Line #40 Headscratchers/DiaryOfAWimpyKid


1	%% If your headscratcher applies to multiple books, please place it under the title of the first book where it applies.
2
3	!! Book One
4
5	* It's implied that Greg was forced to write in his journal by his mom. However, Greg's written another dozen of these since then. What happened then?
6	** The journal was actually his idea, his objection was to it being called a 'Diary'. Greg at stated he would ''sell'' the journals once he became famous (as referenced by the "Here's my journal. Now shoo, shoo." comment).
7
8	* Why hasn't Westmore Middle School removed the Cheese?
9	** It seems even the school staff are reluctant to go near the Cheese given that the janitor avoids cleaning the zone where it is in the movie. It's also possible that the school simply don't care. Most adults are pretty apathetic in these books.
10	** They might not want to get the Cheese Touch either - not because they're afraid of it like the kids, but because then all the students would avoid them like the plague.
11	** Double Down reveals they finally removed the cheese with a stain where it used to be.
12	*** No they didn't! Those teens made Rowley eat it in the first book.
13
14	* How is it possible that Greg managed to trick Mr. Jefferson into letting them play his violent video games by storing the discs in EdutainmentGame cases? Those games are for preschoolers and it's questionable Rowley's dad would have really believed that his son likes to play video games for little kids.
15	** Playing video games for little kids is totally in-character for Rowley. That's how Rowley's parents raise him.
16
17	* Why did Mr. Jefferson get so angry about the haunted mansion Greg and Rowley made in his basement?
18	** From his POV Greg and Rowley made a mess of his basement and basically scammed a bunch of kids. He's a very moralistic kind of person.
19
20	* Also, why didn't Rowley's dad make them give a refund to Shane Snella?
21
22	* On Halloween when Frank soaks Greg and Rowley with a bucket of water, all they can salvage of their trick-or-treat candy is some mints wrapped in cellophane and toothbrushes. Does that mean '''none''' of their candy was wrapped besides the mints?
23	** Most likely, it's a case of extremely bad luck on Greg's and Rowley's part. Those that were individually wrapped, were likely not to be in fluid-tight packaging; just a layer or two of paper.
24
25	* When Greg calls Susan to tell her that he and Rowley will sleep at Grandma's house because three juvenile delinquents were threatening them, only for Susan to order them to come home because there was school tomorrow, why didn't Greg just tell his mom ''why'' they didn't want to leave Grandma's house?
26	** It can be hard to tell your parents when you get bullied and harassed. Plus Greg often doesn't communicate enough.
27	** He might have also thought that, since this happened during their round of trick-or-treating, his mother wouldn't let him go again because it got them into this kind of trouble.
28
29	* Why did ''Literature/TheWizardOfOZ'' play have to be cancelled when Patty's glasses were broken? Shouldn't they have an understudy or a replacement pair of glasses?
30	** It's not just a case of broken glasses, the problem is more the fact that there was a fight between the actors. Glasses are expensives, so no it's not that easy to find another pair. Given the level of luck Greg experiences, it's also possible that Patty's understudy didn't show up for some reason (sickness, laziness, family emergency).
31	** They ususally only have understudies in professional theatre, they're not going to have one for a middle school play.
32
33	* Why did Greg think saying that he was the one who broke Rowley's arm was going to make him popular among the girls?
34	** He doesn't understand how other people's mind work. He's so full of himself that he think whatever he does deserves praise.
35	** Greg is shown multiple times to be socially oblivious, so much that it's one of his main character traits. This is yet another example of it. The reality: Rowley was "popular" because his classmates became concerned for his health after seeing he's received a major injury. Greg's misunderstanding: Rowley's injury brought him popularity. So if I reveal I'm related to it in some way, I'll get popularity by association.
36
37	* When Mr. Winsky forces Rowley to apologize to the kindergarteners for terrorizing them with an earthworm, why didn't they tell him or another authority figure that it wasn't him?
38	** They are very young; kids of that age tend to not talk alot to grown-ups that aren't family.
