I have always loved to read, and I am not ashamed to admit that I occasionally read “Children’s Books.” No, I don’t have children or young siblings that live with me; I simply like the stories sometimes. Besides, plenty of Children’s Books are incredibly well-loved classics, and me being an adult now doesn’t automatically mean that I no longer adore the stories that sustained me throughout my childhood. I will admit though that my thirteen-year-old sister DID recommend this book to me in one of our more recent phone conversations (she lives in Michigan, I, in New York). Of course, her recommendation was pretty much just her saying, “yeah sis, I read it, my friends read it, and they made a movie out of it, so duh, it’s good.” 

“Diary of a Wimpy Kid,” by Jeff Kinney, is essentially a seventh grade boy’s diary, or, as my sister repeated insistently, his JOURNAL, because diaries are for girls and journals are for boys. Whatever. The boy’s name is Greg Heffley, and Greg Heffley is a wimp. The only reason that Greg is keeping a journal is because his mother is forcing him to. Greg himself also insists that his man-journal is NOT a diary, so I guess that’s important. 

My sister, my other siblings and I have always been avid readers. It never takes any of us very long to make it through any book, despite the length or content. “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” was no exception for my sister, she had it read in two days, and I had it finished within an hour or less. Reading “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” doesn’t feel like reading a regular novel or novella though, it’s more like reading someone’s diary. The book is printed on lined paper, and the font looks like it was hand-printed by a student. Additionally, each page also comes with a cartoon that illustrates Greg’s life. 

So what exactly is Greg’s life? Well, Greg is a middle school student who thinks that middle school is possible the worst idea ever as well as it is the most horrible time of one’s life. Hey, I don’t necessarily disagree; I know that for me, middle school was definitely filled with a lot of awkward personal and social situations that often made me want to curl up into a ball and die.

Essentially, “Diary of a Wimpy Kid” fills readers in on what Greg’s life is like through the experiences he shares with us through his diary. Problems like girl-troubles, big brother problems (what young boy doesn’t?), little brother issues (tattler!), and has to put up with bullies both at home and at school. Greg doesn’t much care for his parents either, so it doesn’t really read like his home life is that happy (it’s not that bad though either).  

Greg not only shares the basics of his home and school life with us, he also writes about specific events, such as the school musical, cooties, girls that he likes, safety patrol, and more. Often Greg finds himself in embarrassing situations, and readers feel for Greg, just as much as they laugh when the tone is right for it. Finishing the book is no problem because readers are so captivated and entertained by the story that the book is over before readers really notice that they read all 217 pages of it!

I definitely recommend this book, though more towards middle-aged children than to any other audience. While I did enjoy the book, I mostly liked it for the fact that I could better relate to my young sister’s current middle school experience. Knowing that my sister and her friends really liked the book makes it easy to say that children will enjoy it and possibly relate to it. Even if kids don’t relate to it, they will still find it amusing at the very least. 

/ [Nioniel]

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