FIN BOOKS DIARY OF A WIMPY KID BIG SHOT | OW f) weTHE DIARY OF A WIMPY KID SERIES 1 Diary of a Wimpy Kid 7 The Third Wheel 13 The Meltdown 2. Rodrick Rules 8 Hard Luck 14 Wrecking Ball 3 The Last Straw 4 The Long Haul 15 The Deep End 4 Dog Days 10 Old School 16 Big Shot 5 The Ugly Truth 11 Double Down 6 Cabin Fever 12 The Getaway MORE FROM THE WIMPY WORLD The Wimpy Kid Do-It-Yourself Book. The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary The Wimpy Kid Movie Diary: The Next Chapter Diary of an Awesome Friendly Kid: Rowley Jefferson's Journal Rowley Jefferson’s Awesome Friendly Adventure Rowley Jefferson's Awesome Friendly Spooky Storiesaera Wimpy Kid BIG SHOT by Jeff KinneyPUFFIN BOOKS Us | USA | CANADA | IRELAND | AUSTRALIA INDIA | NEW ZEALAND | SOUTH AFRICA PUFFIN BOOKS IS PART OF THE PENGUIN RANDOM HOUSE GROUP OF COMPANIES ADDRESSES CAN BE FOUND AT GLOBAL.PENGUINRANDOMHOUSE.COM, WWW.PENGUIN.CO.UK WWW.P% Penguin Random House UK Dacy of a vinpy Kid Big Shot IN ALL COUNTRIES BY HARRY N. ABRAM D SIMULTANEOUSLY IN GREAT BRITAIN BY PUFFIN BOOKS 2021 CO.UK WWW.LADYBIRD.CO.UK WIMPY KID TEXT AND ILLUSTRATIONS COPYRIGHT DIARY OF A WIMPY KID®, WIMPY KID™ AND THE GREG HEFFLEY DESIGN™ AND THE DESIGN OF THE BOOK'S COVER ARE TRADEMARKS AND TRADE DRESS OF WIMPY KID, INC. ALL RIGHTS VEGGIE ROCKER CHARACTERS ON PAGE 46 CRE! USED WITH PERMISSION AND GRATITUDE. BOOK DESIGN BY JEFF KINNEY SIGN BY JEFF KINNEY AND BRENDA &. ANGELTLLT COVER THE MORAL RIGHT OF THE AUTHOR/ILLUSTRATOR HAS BEEN ASSERTEDTO WILL AND GRANTa _ SEPTEMBER Mond Tie heard that athletes are born with special whatever those genes. are, af guess T was born WITHOUT +hem. Mom's always saying that everyone who's part of a team has an important role to play. But when it comes to Sports, it seems like ray job is to make everybody ELSE look. good Ss a At this point in ny li gonna grow up to Decome a professional athlete. So Tm officially announcing, my retirement.The crazy thing is, T used +o actually LIKE sports. But that was back in preschool, when sports were stil FUN. The first sport T ever played was soccer. T didn't know the rules, but neither did any of the other kids. So most of the time it was just ae on the field. + re aS Wherever the ball went, we all chased aioe cn Every once ina while the ball would pop-out of the pack and goin Someone's goal, then EVERYONE. would celebrate.Nobody kept score, so you never knew who was wihhing or losing. And the parents didn't care because they were too busy doing their own, thing. me The referees were middle-school kids, and they didn't really pay attention to the game, either.Th fact, the refs didn't even blow their whistles when the ball went out of bounds. So half the time_we'd be playing on the wrong field and didnt KNOW it, pp “oO O ue After the game, wed always get slushies and junk food at the snack shack. And sometimes we wouldnt even wait for the game_to be OVER to treat ourselves. SNACK SHACK ROARK QQ KKK OKXXXYS » EXER RRR = Aw p= we TREE D XXThe coaches were really nice and made sure everyone get a chance to score. And that made everyone a feel good about themselves. Back then, I was SURE Twas gonna grow up to bea professional soccer player. Leven kept my rookie card. in mint condition in case it turned out to be worth something, one day. —But when we got to kindergarten, everything CHANGED. The refs started using their whistles, and they didnt let us do the kinds of things we got away with the year. before. That season, the refs blew their whistles almost every time T touched the ball. So when Twas. in the game, Td stand in the corner of the field and Pray the ball didn't roll to me.Ts not like T was getting a lot of playing time in kindergarten anyway. The coach only putin the kids who were 000, and the rest of us sot on the bench. Mom told me the reason the coach wasn't playing me was because T was his “secret weapon” and he was Saving me for a big moment. But I didnt understand that Mom was just trying to make me feel better about myself. So whenever the coach DID