Book info

• Title Diary of a Wimpy Kid
• Author Jeff Kinney
• Year 2007
• Genre Childrens

Being a kid can really stink. And no one knows this better than Greg. He finds himself thrust into middle school, where undersized weaklings share the hallways with kids who are taller, meaner, and already shaving. Greg is happy to have Rowley Jefferson, his sidekick, along for the ride. But when Rowley's star starts to rise, Greg tries to use his best friend's newfound popularity to his own advantage, kicking off a chain of events that will test their friendship in hilarious fashion.

Thoughts

I’d never really been tempted to read this book, or any of its sequels, but saw a sneak peek at some of the drawings and was intrigued. It’s a difficult book to read on the Kindle as it only works on certain devices, due to it being so picture heavy.

However, once you get going, it’s a lovely little tale. It’s simple, the diary of a middle school kid just trying to get through life without too much embarrassment. Naturally, everything his parents do is wrong, and his friends veer quickly to enemies and back again, but all the way through we’re treated to great little pictures - sometimes just as a visual aid, but also sometimes the punchline to a joke or two.

It was a fun read, full of moments that you sympathise with - no matter what age you are, you likely remember the horrors of school! There were also some good scenes that you can just imagine, I particularly liked the way the free learning lessons panned out, who’d have thought designing a robot could get you into so much trouble?

Very glad I ended up reading this, and I’m keen on seeing what happens in the second book!

Rating: 4 / 5