frank would also tell him about his day at work. Greg then got tired of it and got out three weeks early. Then, he explains how everything he got was a hand down from his elder brother Rodrick. Susan used to not let Greg crawl a lot, and that resulted in Greg being way behind his playmates in the physical stuff. Greg finally learned to walk, but was in preschool by the time and was still quite behind his classmates. His classmates could do things like use zippers and buttons and many other things Greg was unable to, so he tried to slow them down by giving them wrong information. However, the teacher thought he wasn't learning well and called Susan and told her. Susan made him skip a grade to kindergarten, but he was scared there and went back again.

Manny snurples

Manny watching the surplus

Greg then explains Susan may have realized that whatever she did for Greg would not work for Manny, as she uses a different technique. Manny's social skills are a bit bad: he also watches The Snurples, a show in which the characters have their own gibberish language, that ruins babies' grammar by one year, and he also made imaginary friends to escape danger, have fun, and get extra dessert. Greg's mother starts a Family Night thing where they go out or play games rather than watch TV, Greg then talks about the family restaurant, Corny's. Greg is doing house chores until he hears a knock and finds his Uncle Gary at the door. Uncle Gary had bought some Boston counter shirts after loaning some of Frank's money, but the shirts have a typo, and he needed a place to stay in. Living with Gary is bad for the Heffley family. His nightmares make Manny shift his bed away from the wall, and whenever Rodrick is kicked out of bed in the morning, he has to sleep on the up part of the couch.

Greg explains how Gary has been trying to get a job, but quits after a few days whenever he gets one. One of Greg's teachers, Mrs. Moretta announces in Phys Ed that the ballroom dancing unit is starting and people should find a partner by writing their names in slips and submitting them. Greg explains he will be fine with pairing with anyone except for Ruby Bird, a girl in Greg's school who has a bad habit of biting people and was suspended for biting Mr. Underwood in the elbow. At the partner announcement day, in Greg's favor, Ruby is paired with Fregley, but Greg and four other boys were partnerless. Then the teacher paired them up with each other.

An assembly by Vice Principal Roy and Mrs. Birch announces new members for the Student Council. Greg cannot sign up due to him having three detentions, but sees Rowley could be perfect. Rowley signs up to be Social Chairperson. The winner of the President voting is Eugene Ellis, who promised to replace the school's toilet paper with quilted toilet paper the teachers use. At Greg's house in his room, Uncle Gary played a future game when you are an adult, but Uncle Gary buys scratch tickets.

Javan Hill came out of the faculty room carrying a toilet paper for the bathroom

TWIST! Javan Hill finds out that the Pillow Soft Ultra toilet paper was being used by the teachers.

February

Javan Hill found that Pillow Soft Ultra toilet paper was being used by the teachers, not the kids, so Eugene went to the lounge and showed Mrs. Birch. The school then introduces a program where students can bring in their own toilet paper. However, the plan backfires when some of the boys start a toilet paper fight in the cafeteria. The school then sets a rule that kids are only allowed to have five squares of toilet paper, much to Greg's dismay, because he brought in twenty rolls and believed that five squares wasn't enough. Now that the staff is checking peoples' bags and lockers to see if they had more than five, Greg decided to have his own secret bathroom stall to keep all of the toilet paper, but that backfired when people eventually found out that Greg was hoarding toilet paper. After this whole toilet paper experience, students learned that they are going to raise money of their own if they want something.

The Student Council brainstormed ideas for a fundraiser, but most of the boys in the council decided on a mixed motocross/wrestling event. The fundraising community was formed, and, in the end the Valentine's Day Dance was made. At first the boys didn't care about it but that changed when they started selling Candy Grams which are invitations to the Valentine's Day Dance. The Dance Committee started selling them at lunch and if you pay 25 cents you can send a Candy Gram to anyone you want. After the first wave of Candy Grams got delivered, the boys who didn't get one, got jealous of the guys who did. Since there are more boys then girls in Greg's grade a lot of guys are nervous there not gonna end up with a date so they act different when a girl is around. At lunch, they usually take spoonfulls of mash potato and flick it up to the ceiling to try and make it stick. The girls hate the mashed potato thing so they sit on the other side of the cafeteria.

Prince Pantsed

Vice Principal Roy gets pantsed by the mysterious 'Mad Pantser'. Who would dare do such a thing?

The other day, while doing Phys Ed, a kid named Daniel Revis got pantsed by Anthony Renfrew while shooting free throws. Everyone laughed except for Daniel but he got Anthony back when he was going for a layup. After that it was a free-for-all. Everyone is paranoid about getting pantsed that no one will stand up during their basketball scrimmages. Vice Principal Roy came into the gym to lecture the boys but Roy was standing right next to the bleachers so some kid snuck under there and pansted him. No one knows who it was but the name people are using is the Mad Pantser.