39	** Greg likely drew the kindergarteners as being confused in order to illustrate to the reader that Rowley didn't do it. They might not have made it so obvious that they had the wrong guy in the actual event.
40
41	* Why was Greg's "Creighton the Cretin" comic edited so much, but Rowley's "Zoo-Wee Mama's" wasn't edited at all?
42	** Rowley's ambiguous disorder has prompted the school to go against the idea of editing it, whilst ignoring Greg's egomaniac tendencies and possible sociopathy.
43	** Creighton the Cretin could have been seen as offensive by the staff, especially as Greg stated to be basing it off of the students in his school. Rowley's comic wasn't making fun of anyone or any stupid behavior.
44	** After Greg complained about getting his comic rewritten, the teachers probably didn't want to risk a similar backlash with Rowley.
45
46	* In the movies, why is it that Holly's beauty is so complimented by basically everyone, but Angie, who is no less pretty, isn't remarked upon once by anyone about her looks, other than Rowley seemingly having a bit of a thing for her?
47	** Beauty is subjective, simple as that. The story is from Greg's point of view so since he's not attracted by Angie, he may not notice others complimenting her looks because he doesn't care.
48
49	* In the movies, why did Westmore Middle School allow Patty Farrell's parents to let Patty join the wrestling course? Wrestling isn't unisex.
50	** Patty is good at wrestling in general, not just against Greg. It's established that Patty can get whatever she wants from the teachers because her parents are in high places.
51
52	* In the movies, after Rowley leaves Greg for Colin, why did Rowley think Greg was going to be willing to give him back a video game that he forgot in his house?
53	** Because it's what any sensible person in Greg's shoes would've done, so Rowley did nothing wrong by expecting that. People ''you'' injured don't need to make amends to ''you'' so they can get their rightful property back. If anything, it's Greg who should have given the game back on his own choice and apologized. If this question is instead asking "Why did Rowley think Greg would be friendly after being ignored for many weeks?" then the answer is simple: Rowley ''didn't'' think that. A mature person would've given the property back ''despite'' no longer being friends. Rowley just underestimated Greg's maturity (or lack thereof).
54
55	* In the live-action film, was Mrs. Norton really serious about casting Greg as Dorothy? First of all, Greg didn't seem to really want that role and was content with letting Patty get it, and secondly, wouldn't there have been at least a bunch of close-minded parents who would not have approved of Mrs. Norton casting a boy in a girl role?
56	** First of all, Greg's voice hadn't broken. In addition, many years ago, women weren't even allowed to act, so any female roles were played by young boys whose voices hadn't broken yet.
57
58	* In the animated film, after Greg, Rowley and Manny escape from the three teenagers and roll down to Greg's lawn, Manny wakes up and tells Susan that Greg took him and Rowley to the Serpent Road just as she had forbidden him to. How did Manny realize this? He was asleep when Greg and Rowley took that road as a shortcut!
59	** In the books, Manny has an almost supernatural talent for telling on Greg, even for stuff that happened when he was an infant or even things he was not at all present for.
60
61	* When Greg is quoting stuff from TV to Rowley, one of the things he says is "Wow! Look at the size of that flamethrower!". But, since flamethrowers are worn on one's back, wouldn't a really big one just weigh you down?
62	** We don't actually see what Greg is seeing on the TV, so it's possible that the flamethrower isn't even being worn on a person's back.
63	** It's safe to assume he was seeing some work of fiction, like some kind of action movie, rather than a documentary or something. Action movies in real life have characters lifting impossibly heavy weapons via fake lightweight props. It's also very likely the show was animated.
64	* On Halloween, Greg and Rowley escape the teenagers they ticked off by taking shelter in Greg's grandma's house. With the teenagers loitering outside, and Greg & Rowley making animal noises to mock them, how did Grandma never wake up? Greg says she was simply asleep, but unless you're an exceptionally heavy sleeper, these would definitely wake you up and make you think your house was being robbed. Of course, it's possible she DID wake up and just called the cops without leaving bed. But then the teenagers would've been chased off or arrested before they had a chance to cover the house in toilet paper.
