As a children’s librarian, I see trends come and go. When first presented with the hype surrounding Diary of a Wimpy Kid, I was curious to see if it would last. Years later, the books are just as popular and I just witnessed first hand the magic and appeal of this series in my own home.
My third grade son is a proficient reader but has struggled to find books he wants to finish and to do so in a timely manner. He read the 200 page Diary of a Wimpy Kid almost overnight. The next day we exchanged it at the public library for the second installment, Rodrick Rules and he finished it at school which leads me to the conclusion that author Jeff Kinney has found a formula to get boys reading!
In the book, Greg Heffley is a 6th-grader hoping to find success in middle school. His family includes a mom, a dad, a heavy metal big brother, and a little brother known for his tatteling. His best friend is Rowley, another odd 6th-grader with overprotective parents and the world-class ability to annoy.
Greg is a victim of the bullies in the school. He constantly seems to be in the wrong place at the wrong time. In an attempt to be “cool” he experiments with the idea of weightlifting, creating his own haunted house, runs for class treasurer, and tries to build a snowman big enough to be considered for the Guinness Book of World Records. However, the only mild success he accomplishes is as a safety guard whose job is to walk the kindergarten kids’ home at lunchtime.
“First of all, let me get something straight: This is a JOURNAL, not a diary. 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.
Great. All I need is for some jerk to catch me carrying this book around and get the wrong idea.
The other thing I want to clear up right away is that this was MOM’s idea, not mine.
But if she thinks I’m going to write down my “feelings” in here or whatever, she’s crazy. So just don’t expect me to be all “Dear Diary” this and “Dear Diary” that.
Greg usually doesn’t do the right thing the first time around. His cluelessness about what would keep him out of trouble and why parents, teachers, and friends are upset with him is part of the book’s humor. The reader is sure to pick up on the lessons taught which seem to elude Greg.
This book is really good for beginner readers. The reason why is because the book has pictures on every page. The book’s lettering resembles that of hand writing and has large double spacing that is not intimidating to the reader. However, despite the easy vocabulary and large font and illustrations and marketing towards younger children, a book intended for older students. Therefore, the concern over dialogue and attention to girls should be kept in context. What I am less than pleased with is words like “moron” and “loser” prevalent throughout the text.
The new book, Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days, is due in stores Oct. 12 with a first printing of 3 million copies. Since the publication of the original Diary of a Wimpy Kid in 2007, more than 20 million copies of the series are in print in the U.S.
GENRE: Realistic Fiction