While Uncle Gary was playing his computer game, Greg told him about the Valentine's Day Dance and the Candy Grams. Uncle Gary told Greg that the best way to get attention is to look "unavailable". He told Greg that he should buy a ton of Candy Grams and have them all delivered to him so girls would think he was hot property.

Greg Heffley

Greg's unfinished relationship chart. He is a lonely little man, isn't he?

After Greg blows over 5 dollars he decided to buy a Candy Gram and send it, himself, to a girl and see how it would turn out. Greg sends one to Adrianne Simpson and since he didn't want to risk a quarter on one person he made it moneys worth. Adrianne and Julia were both giving him dirty looks when he walked into class, so its a no. Greg realises that a Candy Gram isn't the only way to ask someone to the dance. There's a girl named Leighann Marlow who sits in the same chair for homeroom that Greg sits in for history so he writes her a note on the desk. Unfortunately, Greg forgets after school detention is held in the same room as history, so some moron jumped in with an answer before she had a chance to read his note. Since it's hard to keep track of who's gone out with who, Greg drew up a chart to show whose connected.

Uncle Gary tells Greg that if he wants a girl to go to the dance with him, he's gonna have to ask her face-to-face. There's a girl called Peyton Ellis, who Greg kind of has a crush on and when he saw her drinking from the water fountain, Greg stood there patiently waiting for her to finish but she saw Greg out of the corner of her eye so she kept drinking and drinking while Greg stood there like a dope. Eventually, the bell rang and they both had to go to class. Greg realized that he should stick to girls he sought of has a connection with. The first person that came to his mind was Bethany Breen. Greg doesn't have a good impression on Bethany as he's in the middle of an anatomy unit and for the past few days he's been dicecting frogs which he is really squeamish about, so he lets Bethany do the work while he stands on the other side of the room trying to not throw up. Greg still has a shot with her though so at the end of the day, he walked up to Bethany while she was getting her coat out of the locker but before Greg got a single word out he started thinking about the frogs.

Greg told Uncle Gary about what happened at school and he said he needs a "wingman" to look good in front girls so it's easier to ask one out. Greg thinks Rowley is the perfect wingman as he makes him look good by being himself. On the walk home from school today, Rowley told Greg that he heard that Alyssa Grove just broke up with her boyfriend and she's looking for another date so when Greg got home, he called Alyssa's number, but nobody was there so he then was leaving a message. Greg clicked the pound key to delete the message but the next one wasn't good either. Rowley was in the room with Greg trying to stay completely quiet and when Greg looked at him, he lost it. Greg then deleted the messages and hung up but he didn't know that hitting the pound key didn't delete the messages on the Groves' the way it does on his so later, there was a knock on the door and it was from Alyssa's father.

Greg found a leather jacket of his Dad's, but in school, it is confiscated by his mother who said it was not a winter coat, this makes it harder for Greg to get a date. Greg decides his best shot is to take someone who doesn't to his school. Recently, Susan has become friends with Mrs. Stringer at Church as they both work on the Fall Fair commitee. A few nights ago, Susan invited the whole Stringer family to Greg's house for dinner. Susan spent a long time getting the house ready before the Stringers came over and Greg pitched in. During dinner, Mrs Stringer says they can never go out because Laurel is always off doing something with her friends and they can't find a proper babysitter for Wesley. Greg says that if they need a babysitter, they should call him as he figures it's a way to get in good with the Stringers and earn money. On Saturday, Susan drops Greg off to the Stringers house. Mrs Stringer said that Laurel went to her friends house already which stunk for Greg as he wanted to have a talk about the dance with her. After Mr. and Mrs. Stringer left, Wesley asked Greg if he could get his bike out of the garage and ride it inside and Greg replies no. Wesley then threw a huge tantrum. After he calmed down he asked Greg to get his colouring stuff out of laundry room but when he stepped inside Wesley locked the door. He then started riding around the kitchen on his bike. It was getting pretty late so Greg tried to find a way out. There was a freezer blocking a door to the back deck so Greg pushed it away. He then walked around the house and found a window that was unlocked. He pushed it open and went inside and ended up in Laurel's room. Greg warmed up in the covers and to Greg's dismay the Stringers came home.

Greg gives up and is instead thinking about playing video games on Saturday but Rowley gave him some news that changed everything. He said Michael Sampson had to cancel on Abigail, so now she has a dress but nobody to go with to the dance. So Greg and Rowley decide to go with her for the dance. The next day, was the night of the Valentines Day Dance and it got off to a rough start. When Greg headed over to Rowley's house, he found two bumps on his chin that looked like mosquito bites, he then realizes that it's chickenpox. He tries to cover it up, since the chickenpox has been contagious in school.

