Diary of a Wimpy Kid

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 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 show more 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

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 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 show more 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

You'd never know it now from amount our son reads, but when he was first transitioning to chapter books, it was a rough one. The books he had the most luck with were the hybrids — the heavily illustrated ones that are just one step away from being full-fledged graphic novels. Among those first successes was Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney

Greg Heffley has been asked to keep a diary by his mother. He's convinced that boys don't (can't / shouldn't) keep diaries. Of course, that's a ridiculous notion — but that's the set up. Along with his entries, the pages are decorated with various amusing stick illustrations, presumably also by Greg.

Over the course of a school year, Greg goes through numerous schemes and fills in the gaps show more explaining how previous schemes have gone awry. For instance, he wants to build up muscle fast to survive the wresting part of P.E., so he asks for a weight set. By the time Christmas rolls around and a weight set ends up being his BIG present (in an otherwise hilariously disappointing year), the wrestling unit is long since over and Greg has moved on to his next scheme.

It's a cute book — that an adult can read in about two hours. It's also the first in a nine (at last count) book series. I know we have a couple more in the series, and those I'll read. I'm not sure, yet, if I'll actually want to read the entire series. show less

What a refreshing read. Kinney completely captures what life is like for many kids in junior high -- at least for the male variety. Insecurities, changing friendships, family dynamics and presents it like a Looney Tones animation; it's probably just as enjoyable for pre-teens as it is for adults.

I got a bit nostalgic recently and decided I was going to reread the early books in this series and then read the newer ones, just because. :) The first time I read a Wimpy Kid book was when I was 13, and I remember thinking it was downright hilarious. This book really does hold up well and I can easily see why the series continues to be so popular! I actually really admire the balance of humor Kinney has created; it's part middle school drama, part bathroom humor (which, lets be honest, is truly peak comedy for many middle school kids), and part slice of life/family humor which I think it relatable to not just kids but older readers, too! All around just a fun book that I'm going to keep recommending to people.

Best Moments in Book show more #1:
-Greg accidently making Manny eat a "spider"
-the whole idea/presence of the Cheese Touch - this cheese is ICONIC. If you read these books as a kid then you know this to be a straight up fact
-"ZooWeeMama!" show less

This made me LOL more than a few times. What killed me about it is that Greg, the main character/diarist, is kind of despicable. He treats his BFF pretty badly and he stoops so low to get his way. Still, you could say he's just a normal, un-idealized middle school guy. The half-comic-half-prose format lightens the whole thing so you don't take Greg too seriously, and in the end the book is a quick, fun read.

And I finally know what the "cheese touch" is!

Greg Heffley has just entered middle school, a place where the awkward, scrawny kids are tossed together with the hairy, lumbering oafs and stirred up into a soup of hormones, schemes and bizarre school projects. This funny novel is told in diary form with simple, stick figure illustrations that add to the humor and hyperbole. While more serious pre-teen topics such as sex, cliques, alcohol and drugs are largely absent from this book (this is no problem novel), the author manages to capture perfectly many of the subtle and the ridiculous experiences of early middle school. I think this book would appeal to late elementary and early middle school students (4th - 7th grade). Boys and reluctant readers, in particular, might be drawn to its show more comic book style and tongue-in-cheek humor. show less