65	** Greg and Rowley might not have been making that much noise; after all, the teens were on the other side of the door, they wouldn't have been able to really hear them regardless. It's also possible her bedroom was on another floor. It's pretty plausible that you wouldn't wake up if two kids were lightly making noise from the floor below you.
66
67	* On New Year's Eve, Susan punishes Greg all because Manny claimed the piece of thread he accidentally swallowed was the size of an orange. Even ignoring that Susan is [[MyBelovedSmother overprotective of him to the ninth degree]], does she seriously believe a three-year-old could swallow what would have to be an entire ball of yarn without choking? ''Especially'' after Greg told her that the tiny piece of thread was not a spider like Manny initially thought?
68
69	* When Greg runs for treasurer, Greg puts up a poster claiming that Marty Porter had head lice in the second grade as a [[AttackOfThePoliticalAd smear campaign]]. Vice Principal Roy takes it down because it's not okay to "fabricate" things about your opponent. Greg tells him that it was true and that the school got shut down for it, but he doesn't budge. Who was telling the truth - Greg or Vice Principal Roy?
70	** Probably Roy as Greg is an UnreliableNarrator.
71
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73
74	!! ''Rodrick Rules''
75
76	* It says that Greg's dad types Rodrick's school reports for him since Rodrick doesn't know how to type. How can he not know how to type? What's there not to know?
77	** Rodrick probably knows how to type at its most basic form, but might just type very slowly. It's pretty certain that he hasn't put much effort into learning to type, so his typing skills are most likely limited to using the hunt-and-peck method extremely slowly. It's also possible that his horrible spelling skills slow him down further. This makes his parents decide it's easier if someone else does it for him.
78	** Maybe he also just acts like he doesn't so that his dad will do it for him.
79	*** In the movie at least, this is in line with one of the pieces of brotherly advice Rodrick gave Greg--do something bad enough, and people will just do it for you. Just like with washing the car with dirty rags.
80
81	* Greg's claim that the longest Rodrick has slept is 36 hours seems very implausible. Considering how much Frank despises laziness, it doesn't seem likely he would let Rodrick sleep that long. Then it's shown Rodrick asking where Monday Night Football is after he wakes up, so evidently he slept from Sunday night all the way until Tuesday morning and that this happened during Fall, hence school is in session.
82	** Some schools give a four-day weekend over fall. It could have been during one of these times. Since Greg is an UnreliableNarrator, he probably left a few things out - it's possible Frank didn't throw Rodrick out of bed because he knew Rodrick pulled an all-nighter or was sick, and they didn't tell Greg or Manny since they have little reason to need to know.
83
84	* Following the above headscratcher: Why didn't Frank and Susan immediately tell Rodrick that he slept through an entire day of his life?
85	** It'd be rather hard for him not to notice at some point. If there was nothing else to alert him to it through the week, he'd at least realize it when the weekend comes and he still thinks it's a school day.
86
87	* How can Rodrick call himself a rocker and not know how to spell "door", as in "Music/TheDoors"!
88	** Rodrick is a metal fan, and doesn't seem to be the type to concern himself with other genres of rock.
89	** He was also panicking at the time and may have misspelled it accidentally.
90	** For what we know, he may have dyslexia.
91
92	* When Mr. and Mrs. Heffley find out that Rodrick had the party while they were out for the night, [[GuiltByAssociation they also punish Greg for it under the assumption that he was an "accomplice"]]. But Greg clearly isn't anywhere in the photo (because he was locked in the basement) and they know he and Rodrick don't get along, which rules out the possibility that he'd willingly participate in a house-wrecking party such as that, so why would they jump to conclusions?
93	** Well, technically, Greg ''was'' an accomplice because he thought at first calling them to tell them about Rodrick's plans, but desisted because he foolishly believed that he could sneak into the party and wanted to see how a teenage party is. So it's basically a [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Omission_(law) crime of omission]].
94	** Because they were angry and not thinking clearly.
95
96	* In the movies, at the beginning, why did Susan and Frank let Taylor Pringle and her friends beat up Greg for accidentally ruining her birthday cake?
