There is a new obsession in our house and it’s called Diary of a Wimpy Kid!
Wyatt had been hearing about the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series for awhile and was very interested in reading them, but he hadn’t managed to get his hands on a copy because the waiting list at the library was long, long, long. These books are popular — all seven of the books in the series have been #1 best sellers — and word that they’re good seems to have spread through the third graders at my son’s school. When I was offered a copy of the first book for review, I knew I couldn’t say no.
Wyatt was extremely excited when our copy arrived. So excited that he ripped the package open, whooped and hollered for a few minutes and then immediately sat down in the rocker in our living room to read it. And I’m not exaggerating when I say that he barely got up again until he finished it! I had to force him to put it down for meals (he tried to bring it to the table) and he was just a smidge annoyed when I made him stop reading to go to bed. He was done with his first read-through before he left for school the next morning and a few days later he picked it back up and read it all over again! Seriously, dude!
I finally got a chance to sit down and read it this weekend and I also liked it very much. The story centers on Greg Heffley, a middle-schooler who is constantly finding himself in trouble. It’s illustrated with lots of drawing and cartoons and it is laugh-out-loud funny in parts. Wyatt had been reading me his favorite bits from the story and showing me the comics for a few weeks so I thought I’d seen all the best parts before I read it, but I still giggled all the way through. A lot of the humor centers around the general sucky-ness of middle school, like this gem:
“OK, Pursie.” Ha ha ha! The book captures exactly how mean kids can be so perfectly. And that brings me to another point: Greg is totally relatable because he’s a fully drawn character. Bad things happen to him, but he also causes problems for other kids. He is oblivious to how mean he is to his best friend, Rowley, a sweet and agreeable boy who lives up the street. Greg is constantly dragging him into his schemes and poor Rowley goes along with them to his own detriment.
I found that Greg and Rowley’s relationship was a great jumping off point for a discussion about being a good friend with Wyatt. We talked about how Greg treats Rowley, what finally causes Rowley to snap and how Greg apologizes to his friend without ever actually saying the word “sorry”.
Wyatt ordered another one of the Wimpy Kid books from the book club at school and it arrived yesterday. He was wildly excited to read it, and when I stopped to talk to a friend for a couple minutes on our walk home, this is what he did:
I swear to you, this photo is not staged! He plopped himself down in the middle of the sidewalk and dug into his book while Augie ran and jumped around him.
Want to win your own copy of a Diary of a Wimpy Kid book? I am giving away ONE (1) copy of a Wimpy Kid book of your choice from books one through seven! (Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Rodrick Rules, The Last Straw, Dog Days, The Ugly Truth,Cabin Fever, and The Third Wheel).
To enter, leave a comment below sharing a cringe-worthy middle school memory.
Comments will be closed Saturday, December 15 at midnight and I’ll choose one random winner shortly thereafter. The winner will have 48 hours after I notify them via email to respond with their mailing address. (Sorry, but this giveaway is open to U.S. addresses only.) If I don’t hear from you an alternate winner will be selected, so be sure to leave your email address and check your email.
I hope YOU win!