Greg screams Abigail

You had to ruin it all, didn't you Greg?

Greg goes with Rowley and Abigail to Spriggo's. The host tells him that gentlemen have to wear sports jackets. Greg has to wear a smelly sports suit used by others without being washed, which makes them go to Corny's, due to Rowley's like of the dessert bar; however, they have a hard time finding a good spot and Rowley and Abigail order expensive desserts, which makes Greg lie that it's Rowley's birthday to make him get a free cake. At the dance, the theme is Midnight In Paris, but old people take one half of the hall. The lights, which had only one switch, had to be on the gym for the old folks to have the meeting. Uncle Gary tries to continue selling the Botson T-shirts, but people could see they were ripped off and wanted a refund. Uncle Gary distracts the kids by playing music, making elder people complain. When the volume was down, all the girls took out their CD players and danced, but the boys cut loose and made a ruckus everywhere. During all of this, Michael Sampson walks in with Cheryl which means Michael lied about why he couldn't come and both he and Abigail are surprised to see each other. Meanwhile, Gary announces the final song and Greg danced with Abigail. But Greg sees pimples on Abigail, which he thinks is chickenpox. Later they head home, and Greg realizes the "chickenpox" on Abigail was a pimple and that the same may go for the bumps on Rowley. He doesn't think Abigail saw it that way, because she wasn't chatty with him on the way home.

Uncle Gary moves out after he wins $40,000 on a scratch card, which he wasted a lot of the money he made from the dance to buy scratch cards. Greg ends up getting the chickenpox, but he gets to take a bath in peace. The experience isn't like how he lived before he was born and when he opens his eyes, the towel next to the bathroom was gone. Greg says either someone's messing with him, or either Johnny Cheddar is at it again.


Extract quotes from the book

  • I looked for a way to escape, but I was trapped. Luckily, Abigail walked out of the bathroom at that exact moment and I grabbed her hand just before Ruby got to me. Abigail's makeup was a mess from all of the crying, but I didn't really care. I was just happy to have an excuse to get away from Ruby. And to be honest with you, I think Abigail was happy to see me, too, so I led her to an empty spot on the dance floor.
  • I'd never slow danced with a girl before, So I didn't know where I was supposed to put my hands. She put hers on my shoulder, and I put mine in my pockets, but that kind of felt dumb. So, we met in the middle, and that seemed about right.
  • And speaking of Rowley and Abigail, I heard that the two of them are a couple now. All I can say is if that's true, it makes Rowley 'the worst wingman in history.'
  • I'm supposed to stay home from school for at least a week. The good news is that with everyone out of the house, I can take a long bath without anyone bothering me.
  • Or at least I THINK I'm alone. Today I had a fresh towel next to the tub, and when I opened my eyes, it was gone. So, either somebody's messing with me or Johnny Cheddar is at it again.
  • Everything probably would've been just fine, but at lunch, someone threw a roll of toilet paper at somebody else, and within about fifteen seconds it was a total madhouse.
  • I couldn't find any cologne in Rodrick's junk drawer, but I DID find a bottle of that body spray they're always advertising on TV. I was a little nervous about using it, though, because if that stuff really works as they say in the ads, then tomorrow night could be a nightmare.
  • I just watched everything play out from my spot against the back wall, wondering why I'd wanted to go to the dance in the first place. I was also to regret not wearing the body spray from Rodrick's junk drawer because Great Uncle Bruce's cologne was attracting people outside my age group.
  • Even my PACIFIER was a hand-me-down from Rodrick. I don't think he was ready to give it up, though, which explains why he never really liked me.
  • Every once in a while, a few latecomers would walk in and turn right back around when they saw what was happening. But, at around 9:00, Michael Sampson came in hold hands with Cherie Ballenger.
  • Also, the service is TERRIBLE at Corny's, so we always just get the buffet and serve ourselves.
  • He got the crib, so for the first few months of my life I had to sleep in the top dresser drawer, which I'm pretty sure isn't even legal.
  • Seriously, though, in this day and age I don't know why we're still cutting open frogs to see what's inside them. If somebody tells me there's a heart and intestines inside a frog, I'm willing to take their word for it.
  • I probably should've thought about talking to Uncle Gary a lot earlier. He's been married something like four times already, so he's an EXPERT on relationships.

Sneak Peek

This is a small 54-page sneak peek into the book given by Diary of a Wimpy Kid Wiki. You might need to click on the images to view them more clearly. There was also a 7-page sneak peek if you had pre ordered the book from Scholastic.

