Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney

Kinney, J. (2007). Diary of a wimpy kid. New York: Amulet Books. 

This fun-loving diary is about Greg Heffley’s journey through middle school as he encounters typical situations a middle school student might run into. Greg, the main character and protagonists, chronicles each situation in his journal in hopes that one day when he is famous he won’t have to put up with any baloney from anyone. Greg has to figure out how to overcome and deal with “low intelligent” friends, hanging out with girls, dealing with his annoying older brother, Rodrick, and his younger brother, Manny. Greg’s best friend is Rowley, but Greg tends to be annoyed with Rowley throughout most of the story. However, there’s a problem, as Rowley’s popularity rises and Greg gets upset and does mischievous things to try and make Rowley jealous. Towards the end of the book, after being tormented by a group of teenagers, Greg and Rowley realize they do care for each other. Greg even covers for Rowley when everyone discovers the missing cheese on the playground. This hilarious novel is written in the format of cartoons. The author’s use of silly text and illustrations allows the reader to relate to problems the characters in the story face in middle school. Jeff Kinney, the illustrator and author, uses unrealistic facial features of the characters to enhance the humorous plot. The facial features in the illustrations of each character also give a glimpse into the character’s personality. There are also many thinking clouds within the illustrations so the reader can grasp a better understand of how the character is feeling and thinking at the moment in the story.  This book is the first out of a serious of Diary of a Wimpy kid series. If a reader likes comical and witty books, then The Diary of a Wimpy Kid series is a must read.