No Brainer
A solid entry in the series that relies on visual gags and social awkwardness rather than deep character growth, but it remains highly accessible for reluctant readers.
Read this next
All picks after this →
Double Dork Diaries
by Rachel Renée Russell
Hybrid format · ages 8–12 · 520L · 2015
Hugely popular with 8–10-year-olds for its relatable middle-school chaos and doodles; the humor is repetitive and plot thin, but the self-deprecating protagonist models not taking social failure too seriously.

Dork Diaries OMG! All About Me Diary
by Rachel Renée Russell
Hybrid format · ages 8–12 · 520L
Genuinely funny middle-grade serial that hooks reluctant readers on the diary format; the doodles and chaotic energy do the heavy lifting, but the self-acceptance spine holds up.

Hard Luck
by Jeff Kinney
Hybrid format · ages 8–12 · 620L · 2021
The series loses none of its momentum by book 13—same formula of social disaster, terrible decisions, and spot-on middle-school absurdity that keeps kids reading compulsively.