An ice-skating fundraiser gives Nikki Maxwell a new reason to panic, practise and fill her diary in the fourth Dork Diaries book.
Rachel Renée Russell's series continues at 280 pages in paperback from Simon and Schuster Childrens Books. The structure stays constant: dated entries, cartoon interruptions, lists and margin notes that let a reader dip in for five minutes or settle in for an hour. Underneath the comedy sit the concerns that make the books stick, competition between friends, the fear of looking foolish in public and the slow business of getting good at something. Each title closes its own story arc while nudging readers towards the next.
How readers use it:
• Fourth Dork Diaries volume, following the Pop Star instalment
• Sporting storyline built around a skating event
• 280 pages that read quickly thanks to the illustrated layout
• Series continuity that encourages steady independent reading
Good for children working through the series and for gifting to newly confident readers, published by Simon and Schuster Childrens Books and sold at Boipoka.