97	** They are little kids, they can't do much to Greg.
98
99	* In the movies, when he organizes his party, Rodrick locks up Greg on the basement so he would not be around his friends. Unlike the book version, Greg calls Rowley to help him get out of the basement, but Rodrick finds Rowley and locks him up on the basement as well. Fortunately, Greg calls his mother while she is calling Rodrick and forces Rodrick to let him and Rowley join the party, but if Greg hadn't called his mother, then wouldn't Rodrick have a problem with having Rowley in the basement overnight? Rowley's parents could have been very worried...
100	** Rodrick not caring about this is totally in-character for him. That and he didn't have the time to think about it. It's extremely common in real life to do things that would have bad consequences but we don't think of it even if that would be obvious in hindsight.
101
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103
104	!! ''The Last Straw''
105
106	* Ms. Craig said that there will be no consequences for the one who took her dictionary, then goes back on her word when Corey Lamb puts the dictionary back on her desk? First of, what gives, and second, why did no one tell her it was actually Alex Aruda?
107	** Ms. Craig was just lying all along like most adults in these books. This is a common tactic a lot of adults do to make children do what they want - they promise that if they come forth and/or tell the truth, there will not be consequences.
108	** Telling it was Alex Aruda would be snitching and you really don't want to be a snitch in middle school. [[TeachersPet Alex Aruda seems like a "model student"]] anyway so chances are Ms. Craig wouldn't believe anyone who tried to tell her he took the dictionary. Then, consider that general apathy of "yay, I didn't get in trouble" amongst the rest of the class might make them not bother.
109	*** Plus, if any other student tried to vouch for Corey, [[NoGoodDeedGoesUnpunished they might end up getting detention alongside him]].
110	** Greg himself points out that Ms. Craig still gave out a punishment despite saying she wouldn't. It's not like people don't lie or go back on their promises in real life.
111	** Ms. Craig wouldn't even let Greg ''use the restroom'' amidst her demands to find out who took her dictionary, so her being an unreasonable jerk teacher makes it unsurprising she'd employ false promises just to get what she wanted out of her class.
112
113	* Why were Kenny and Erick mad at Greg for them being driven home late when they were the ones who honked the horn and made it look like he did it?
114	** They were probably indignant about their prank backfiring and [[NeverMyFault decided to pin the blame on Greg instead]].
115	** Kenny and Erick are idiots.
116
117	* Why did Greg lose all interest on Holly after she mistook him for Fregley?
118	** Likely because of his big ego. For Holly, calling him Fregley was just a meaningless mistake, but for Greg, this was a big insult.
119
120	* Why didn't Frank demand Mr. Snella to erase the footage where Greg's ComicBook/WonderWoman undies are exposed? Admittedly he thought Greg did it on purpose to save him from ridiculizing himself, but even so, he shouldn't have allowed Mr. Snella to keep the footage. Taking into account that Greg is still a minor and the footage was obtained without consent, the Snellas might face some legal trouble for it, too.
121	** Maybe Frank had a word with Mr. Snella about it offscreen and Greg wasn't there to witness it.
122
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124
125	!! ''Dog Days''
126
127	* Why did Susan allow Manny to buy fish food for himself? Couldn't Manny get seriously sick or worse with eating that fish food?
128	** She might have thought like Greg that Manny was buying it to feed Greg's and Rodrick's fish.
129
130	* Rodrick convinced Manny that the rear-facing seat is the most dangerous in the car, thus leading Greg to be forced to sit there. Why did Manny move back to said seat after they leave the pool? In addition, shouldn't it have been Rodrick the one who should have been ordered to sit on the rear-facing seat for giving Manny such ideas?
131	** Greg was moved to the middle seat because he's much shorter than Rodrick. As for why Manny got back in the middle seat, he might have just simply forgotten about it supposedly being worse.
132
133	* Why doesn't Greg just keep his bedroom door shut so the dog can't get onto his bed?
134	** He might have tried to, but a shut door can be opened by a smart animal.
135
136	* In the movies, why didn't Greg simply ask the steward to give him back his swimsuit instead of giving him some pink girl water shorts?