pot me in the game, The ge out there thinking I was hot stuff.Even the snack shack wasnt fun that year. Some parents complained that they were selling too much junk food, so the replaced re slushies and other sugary treats MAR HEALTHY options. But the slushie sales from the snack shack paid for the field upkeep. So that year the parks = department could only afford to mow the grass wks, which really slowed the once every three wi games down. Mi Ma FER wis ioe =After a bunch of kids got ticks from playing _ soccer in the long grass » they. decided +o end the season. early, which was totally fine with ME. o~ T feel bad that Live never been good at sports, because I. think Dad was hoping Tid bea star athlete. Whenever he'd goto the library, he'd always come home with a stack of sports books.Tim sure there are kids who are into those types of stories, but that was never ME. Tf you go to the library, you'll find all sorts of books about kids who do amazing things and lead their teams to victory. But IT never had an: experiences like that, and T'll bet there are lots of kids out there just like me. 10So one of these days somebody should write a book for the REST of uy Lts not like Te got anything against sports. T like them just fine, as long as Tim not the one PLAYING. In fact, this summer I watched the Olympics on 1V pretty uch nonstop. T+ was Moms idea for us to watch the games as ‘, family. She says that these days everyone's in their own, Ladle bles, and sports is one of the only _ things that can still bring people together. But T. think a little togetherness gees_a_long way. uuMom says she loves the Olympics because they. show what human beings are capable of at their best. But T like watching for the BLOOPERS. In just glad it's somebody ELSE out there and not ME. Because I'm sure I'd be nervous if T knew there were millions of people watching from home. And when you.mess.up. in the Olympics, youre supposed to_act graceful about it. 42But if T just spent four years of my life training and then made same dumb mistake, I’m pretty sure Ld have trouble smiling for the cameras. a DISQUALIFIED That's why Td do one of those sports where youre part of a TEAM. Because then, when you screw up, it's harder for people to tell. MIND IF I SQUEEZE IN- WITH ‘YOU FELLAS?Th fact, if T was in the Olympics. Td be in ane of those events where a HORSE is involved. Because ther if something goes wrong, at least youd have someone ta BLAME. MN uta.) | EQUESTRIRN But naw thet T think about +, that's prabably the Season, ~~ horses sometimes act out. row! KOEven though we watched a lot of Olympics coverage, T still don't understand the way everything works. For one thing, I dont see why they only hand out medals to the athletes who take the top. three spots in a competition. T+ seems to me like the could keep going with the medals so EVERYONE gees home with a prize. 15th PLACE: ALUMINUM MEDAL ~ GREG \ os \ L r = The way it is right now, they give you a gold medal if you take first place, silver if you take second, and bronze if you take third. But L. feel like there's a pretty big step down between silver and bronze.At least gold and silver are WORTH something. But if you won a bronze medal, youd be lucky to get a tew bucks for it. WE BUY 1 fais ABSOLUTELY NO REFUNDS. T figure the moment your medal is the most valuable is right after you WIN it. So if tT got one, Td to take a Vantage of the TV audience and find « buyer. THIS DAZZLING MEDAL CAN BE YOURS GREG HEFFLEY FIRST-TIME MEDALISTDuring the medal ceremony they have the top three athletes stand on a podium, and then. they play the gold medalist's national anthem and make the other two athletes stand there and listen. But if T took silver or bronze, I'd pop in. some earbuds so T could jam +o my own tunes. i. One of Mom's favorite +hings about the Olympics is when they tell the life stories of the athletes who are competing. Some of the stories are reall, inspiring, because a lot of these athletes had to overcome tough challenges to_get where they are. 17