As the day of the Valentine's Day dance approaches, Greg Heffley worries he will be left out until a twist of fate lands Greg with a date, but leaves his best friend, Rowley, on his own.
Dave Davidson comes up with twenty-eight tips and tricks for himself and his friends for surviving the sixth grade and overcome their fears--tricks which when executed often are worse than their fears to begin with.
While visiting his grandparents' retirement community in Florida, ten-year-old Adam "Melonhead" Melon, accompanied by his best friend Sam, invents the Alligator Distractor.