Genre 6 - Young Adult Fiction - Diary of a Wimpy Kid

1. Bibliography
Kinney, Jeff. 2007. Diary of a wimpy kid. New York: Amulet Books. ISBN 9780810993136

2. Plot Summary
Greg Heffley's mom has given him a "journal, not a diary" to record his "feelings...or whatever." At first he doesn't seem too keen on the idea, but the words and drawings throughout this graphic novel tell a different story. The diary entries follow Greg through a year of middle school from Fall to Spring. He writes about everything from the first day of school, to Halloween debacles, to Christmas woes, and trying to get into the yearbook at the end of the year.

3. Analysis
Kinney's knack for tuning in to the voice of a adolescent boy struggling to be popular is dead on. This fast paced book will keep the reader laughing out loud from beginning to end. Preteens everywhere can relate to Greg's feelings of inadequacy and his quest to become more popular despite the fact that his friend, Rowley, is much lower than Greg on the popularity chart. Greg's constant self-absorbed antics at the expense of everyone else show that Greg's character may not be exemplary. He does, however, attempt to redeem himself at the end of the book. Readers will find themselves trying to urge Greg to do the right thing and stop being so selfish. These shenanigans, however, are what make this book so irresistible.

The hysterical comic illustrations sprinkled between the text add another layer of hilarity to this book. The only thing I could think the whole time I read this book was, "No wonder the boys in my class love this book so much."

4. Review Excerpts

Publishers Weekly - "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."

School Library Journal - "...it is an excellent choice for reluctant readers, but more experienced readers will also find much to enjoy and relate to in one seventh grader's view of the everyday trials and tribulations of middle school."

VOYA - "Readers can expect lots of middle school humor and exaggeration. Kinney manages to inject enough humor in the simple drawings to make them an integral element in the book."

5. Connections
*Students can make a cartoon about their own life. They can write one small comic strip every two weeks or so and compile them into a book at the end of the year - similar to Greg's diary.

*The teacher can pick a situation from the book and the students can tell how they would've behaved or acted differently than Greg did.

*Students could do a paper bag book report with funny items from the book such as Halloween items, wrestling gear, Christmas wrapping paper, a video game, a yearbook, a piece of cheese etc.