Wrecking Ball focuses on Greg; his mother, Susan; his father, Frank; and his best friend, Rowley; as the Heffley family renovates their house and prepares to move to a new neighborhood. In March, Greg goes through his closet for spring cleaning day and reminisces about various objects from his childhood.
Wrecking Ball is the 14th book in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. The series follows an unlucky middle school student named Greg Heffley, his family, and his friends. The books are illustrated with simple, black-and-white drawings from Greg's perspective. Wrecking Ball focuses on Greg; his mother, Susan; his father, Frank; and his best friend, Rowley; as the Heffley family renovates their house and prepares to move to a new neighborhood.
In March, Greg goes through his closet for spring cleaning day and reminisces about various objects from his childhood. He then has a yard sale and hires Rowley to make sure nothing is stolen. When it starts raining, Greg's objects on sale are ruined, and he does not sell anything.
When Greg's great aunt Reba dies, Greg is very excited about receiving inheritance money. After a family meeting, Susan chooses to spend the money on expanding their house's kitchen. To prepare for the construction, Frank tries to teach Greg how to do chores around the house. Greg fears that a monster is in the plumbing while trying to unclog the drain. When Greg is instructed to paint around his family's hot tub, he discovers a wasp's nest. While cleaning the gutters, the ladder falls and Greg is stuck on the roof until he climbs in through the bathroom window. Susan hires professional workers, and Frank sends Greg outside to help them. A fight is started when Greg ruins one of the workers' lunch deliveries.
Greg is stressed due to a school-wide test, and he details that a large hole has been cut in the side of the house, exposing an infestation of wasps and mice. An extension to the house is destroyed for being too close to a neighbor's residence, and the rest of the inheritance money is spent on fixing the hole. Later, Susan tells Greg that his school's funding is being cut due to low scores on the test, suggesting that they move neighborhoods to a new school district. Greg is excited about the idea of being in a new school, but worries about leaving Rowley behind. When Greg and his family tour a house, they like it and want to move in. Greg's family attempts to sell their own house, which is successful when a family chooses to buy it on the condition that the hot tub is removed.
The day after Greg tries to explain his departure to Rowley, he sees that construction is already being done on his house and the Heffleys rush to get all their belongings out. A worker hurries to remove the hot tub, lifting it with a crane. He is distracted by wasps and the hot tub falls through the roof, creating a large hole in the house. The buyers now decide against moving in, and Greg admits that he was not ready to move, glad to remain Rowley's best friend.
