I have a secret to tell you. I like to read kids books. I also want to write kids books, so I guess it’s a good thing I read kids books. Anyhow, Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney is one of the best kids books I’ve read to date. The series is hilarious! Greg, the protagonist, is urged to keep a journal that his mother gives him, so he can write down his emotions or what have you. We meet all of the main characters; Greg’s family, his best friend Rowley, and an evil piece of cheese on the black top of his school.
This book is funny for one big reason; The reader, no matter the age, can relate. I started reading this series in late 07 when the bookstore I worked in got a promo copy of the second book. I was in tears over how funny it was. A lot of what Greg “writes” about is based in reality, such as girls liking boys who can run the fastest (or some other dumb reason, which we did). Or not wanting to participate in gym, or not wanting to help around the house, or finding ways to black mail his younger brother into doing things for you.
Now, some people might find Greg to be a little bastard because he really isn’t a good kid. But, he’s a kid. He does the same things we did as a kid. In the end, Greg is a nice kid who tries to do the right thing, but it’s a learning experience for him, as it was for us (and still is for some of us). I can’t recommend this book enough to anyone who has kids, or anyone who just likes to read. Kids who normally avoid reading would highly enjoy this book, since there are pictures on almost every single page. It’s well written, highly enjoyable, and if you haven’t done so already, go read it!
Also, in the not so distant future, there’s going to be a live action movie! This excites me greatly. You can read more about the movie here: http://popwatch.ew.com/2009/10/30/first-look-diary-wimpy-kid/
To get more info about Wimpy Kid, please click here: http://www.wimpykid.com/
-Lauren
Tags: Lauren
Girls With Comics 
January 6, 2010 at 9:54 am |
My daughter loves the Wimpy Kid series! It really helped jump-start her into reading books that looked “big” to her at the time. Over the holiday she read The Invention of Hugo Cabaret (which I bought her for X-Mas) and loved it! Her review of the book was “Guess what was my favorite part? …The whole book!” I was so taken by the illustrations I had to get it and I am looking forward to reading it this weekend! 🙂 Though it’s not the same genre as Wimpy Kid, you might like it.
Also, if you like Jeff’s art, he did the poster for the Miami International Book Fair last year.
PS – love the blog – keep it up!
January 6, 2010 at 3:23 pm |
I’ll have to pick that book up soon! I also suggest The City of Ember series. It’s only a 4 book series, but she should have no problem getting through them. They’re excellent!
-Lauren
January 6, 2010 at 9:56 am |
Never heard of this series until yesterday when my boy picked it up for the flight home. He blew through 130 pages in a day (not bad for an eight year old) reading at every opportunity (in the car, on the plane, waiting in line, etc). He has ADD so this author must really be on to something to hold his attention so well.
January 6, 2010 at 3:23 pm |
That’s great to hear! Hopefully he will get the other books soon. 😉
-Lauren