21. Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney

DIARY OF A WIMPY KID by Jeff Kinney (Amulet Books, 2007)

GENRE: Humor

HONORS: 3 Apples Book Award, Books I Love Best Yearly Award, Borders Original Voices Award, Buckeye Children’s Book Award, Colorado Children’s Book Award, Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children’s Book Award, Garden State Children’s Book Award, Golden Archer Award, Indian Paintbrush Book Award, Kentucky Bluegrass Award, Maine Student Book Award, National Parenting Publications Award, North Carolina Children’s Book Award, West Australian Young Readers’ Book Award, Young Reader’s Choice Award

REVIEW:

When Greg Heffley’s mother wants him to express his feelings through writing in a diary, he specifically asks for her to buy one that DOES NOT say “diary” on the front.  No such luck.  Ah well, he’ll just have to make sure to hide it from the jerks at school.  Greg chronicles his first year in middle school, illustrating many of the humiliating things that happen to him.  As one of the smallest kids in his grade, Greg tries his best to avoid the bullies and distance himself from the geeks, hoping to move higher up in the popularity chart from his current status as “52^nd or 53^rd most popular.”  However, his best friend Rowley isn’t any help in that department.  In addition to the social scene at school, Greg deals with his annoying younger brother, hateful older brother, and overly involved parents.  Of course, there’s also the case of the Cheese.

OPINION:

This is a hilarious book, filled with the misadventures of a middle school boy to which many tweens will be able to relate.  Because a lot of Greg’s plans go awry, tweens will enjoy laughing at his failings and the similarities they see to their own experiences in middle school.  Themes, such as overprotective parents, issues with siblings, school bullies, and friendships, will resonate with tweens, increasing the likelihood that they will identify with Greg.  Accompanied by cartoon drawings, many of the punch lines are described through the drawings, adding greatly to the humor.  I found this book to be a very good quick read, perfect for reluctant readers looking for a hilarious book.

IDEAS:

This would be a great book to include in library displays for humor novels and books about surviving middle school.  Also, it would make for a fun library program with tweens creating their own diary entries, complete with magazine cut-outs and illustrations to add to their writing.