137
138	* In the movies, if the country club doesn't employ minors, how come Holly gets to work as a tennis instructor?
139	** It was probably a volunteer thing. Or she knew their families, so even if she was being paid, she was being paid by the families and just using the courts there. Her parents [[ScrewTheRulesIHaveMoney are rich]].
140
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142
143	!! ''The Ugly Truth''
144
145	* Why did the Peachy Breeze company shoot the commercial over and over again in the years instead of continuing to use the first commercial?
146	** A commercial stops making an impression if you just see it again and again year after year. It's better to make a new one. Sunny Delight commercials are one RealLife example.
147
148	* When Greg went to the school lock-in, why did it take until ''3 a.m.'' for the parents to get worried enough about their kids not answering their mobiles?
149	** The kids are away for the night, surely all the parents would use the opportunity to watch a movie, have a romantic dinner, something, anything having a kid present would prevent or impede.
150	** Plus, during one of the games, one of the teachers is carrying around the cellphones in a trash bag and the phones begin ringing and he fishes through the bag to find the phone and shut it off. Ultimately, he gets fed up and locks the bag somewhere else, so the parents were trying to check-up on their kids throughout the night to see how they were doing and couldn't.
151
152	* Greg said that most of the chaperones at the lock-in were parents, so how could only Greg and Rowley be the last people there? Shouldn't have there been some more kids if their parents were the chaperones?
153	** Their parents probably took them home before things went awry.
154	** Maybe some kids got sick and couldn't make it, but the parents decided to go anyway just to be nice.
155
156	* Why would Greg be eager to learn about the "Facts of Life" unit after he explicitly states ''twice'' earlier on in the book that educational materials about puberty grossed him out, especially considering he was required to sign a permission slip and had to trick his mother because she, in his words, [[MoralGuardians "only lets (him) watch G-rated movies"]]?
157	** Because he thinks that there would be materials about ''sex''. Even if he is repulsed, in this case it is compensated by curiosity.
158	* Before agreeing to marry Sonja for the misunderstanding during the baseball game, why did Uncle Gary consider breaking up with her to date ''her sister''? Having your sister-in-law be one of your ex-girlfriends?
159	** It's pretty much established that Uncle Gary is an idiot.
160
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162
163	!! ''Cabin Fever''
164
165	* How did Susan manage to take photographs of random kids at the theme parks without being called out by their parents?
166	** She could have been really quick, or it was really crowded. In both cases, she did it before anyone else realized what she was doing.
167
168	* How on earth did Manny turn off the power at the circuit breaker level at his age, and in a flooded basement no less? How did Greg's mom NOT notice that the power was on in Manny's room?
169	** Manny turning off the power would be unlikely but could happen. He just needed to see an adult do it first. For the Susan not checking, don't forget her glasses had been broken by Manny. She probably just called to him, seeing as she couldn't see.
170
171	* If Greg had gotten arrested, would he have gotten a trial and been able to defend himself by saying the neon green paint was not his fault, but it was rainy when the posters were put up?
172	** He's a middle school kid and it was just two or three splotches of paint; it's unlikely he'd have gotten arrested once they determined it was him. Heck, when he explains exactly what happened at the principal's, the principal basically says "you should have told me sooner" and gives him a comparatively light punishment (makes him clean the paint off with inefficient tools). If the police had been the ones to track him down, chances are they'd do what most police do in situations like this: explain it to the kid's parents and let them handle it.
173
174	* Manny changes Greg's Net Kritterz password so he can't get into his account. Shouldn't the site have a password recovery system?
175	** Password recovery depends on you having access to your email that you used to register or remembering some security questions. If neither are options, then you're out of luck.
176	** Also, it wouldn't be out-of-character for Greg to be bad at computers, since he's only around twelve and is sometimes incompetent.
177
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179
180	!! ''The Third Wheel''
181
182	* Why didn't Greg's parents get him vaccinated for Chicken Pox?
