Stanley Yelnats has terrible luck because of a curse traced back to his no-good-dirty-rotten-pig-stealing-great-great-grandfather. After being unjustly convicted of stealing a pair of athletic shoes, he is sent to a detention center, Camp Green Lake.
Greg Heffley is a typical middle schooler who happens to keep a journal about his life. This first book introduces the reader to Greg and his best friend, Rowley and his middle school woes.