Major Events and Moments

  • Greg talks about the days when he was a baby.
  • Gary Heffley moves in with the Heffleys.
  • Rowley becomes the Social Chairperson.
  • Eugene Ellis becomes the President of Student Council.
  • Javan Hill becomes the Treasurer.
  • Hillary Pine becomes the Vice President.
  • Olivia Davis becomes the Secretary.
  • The formation of the Dance Committee.
  • Greg tries to get a date for the Valentine's Day Dance.
  • Greg goes to the Valentine's Day Dance with Abigail and Rowley as a group of "friends".
  • Gary Heffley wins $40,000 from his scratch card and moves out of the house.
  • Greg gets chicken pox in the end.
  • Rowley and Abigail possibly became a couple. It is confirmed in Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Hard Luck that they are actually a couple until the end of the book.

Trivia

  • Holly Hills was rumored to be Greg’s partner for the dance by many fans, but she wasn't even mentioned and only appeared in Greg’s relationship chart as liking Bryce Anderson. This could mean that Greg has given up on Holly. At the end of The Last Straw, it was hinted after Greg wrote the fake letter from Holly Hills that he gave up on her due to being too hard to reach.
  • The Mad Pantser’s identity is unknown.
    • He could be Anthony Renfrew since Anthony was the starter of Pantsing Fever, but it could also be somebody else.
      • The size of the Mad Pantser's hand is shown to be different from that of Anthony's, but that could just be a generic hand to show the mystery of the Mad Pantser.
      • Additionally, some boys who got chicken pox and sent home were hinted to be potential answers to the mystery, since there were no additional pantsing incidents after that.
      • Some viewers suspect Fregley to be the Mad Pantser due to the fact that his partner, Ruby Bird, was not with him at the dance.
  • There is an exclusive version of this book, which has Fregley’s secret notes in the back. It's a poem by Fregley that shows why girls (specifically Ruby Bird) must go with him to the dance. You can also see it if you have the e-book version.
  • Rowley closes his mouth for the second time in the books on Page 166 while eating chocolate.
  • It was revealed that Rodrick might hate Greg, because Susan gave Rodrick’s pacifier to Greg and Rodrick never wanted to give his pacifier up. However, this might not be true, because Rodrick doesn't act childish and Greg is not always true.
  • It is unknown what really happened to Greg’s towel at the end of the story.
  • Rodrick has a much shorter role in this book; in most of the parts when the family gathers together Rodrick is not there.
    • Also, Rodrick doesn't bother Greg, making it the first book to not have Rodrick bully Greg.
      • Rodrick also does not have any dialogue in this book.
  • This is the first time a character's lies about it being another character's birthday at a restaurant.
  • Greg has his covers yanked off the bed by his father to wake him up for school. This is the second time this has happened in the series, the first being The Last Straw.
  • Greg apparently weighed only five pounds and seven ounces at birth - the average is seven pounds and eight ounces, meaning he was two pounds lighter than average; these hints why he was so thin, and another hint is that he was born three weeks premature, as well as Greg mentioning that he never met Rodrick until a few days after he was born.
  • The book's title was originally Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Odd Man Out, but Kinney changed it to The Third Wheel for a reason. The twitter post is here.
  • Rowley and Abigail Brown remain a couple in Hard Luck, marking the first time either Greg or Rowley has had a relationship and even more remarkably over more than one book.
  • In this book even in the flashbacks, Greg doesn't have buck teeth; this is the first book to feature a very young or baby Greg without buck teeth.
  • This book covers the months of January and February.
  • This is the first book where someone gets Chickenpox.
  • This the third time that Greg’s Diary is mentioned, the first is Diary of a Wimpy Kid.
  • This is the 3rd book in the series to have "the" in the title.
  • This is the second book to begin in January. The Last Straw was the first.
  • On Page 116, Abigail is Shown to be dating with Michael Sampson
  • On Page 195 and 206, all people wearing mules. This is the first time that someone is wearing mules.
  • This is the only book in which the drawing on the back cover never appears in the actual book.

Goofs/Errors

  • This is the second book to have an error in the length of a month. February had 5 weeks instead of 4. The first was Dog Days, in the month of June.
  • Rodrick is shown much skinnier than he is in other books.
  • On page 198, the girl on the left is wearing a flower scrunchie but on the very next page, it's replaced by a standard bow tie.
  • On page 32, Greg mentions that the first time his family went to Corny's, Frank's tie got cut off, though on page 33 Frank is wearing a T-shirt with no sign of a tie being cut off.

Gallery

See Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Third Wheel/Gallery

Videos

Diary_of_a_Wimpy_Kid-_The_Third_Wheel_by_Jeff_Kinney

Diary of a Wimpy Kid- The Third Wheel by Jeff Kinney


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