Book 01 - Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Greg Heffley has actually been on the scene for more than two years.
Created by an online game developer, he has starred in a Web book of
the same name on www.funbrain.com since May 2004. This print version
is just as engaging. Kinney does a masterful job of making the mundane
life of boys on the brink of adolescence hilarious.
Greg is a conflicted soul: he wants to do the right thing, but the
constant quest for status and girls seems to undermine his every effort.
His attempts to prove his worthiness in the popularity race (he estimates
he's currently ranked 52nd or 53rd) are constantly foiled by well-meaning
parents, a younger and older brother, and nerdy friends. While Greg is
not the most principled protagonist, it is his very obliviousness to his
faults that makes him such an appealing hero. Kinney's background as
a cartoonist is apparent in this hybrid book that falls somewhere between
traditional prose and graphic novel. It offers some of the same adventures
as the Web book, but there are enough new subplots to entertain Funbrain
followers. This version is more pared down, and the pace moves quickly.
The first of three installments, 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..
Book 02 - Diary of a Wimpy Kid - Rodrick Rules
Greg Heffley is back, and with him the trappings that made his first
outing, Diary of a Wimpy Kid (2007), such a popular triumph. Once again
diarist Greg chronicles a hilarious litany of problems, alternating
between home and school, focusing this time on the particular punishments
of his reprobate older brother, Rodrick. Whether Greg is suffering on
the swim team or trying out for the K.12 school talent show as Magician.s
Assistant to a First Grader, his escapades are united by his struggle
to avoid embarrassment. As before, he peppers his journal entries with
his own cartoons (in look and tone, a sort of hybrid of The Simpsons and
the Timbertoes), using them as any 12-year-old would.to add insult to
injury. But the real and deeper appeal of Greg.s story is the unapologetic
honesty of his adolescence; he comes across as a real kid, and his story
is one that will appeal to all those real kids who feel just like him.
Grades 5-8. -
Book 03- Diary of a Wimpy Kid - The Last Straw
The third book in this genre-busting series is certain to enlarge Kinney's
presence on the bestseller lists, where the previous titles have taken up
residence for the past two years. Kinney's spot-on humor and winning formula
of deadpan text set against cartoons are back in full force. This time, Greg
starts off on New Year's Day (he resolves to "help other people improve,"
telling his mother, "I think you should work on chewing your potato chips
more quietly") and ends with summer vacation. As he fends off his father's
attempts to make him more of a man (the threat of military school looms),
Greg's hapless adventures include handing out anonymous valentines expressing
his true feelings ("Dear James, You smell"), attempting to impress his
classmate Holly and single-handedly wrecking his soccer team's perfect season.
Kinney allows himself some insider humor as well, with Greg noting the "racket"
children's book authors have going. "All you have to do is make up a character
with a snappy name, and then make sure the character learns a lesson at the
end of the book." Greg, self-centered as ever, may be the exception proving
that rule. Ages 8-12.
Book 04- Diary of a Wimpy Kid - Dog Days
It.s summer vacation, the weather.s great, and all the kids are having fun
outside. So where.s Greg Heffley? Inside his house, playing video games with
the shades drawn. Greg, a self-confessed .indoor person,. is living out his
ultimate summer fantasy: no responsibilities and no rules. But Greg.s mom has
a different vision for an ideal summer . . . one packed with outdoor activities
and .family togetherness.. Whose vision will win out? Or will a new addition
to the Heffley family change everything?
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