183	** The chicken pox vaccine is actually quite new, having only been around since 1995. Most people get immune the more traditional way of catching it and then getting over it. Some parents believe that, since chicken pox is not a serious illness in childhood, they can wait until the child reaches a certain age, and if they haven't gotten chicken pox by then, that's when they vaccinate.
184	** You can still get a disease after you've been vaccinated for it. The goal of a vaccine isn't to necessarily give you 100% immunity (that would be impossible), it's to lower your chances of catching an illness and (if you do still catch it) to lower the severity of the symptoms.
185	** Anti-Vaccination didn't ''just'' become a thing in the late part of TheNewTens and TheNewTwenties - it's been around as long as vaccines have. In fact? There was a pretty big surge of anti-vaccination thought in TheNineties and the TurnOfTheMillennium, so Greg's parents probably didn't have him vaccinated for fear he'd become autistic. Yes, even if that was proven bunk - multiple times - anti-vaccine people ''don't listen''. You can''not'' convince them with facts.
186
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188
189	!! ''The Long Haul''
190	* When Greg goes to the water park slide, a boy pokes the woman in front of him in the butt with his pool noodle, causing her to believe that Greg harassed her and leading to her boyfriend to engage in a fight with Greg. Why didn't Greg tell them the truth? Especially since the woman should have been able to tell what poked her wasn't a hand.
191	** It's Greg. PoorCommunicationKills.
192
193	* In the movies, Greg and the diaper become a huge Internet meme. Why, exactly? That kind of thing gets uploaded every day. It takes more than that to become a meme.
194	** True it's very unlikely that a specific video would become viral, but stupid stuff going viral does happen often in the real world too. This time it simply happens to Greg because of his bad luck.
195
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197
198	!! ''Old School''
199
200	* Why was Giles' mother able to spank Frank if he wasn't her son?
201	** Greg explicitly said it was ValuesDissonance. It's TruthInTelevision too - at the time, because Frank was hanging with Giles he was deemed to be her responsibility, and authority figures in those days had much more leeway.
202
203	* How did those girls at the pool post Greg's photo on their profiles at social media? They could and should have gotten into serious trouble for posting a photograph featuring Greg's butt.
204	** This kind of thing often happen in real life and the culprits are rarely punished, probably because of a DoubleStandard regarding gender. If Greg had taken photos of ''them'' and posted online without consent, it'd be a different story.
205
206	* Why does Greg say that the girl scouts didn't allow him nor any person cleaning up at the park to leave unless the park was completely clean? The scouts should have no real authority over Greg or any other person there...
207	** They would likely have no problems throwing him to the wolves (i.e. tell his parents or something) if he stepped out of line.
208	** RuleOfFunny.
209
210	* If the school sent home a list of items to bring to Hardscrabble Farms, why didn't it mention a blanket and pillow?
211	** Maybe the person who wrote the list didn't know that the farm people didn't supply bedding.
212	** They just forgot?
213
214	* In Hardscrabble Farms they use all the leftovers that the kids don't eat. Doesn't this strike ''anyone'' as unsanitary?!
215	** Maybe they believe there's no risk of spreading diseases as long as the leftovers are heated properly, which is surprisingly TruthInTelevision, to an extent - [[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perpetual_stew perpetual stew]] is a thing.
216
217	* If Mr. Jefferson hates Greg so much, why did he chose to sleep in the same bunk bed as him at the cabin?
218	** It might have been the only vacant bed left.
219	** To make sure Greg causes no trouble.
220
221	* Why did none of Greg's friends tell Mr. Jefferson that Greg wasn't the one who put the fish on the toilet? Unlike previous above headscratchers they were, well, Greg's ''friends'', so this scenario has the most compelling reason for the culprits involved to tell Mr. Jefferson.
222	** They are simply false friends and cowards who would rather pin the blame on someone else. That's all there is to it.
223	** Considering the fact that they act nicely to him (such as going with ideas he proposes, high-fiving when they do something right and working as a proper team when necessary), the mood might have just been too tense and awkward to say anything after Mr. Jefferson found the fish. Classes of children, even the really rowdy ones, always go silent when the teacher starts shouting at them. Or perhaps Mr. Jefferson simply kept Greg behind without a word to the others, meaning they weren't aware that Greg was being blamed for it.
