TITLE: Diary of a Wimpy Kid
AUTHOR: Jeff Kinney
PUBLISHER: Amulet Books
PUBLISHED DATE: April 1, 2007
ISBN: 978-0810993136
PAGES: 224
Don't judge me! Don't you dare judge me! Get back in your car, and turn around and go in the other direction - because I'm not going down that road with you! I am a proud Teen Librarian that is just now reading Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and SO WHAT! AND...so what if I didn't technically read it, but listened to the audiobook, which sucks because I missed out on all the cool pictures! You will not judge me! NOT TODAY!!!
In my former library, we couldn't keep any of the books in this series on the shelf, and I had stopped and started reading this book many times. Even now, I am swamped with books to read, and almost all of the books that I review on this site are audiobooks, as that may be the only way I get to do recreational reading. Audible had a sale on books last weekend, so I binge shopped, buying all the books I've been wanting to read that cost $4.95 or less.
This middle grade story about Greg Heffley and his friendship with quirky Rowley was adorable and laugh out loud funny. Greg just wants to be cool, but it seems to always remain just outside his reach. Rowley, however, has embraced his nerdiness, which makes him more cool to me. The pair begin working on a comic strip together, with Greg doing most of the work. His goal - to get the superlative "Class Clown". When the two have a split, Rowley submits the strip solo, and wins the title himself, leaving Greg disgruntled - to say the least. If you haven't read or listened to the book - or cheated and watched the movie - I won't spoil the ending - it's funny and cute, and you'll love it.
Recommendation: It's clearly for kids, but everyone can enjoy it. (My friend works in a prison library, and even the inmates love it.)
Audience: Grades 5 and up