Diary of A Wimpy Kid

The Diary of a Wimpy Kid. By Jeff Kinney. Amulet Books, 2007. 224 pages. Tr. $13.95 ISBN 978-0810993136

Summary: Greg Heffley’s memories from his first-year of middle school are replete with cartoons and lots of humor. He remembers the social suicide that befalls the boy unlucky enough to touch the basketball-court cheese; the disappointment that comes from receiving boring Christmas gifts; the social-anxiety related to boy sleepovers; and the goal of becoming a wrestling champion. He chronicles his attempt to become his school’s most-funniest person, and his anger when he learns that his best friend, Rowley, takes all the credit for the “Zoo-Wee Mama” cartoon.

Critical Review: The Wimpy Kid grew out of Kinney’s 2004 web comic, and has evolved to become a worldwide bestseller series and multi-billion dollar movie enterprise. The first movie came out in 2010, and the second is due in 2011. Kinney’s work is successful, for it authentically speaks to tween boys. The experiences that Greg Heffly relates in his journal are those shared by the majority of tweens across North America. Some adults are outraged by the acts of cruelty on display, namely Greg’s and Rowley’s deplorable behavior as kindergarten safety patrols. The image of what it means to be a man leaves a lot to be desired. However, I would argue that censoring or banning boys from reading The Wimpy Kid will not solve the problem.  Boys need opportunities to become inspired by books, and I cannot think of a better way than by providing them with books that are appealing to them. We need to provide boys with positive role models, and engage them in dialogue of what it means to be men. Boys need to understand that they do not need to behave like Greg or Rowley; there are other literary characters that they can follow (Susan Nielsen’s Word Nerd is an example), and it behooves us as librarians and teachers to market these books and make them accessible for boys. 

Genre: Realistic Fiction

Reading/Interest Level: 9-12 years

Awards: Nominated for the Quill Awards, 2007; Original Voices Award, 2007; Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children’s Book Award, 2009; Garden State Children’s Book Award, 2010

Reviews: Booklist (April 1, 2007), School Library Journal (April 1, 2007), Voice of Youth Advocates (April 1, 2007), Publishers Weekly (March 5, 2007)

Series: The Wimpy Kid Series: Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Roderick Rules; Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Last Straw; Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Dog Days; Diary of a Wimpy Kid: The Ugly Truth

Similar Materials: Lincoln Peirce’s “Big Nate Series”: Big Nate in a Class by Himself

Subjects/Themes: Friendship; Families; Maturation; Humorous Fiction; Diaries; Schools and Education

Character Names: Greg Heffley; Rowley Jefferson; Collin Lee; Fregley; Manny Heffly

Series Website: http://www.wimpykid.com/

Brief Annotation: Greg Heffly chronicles his first-year of middle school with a plethora of cartoons and humor.