Jeff Kinney

The first in a series of wildly popular mixed-media novels - part comic, part middle-grade fiction - for younger readers, Diary of a Wimpy Kid is narrated by Greg Heffley, oblivious middle-school student and all-around wise-guy. From worrying about his "popularity rating" - he's 52nd or 53rd in the school - to struggling with his role as the middle child in his family, Greg's concerns will undoubtedly strike a chord with many kids, just as Kinney's humorous presentation, and frequent cartoon show more illustrations, will tickle their funny bone.

The reviewers of this one seem to fall into one of two camps, either deploring Greg's rather amoral character, and his lack of growth, or applauding Kinney's accessible format and dead-on use of middle-grade humor. I understand that these books have been successfully used to spark a general interest in reading in more than one boy reader - they do seem to be "boy books" - and that is undoubtedly very admirable. I myself enjoyed the humor, although not to the same extent as the intended audience, I suspect. I can sympathize with those who find Greg an unsympathetic protagonist, but I think that, in the end, it's more important for the protagonist to be relatable (which Greg certainly is) than admirable, and I doubt any young people will be "led astray" by these books. In short: although I probably won't continue with the series, I do recommend it to young middle-graders, particularly boys who are struggling with their reading. show less

This ninth installment takes the Heffleys on a hilariously chaotic family road trip, complete with a runaway pig, seagull attack, and crowded water‑park shenanigans. Kinney’s signature cartoon‑diary style brings laughs and relatable family dynamics, delivering more absurd comedy than ever before. A fun, fast-paced read that resonates with kids (and parents) who’ve survived summer travel disasters.

It might seem weird that I chose to listen to the audio version of what is described as ‘A novel in cartoons’, but when I found it on iTunes I couldn’t resist the voice of Ramon de Ocampo, who does a fantastic job with the narration. Our wimpy kid Greg is given a diary by his mother—even though he specifically asked for a journal and NOT a diary (don’t expect me to be all ‘dear diary’ this and ‘dear diary that’ he says in the beginning)—in which Greg recounts some show more highlights from his daily life, from his first day in middle school all through the academic year. Along the way he describes his home life, starting with Roderick his older brother who plays mean tricks on him like the time he woke Greg up in the middle of the night at the beginning of summer vacation and tricked him into believing he’d slept through the whole summer and had to hurry to get ready for the first day of school. Greg’s adventures are hilarious, and what makes them even funnier is the deadpan approach he takes to relating even the silliest stories that make him look very bad indeed. He’s obsessed with gaining any kind of recognition and is seemingly willing to try anything to reach his goal. When he decides to campaign for the class treasurer position, he creates a smear campaign against his opponent, and is dismayed when the principal takes down the hand drawn posters he’s worked hard at before anyone’s had a chance to see them, and then is even more upset to see said opponent handing out lollipops and eventually winning the coveted position. When he visits a haunted house just before Halloween, he decides that he and his friend Rowley can do a better job and make money in the process, so they advertise around the neighbourhood, then wait till the last-minute to throw together such features as a ‘river of blood’ (made from the contents of a bottle of ketchup) in Rowley’s basement without asking permission from the parents. On the night of Halloween, when they’re out trick-or-treating, the two of them hide out at Greg’s grandmother’s house after heckling some teenagers who are pursuing them, and when they find her house has been covered in toilet paper the next morning, Greg says it’s really ok since grandma has plenty of time to clean up now that she’s retired. One running gag that had me in stitches was Greg’s description of *The Cheese* which is a mouldy piece of cheese that has been left behind on the baseball court since the previous school year and which everyone goes out of their way to avoid. When further on in the story the teenagers decide to teach Greg and Rowley a lesson and make the boys eat *The Cheese*, Greg, like the real pal that he is, just watches his friend eat his half and then claims he’s allergic to milk products to avoid having to partake in it too. I really enjoyed this first book in the Wimpy Kid series, which had me literally laughing out loud. show less

It's Dog Days as in the dog days of summer (the timing of this book's release could have been better) and Greg Heffley is looking forward to some quality indoor time, but unfortunately, his Mom's idea of the perfect summer vacation does not include horror movies, video games and TV. In Dog Days, Greg woefully recounts his misadventures at Rowley's country club, the public pool, his summer job, and the cabin at the beach. Rodrick, Manny, Gramma, Mom, Dad, the Jeffersons, and Fregley, all make show more appearances in this latest installment of the Wimpy Kid series. However, the true stars of Dog Days are Greg and his Dad, who learn that father-son bonding may not be the same in every family. Sometimes hating the same comic strip is all that you need.

Dog Days may not have as many "laugh out loud" moments as earlier installments, (Rodrick Rules is still my favorite) but it remains comic genius, hilarious sketches seamlessly integrated into the story, often acting as the "punchline" in place of words.

Usually, I can relate to Mrs. Heffley. In Dog Days, I completely empathize with Greg. As a child, I also dreaded the trip to the "public pool," although my experiences (thankfully) were not the same as Greg's,

"I didn't want Manny to have to walk through the shower area and see the things I've seen. So I got a towel out of my bag and was gonna put it over Manny's eyes when we walked past the shower guys. But in the two seconds it took me to get my towel, Manny was gone. And you'll never believe where he went."

(You'll have to imagine the sketch of the diminutive Manny, whistling and washing in the men's shower, surrounded by hairy knees and ankles!)

"I knew I had to rescue Manny, so I closed my eyes as tight as I could and went in to save him... When we got to the other side, Manny seemed fine, but I don't think I'll ever totally recover from that experience."

And although I never watched a movie with "the muddy hand," I do remember one with a charred, black hand, and can completely relate with Greg's feelings in this passage,

"My new fear is that the hand is gonna crawl up on my bed and get me in my sleep. So lately I've been covering my whole body with the blanket and leaving a hole so I can breathe. But that strategy his its OWN risks. Rodrick got into my room today, and I had to spend the morning trying to wash the taste of a dirty sock out of my mouth."

And finally, I have to agree with Greg on this one,

"There's this comic about a dog called "Precious Poochie," and it's been running for about fifty years. The guy who wrote it died a long time ago, but they're still recycling his old comics. I don't know if they're funny or not because, to be honest with you, most of them don't even make sense to a person my age."

Well, Jeff Kinney DOES make sense to a person of Greg Heffley's age! In fact, based on the phenomenal interest in his books, he makes sense to kids of all ages - from 9 to 99.
Check out The Diary of a Wimpy Kid website for the Dog Days Event Kit. show less