When my eight-year-old granddaughter told me she wanted a book and it was sold at Barnes and Noble, I wasted no time. I didn’t know anything about the book, but in my opinion, any book that gets a kid so excited and asks for a trip to the bookstore is a good thing. An hour later we were flipping through the bookshelves and looking for Jeff Kinney’s “Diary of a Wimpy Kid.” There were four different volumes on display and he couldn’t decide. After looking at them, I bought all four.
Greg Heffley’s mother forces him to keep a journal and he leads readers through a year of high school and child drama. Greg writes about how his parents embarrass him and his older brother plays tricks on him. He is the typically clumsy kid who tries to overcome setbacks and bullying. His best friend, Rowley, starts to get more popular and Greg tries to ride her skirts, but ends up putting their friendship to the test.
This book may be written in a child’s voice, but my granddaughter loved it. As soon as we got home, she settled into a comfortable chair with volume one. She read 138 pages and only stopped when her mother came to pick her up. Your review is hilarious! Obviously, Kinney knows how to relate to children.
Sometimes he pushes the envelope of good manners and language, but my granddaughter was able to laugh at the antics knowing it’s wrong to call other kids “jerks,” and it sparked a discussion, a good aspect of any reading experience.
The books were adapted from the online series that began in 2004. They are graphic novels written in the style of a diary and interspersed with fun hand-drawn pictures.
“Diary of a Wimpy Kid” appears on FunBrain.com, an educational site for teachers and kids. Provides educational games and resources.
Reading Level: Ages 8-13 Publisher: Abrams Books for Young Readers (April 1, 2007) ISBN: 978-0810993136 Pages: 224 Price: $ 12.95