224	** Mr. Jefferson clearly dislikes Greg (and, let's be fair, [[JerkassHasAPoint not without good reason]]), so he'd naturally assume ''anything'' resembling a prank in a group Greg's a part of would be the kid's own doing (whether it truly was or not).
225
226	* Why was there a bag that belonged to Mrs. Graziano in a cabin for the girl scouts? Were there also girl scouts camping at Hardscrabble Farms, or were they female students who also happened to be girl scouts?
227	** Why can't the bag belong to Mrs. Graziano?
228	** Mrs. Graziano was simply the chaperone of that particular cabin.
229
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231
232
233	!! ''Double Down''
234	* How can the battery-powered electronic witch decoration continue to cackle ''after'' its batteries were removed, especially upwards of a year after?
235	** A charge can actually last a remarkably long time. It's possible there was a tiny amount of electricity left in the witch even after the batteries were removed.
236	** Toys like those have a small rechargeable battery that is charged off of the regular batteries. TruthInTelevision.
237
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239
240	!! ''The Getaway''
241
242	* What happened to the Heffleys' pet pig? Who was taking care of him while the family were out to Isla de Corales?
243	** Answered in ''The Meltdown''. They left the pig in a kennel.
244
245	* Why did the couple who sat with Greg put their baby on Greg's seat after Greg went to the bathroom? Did they forget that Greg was sitting there?
246	** Maybe they assumed that Greg had changed seats after he didn't return from the bathroom for an extended period of time?
247
248	* Greg signed up for tennis, only to find it was basically a glorified daycare, but worse the counselor Rodrigo ''locked the kids in there for an hour and a half''. Isn't that child neglect? Granted Rodrigo doesn't seem like he cares, but surely shouldn't there be other adults who are passing by and noticed? And why wasn't this recorded in the ''security camera''?
249	** Probably due to some sort of ValuesDissonance between the US and wherever Isla de Corales is at. To give the resort some slack, the kids are at a safe, known location and unlikely to find a way to injure themselves. Considering that just 50 years ago in the US the idea of letting your child play mostly unsupervised is seen as normal, it's not implausible.
250
251	* During the cruise the Heffleys managed to forget Rodrick. How? First, that's already a pretty big oversight, second, shouldn't Rodrick have called them back, third isn't Rodrick fit enough to swim back to shore?
252	** The Heffleys were preoccupied with Greg and the noise of the boat likely covered Rodrick's voice. Or maybe Rodrick was swimming under the sea when they left, so he was unable to hear them leaving and when he came out of water they were already too far to hear him. There's not a lot of consensus what one should do when lost at sea, but Rodrick might not have wanted to move in case they come back and he misses them again.
253
254	* Why did the Director of Fun threw the bucket with the box jellyfish in it into the pool when he freaked out?
255	** As you said, he was freaked out. His first instinct was to get rid of it, but unfortunately threw it into the pool because he was standing right next to it.
256
257	* Speaking of which, ''HOW did Manny even catch such a poisonous jellyfish''?
258	** It's Manny and it's the Heffley family. Their luck is so bad they could win the lottery and get struck by lightning the minute they stepped outside to go to the bank to cash in the check.
259
260	* Why do the Heffleys believe that "[[HardTruthAesop When Heffleys get in trouble, Heffleys run]]" is still a good idea even when involving security?
261	** Presumably, because it's proven to be a tactic that works.
262
263	* On page 115, Greg traps a spider with a food cover. But the spider's leg sticks out from under the cover, and Greg pushes down on the cover so that the spider loses its leg. But in the very next sentence, he says that the spider fell down on the floor. How did that happen? Greg never mentions actually releasing the spider. One second the spider is under the cover (minus one leg), the next it's on the floor.
264
265	* How is it possible that the staff of Isla de Corales can't track down the Heffleys nor discover their identities if they checked in at the hotel? Even if they were kicked out from the resort, they gave their names when they checked in...
