Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Author: Jeff Kinney

Publisher: Abrams Books for Young Readers

ISBN-10: 0810993139

ISBN-13: 978-0810993136

Diary of a Wimpy Kid was originally a very popular webcomic on Funbrain.com and was absolutely hilarious. I loved the idea that it was going to be a book and was thrilled to see it adapted and made into a “novel told in cartoons”.

Greg Heffley is a middle school aged boy whose mother forces to keep a diary. He’s not happy about it being called a diary either. “I know what it says on the cover, but when Mom went out to buy this thing I specifically told her to get one that didn’t say ‘diary’ on it”. He documents his days at school in a wry, witty, matter of fact and very funny way.

Greg is a pretty believable pre-teen boy. He gets into trouble, tries to wiggle out of things and is VERY concerned with his popularity and status. He and his best friend Rowley are great buddies till Rowley gets a little fame from a comic that they originally worked on together.

Greg’s daily adventures are pretty hilarious and readers will be sure to laugh aloud. I did quite a lot when reading Diary of a Wimpy Kid. I loved the parts about the wrestling matches, the taunting of the high school boys which result in his grandmother’s house being T.P.’d. It’s all very reminiscent of raising my own boys and the trouble they’d get into.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid is a must have and highly recommended.

Book description from the publisher:

Book Description
Boys don’t keep diaries—or do they?

The launch of an exciting and innovatively illustrated new series narrated by an unforgettable kid every family can relate to

It’s a new school year, and Greg Heffley finds himself thrust into middle school, where undersized weaklings share the hallways with kids who are taller, meaner, and already shaving. The hazards of growing up before you’re ready are uniquely revealed through words and drawings as Greg records them in his diary.

In book one of this debut series, Greg is happy to have Rowley, his sidekick, along for the ride. But when Rowley’s star starts to rise, Greg tries to use his best friend’s newfound popularity to his own advantage, kicking off a chain of events that will test their friendship in hilarious fashion.

Author/illustrator Jeff Kinney recalls the growing pains of school life and introduces a new kind of hero who epitomizes the challenges of being a kid. As Greg says in his diary, “Just don’t expect me to be all ‘Dear Diary’ this and ‘Dear Diary’ that.” Luckily for us, what Greg Heffley says he won’t do and what he actually does are two very different things.

Since its launch in May 2004 on Funbrain.com, the Web version of Diary of a Wimpy Kid has been viewed by 20 million unique online readers. This year, it is averaging 70,000 readers a day.

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