Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Greg Heffley's Journal

By Jeff Smith
Publisher: Amulet Books
Publish Date: 2007
ISBN: 9780810993136

Plot:
Greg Heffley's "this is not a diary" journal details his day to day events through middle school. The presentation is typical of many young students, written on notebook paper with "doodle-like" drawings representing Greg and et.al.

Critical Analysis:
After reading this book, I could not help but relate to the laugh out loud antics surrounding Greg Heffley. Readers will get a strong relative understanding of this young man through each event and desire to find himself in the world of middle school perplexities. The plot throughout the book is familiar throughout, always unsure, always questioning the right thing to do and who would make a better friend; trying to be "cool" while transitioning from child to teen. I mean who want to "come over and play" when you are in middle school, as Greg puts it, "let's hang out" is a more appropriate way of asking.
The only negative message the book send, is Greg's "sneaky" way of avoiding trouble while friends and family take the fall for his misgivings. And though there are consequences to follow, Greg tends to ignore his role in the problems and easily dismisses his responsibility. An example includes his taunting of a group of high school boys on the night of Halloween, then running to his grandmother's house for protection. The next morning, grandma's house is "TP'd" - own up!! Secondly is Greg's friendship skills, like the time his good friend Rowley was blamed for something Greg did to a group of kindergartners. Of course, consequences were dealt to the guilty, but I certainly cannot blame Rowley for not wanting to be Greg's friend when he is "thrown under the bus" continually. In my opinion, I don't believe this is a good message to send to young children learning to decipher good and negative behaviors.

Awards/Reviews:
Booklist (April 1, 2007)
At every moment, Greg seems real, and the engrossed reader will even occasionally see the logic in some of his choices. Greatly adding to the humor are Kinney's cartoons, which appear on every page. The simple line drawings perfectly capture archetypes of growing up, such as a preschool-age little brother, out-of-touch teachers, and an assortment of class nerds. Lots of fun throughout.

Publishers Weekly (March 5, 2007)
Kinney ably skewers familiar aspects of junior high life, from dealing with the mysteries of what makes someone popular to the trauma of a "wrestling unit" in gym class. His print debut should keep readers in stitches, eagerly anticipating Greg's further adventures.

Curriculum Connection:
At first I was quite reluctant to read this book, it's not exactly my personal style of choice. But after reading just the first few pages, I finally understood why all the students are so eager to read this book over and over.
Besides the humor, a great tie in might be "lessons learned" and Citizenship projects. Or even an introduction to "middle school" for the 5th graders.