266	** Perhaps the United States and Isla de Corales never agreed on an extradition policy.
267
268	* So the Heffleys manage to get themselves into trouble by giving the green light to stealing the clothes from the suitcase they mistakenly ended up with and trying to sneak back into the resort after they were kicked out. [[ParentalHypocrisy Why would two parents as strict and eager to scold/punish Greg for relatively minor infractions be OK with flat out breaking the law]], especially when they ''know'' they could get in trouble for re-entry? It just doesn't add up.
269	** Susan can be a huge hypocrite (she stops caring about "morals" once it inconveniences herself) and Frank is kinda apathetic.
270
271	* I know they [[SpoiledBrat rarely punish him for anything]], but why in the world did the parents not reprimand Manny for catching a ''box jellyfish'' and putting him and others at the risk of being fatally stung? (Unless they did it offscreen.) Most things they let him get away with aren’t anywhere close to ''life-threatening''.
272
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274
275	!! ''The Meltdown''
276
277	* Where is Grandpa Heffley? Is he still living with them? Did he move out?
278
279	* How did Greg even '''consider''' the possibility of throwing hot chocolate on the Lower Surrey Street kids?! He got the idea after reading medieval warfare tactics, but even if what he intended to throw wasn't boiling oil, the hot chocolate would have surely caused serious skin burns.
280	** Greg didn't think it through. After all, hot chocolate seems relatively safe and one's thoughts upon seeing some is unlikely to be "oh no, a burn hazard!".
281
282	* Greg says the school is letting sick students show up but in ''The Ugly Truth'', classes were ended early because students refused to wash their hands in the restrooms ([[ItMakesSenseInContext due to a rumor involving the fire alarm]]) during flu season. What gives? (same question applies to the outbreak of chicken pox among the students in ''The Third Wheel'')
283
284	%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
285
286	!! ''Wrecking Ball''
287
288	* How was three-year-old Manny able to build a full house and sprinkler system in his family's yard all by himself?
289	** It's Manny. Kid can pull off all sorts of things he shouldn't be able to (like in ''The Meltdown'' wherein he builds a set of stairs out of snow to leave the deck...but doesn't get very far).
290
291	* The house the Heffleys were planning to sell was destroyed because whoever was running the crane screwed up. Why weren't the Heffleys compensated?
292	** Nothing that says they weren't ''not'' compensated. In all likelihood it makes sense the crane company was the one who paid to repair their broken house.
293	** Alternatively, the Heffleys were completely unaware of the law that regulates this, and that company just exploited this fact.
294
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296
297	!! ''The Deep End''
298
299	* How do the teenagers have watermelons?
300	** Maybe there's just a watermelon vendor near their place (not as crazy as it sounds - Japan, for example, associates watermelons with summer heavily).
301	** A grocery shop?
302
303	* How on Earth would the camp be able to know when and where the skunk is with the alarm? Security cameras?
304	** A camp staff member saw it and ran to give the alarm.
305
306	* When the Heffleys stay at Gramma's house, Gramma forces them to live in the basement and doesn't let them come out when her friends are visiting, proving that Gramma TookALevelInJerkass. However, why doesn't she treat Manny, her youngest and favorite grandkid, differently? The second book clearly specified that Manny is Gramma's favorite and she constantly spoils him just like Sweetie.
307	** Maybe there wasn't enough space in the house to accommodate five guests. As for Manny, it's possible she didn't want to risk a disagreement with Susan (because she ironically accused Gramma of playing favorites with him) so she opted not to spoil him then.
308
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310
311	!! ''Diper Overlode''
312
313	* So Metallichihuahua was a wildly popular heavy metal band that had it big for a little while before word of their internal problems broke out, and then they started making bad business decisions and ultimately fell out of the public interest. Their members all went their separate ways: one is a semi-retired musician, one is a recluse, one is an attorney, and one is a security guard at a fictional version of Chuck-E-Cheese's (?!?!). Then when they unexpectedly reunite and decide to start the band back up again, they're suddenly back at the height of their popularity. Is this even possible?

Context Headscratchers / DiaryOfAWimpyKid