Bibliography
Kinney, Jeff. Diary of a Wimpy Kid. New York: Amulet Books, 2007.
Plot
Greg Heffley is starting his first year in middles school and he records his daily mishaps and adventures in his journal. He and his friend Rowley get into some tricky situations, all masterminded by Greg. Greg’s plans usually have a way of backfiring and getting him in a lot of hot water. Whether it is trick or treating, performing in the school play or sneaking his brother’s CD with explicit lyrics, things never turn out like he intended them to. And it all takes place in the course of one school year.
Critical Analysis
Kinney writes the book as a journal, with entries labeled by the day of the week and each chapter is a month. The style of the book is consistent with a middle school kid. This includes the illustrations and the writing style. The pages of the book are even lined to make it look like notebook paper. Within the storyline there are lessons to be learned by Greg’s mistakes that are not obvious to Greg himself, but the reader will understand. The humor that is intertwined in Greg’s adventures is what drives the story and will keep the reader wanting more. Middle school students will be able to relate to this book regarding the elements of bullying, dealing with teachers, and relationships between parents and between friends.
Review Excerpts
SCHOOL LIBRARY JOURNAL: “The first of three installments, it is an excellent choice for reluctant readers, but more experienced readers will also find much to enjoy.”
PUBLISHER’S WEEKLY: “His print debut should keep readers in stitches, eagerly anticipating Greg's further adventures.”
Connections
Students can write their own journal or diary with events from their own lives. They can add illustrations just as Kinney did.
Students can continue reading the next three books in this series by Jeff Kinney.
Students can read biographies that are written from actual diaries, like that of Anne Frank and compare the actual diary with the fictional diary.
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