User Reviews
Rating: really liked it
Jesus, what an asshole.
Rating: really liked it
I got this book based on a quick skim in the store where I saw lots of funny line illustrations and large fonts that mimic handwriting. Although the tone was sarcastic, I thought that it would prove to be a good read-aloud for my 6 year old son, who still needs some enticement into stories. I pictured him, the boy who fancies himself an author and artist, just eating up this book. And actually, he would have--except after one night of reading this out loud I discovered that the content was definitely not age appropriate (nor redeeming in any way, to my mind). I'm willing to cut an author some slack with characters that start out rough but learn valuable life lessons, but not with a character that embodies mediocrity, laziness, and is a smart aleck to boot...
To be fair, I didn't finish the book, and it may very well be a great book to give to a fifth or sixth grader who still struggles with recreational reading. But I did what I almost never have to do--I took the book back to store. I suppose one good thing came from it: Jacob came home from school the next day, sat down with a new notebook, and proceeded to design a cover and several entries for his new "diary" book.
**************** Update **************
Oddly enough, this book review seems to be engendering strong reactions in a number of readers. Thought I'd offer an update to be more specific and put to rest unfounded concerns...
This book is about a middle schooler. It is, despite the easy vocabulary and large font and illustrations and incessant marketing towards younger children, apparently intended for middle school ages and up.
Normally, in my hunt for challenging reading and listening material for my children, I pre-read books or read lots of reviews. My mistake here was in not doing so. However, I stand by my feelings about the main character, and when my children reach middle school, I will still encourage them towards books with redeeming characters. Until then, I guess we'll have to continue reading all the other books about older children that manage to both entertain AND provide a challenging reading/listening experience, develop vocabularies, broaden horizons, and remain, in some way, worthwhile.
**********Most recent update 10/2011 ***********
Funny, the way things we write in cyberspace stick around...or maybe not so funny. This review is continuing to get the occasional "like" or comment, so I guess people are still discovering it. Just thought I'd add a note, in the interest of honesty. My son, with whom I tried to read this book three-plus years ago and found inappropriate at the time, has since read all the books (much to my chagrin) and has pre-ordered the latest (are we up to #6?!) I've made him spend his own money or get them from the library, as my feelings about this series haven't changed that much that I'm willing to purchase them myself. However. I do not believe in censoring my readers, although I hope to guide them in their choices. He's read these. He's also read some other books that I feel are more exemplary. Frankly, my own literary choices include both the laudable and the merely fluffy. So there you have it. These books are in my house. I'm not an evil mom who refuses her child access to popular fun lit. But I still don't like them. :)
Rating: really liked it
Yes, I know kids love it. Duh. Kids are dumb. And so is this book. (Ok, that was mean. I apologize.)
One of my students gave me his copy of Wimpy Kid and then asked me every day for a month if I had read it yet. Not wanting to disappoint a student excited about a book, I finally sat down one afternoon and flew through it. Eh. The protagonist is a mean, unfunny little jerk. I freely admit that I probably "just don't' get it," and I'm okay with that.
I celebrate any book that makes kids want to read. I suffered through all four of the ridiculous Twilight books just so I could keep up with my obsessed students, and when asked my opinion I gave it freely - Bella is a fool. The result was one I couldn't have planned; my kids became more entrenched in their identities as readers. They loved Twilight with an unashamed passion.
I'm gentler with the Wimpy Kid fans. I lie. I say: "It was funny. I guess. He was kinda mean." And then I listen as they defend this mess of a book - asserting opinions and then backing them up by flipping through well-worn copies and citing passages. I watch in amazement as my students become not only readers, but scholars.
So maybe I should give this book more than two stars - for all it has done for kids - but I won't. And you can't make me.
Rating: really liked it
this is a classic work of literature as far as i'm concerned, and nobody can convince me otherwise.
f. scott fitzgerald's green light has nothing on the cheese touch. jane austen's portrayals of polite society pale in comparison to this rendering of modern middle school life. romeo and juliet's star-crossed romance wishes it was as memorable as our protagonist's crush on the popular girl.
this should be studied. theses should be written on this. master classes should be constructed around this book alone.
in conclusion: we're all sleeping on Greg Heffley.
part of a series i'm doing where i review books i read a long time ago and inevitably get worked up
Rating: really liked it
I find this whole series depressing. Sure, there are funny moments - I even laughed out loud once or twice, seriously - but the fact of the matter is, Greg is so completely devoid of any kind of human feeling or understanding of other people that I'm beginning to suspect he's some kind of clinical narcissist. He blames everyone else for his problems; he doesn't care about anyone. He doesn't grow, he doesn't learn, he doesn't change (does he even age? He's still in junior high after four books? I know one is set in summertime, but still). There is nothing there for me to LIKE, except Rowley.
At the end of the first book it seemed like maybe, just maybe he'd had some little epiphany about the nature of friendship, but no, next book he's back to the same ol' same ol' sociopathic crap. Very disappointing.
Rating: really liked it
I bought this book for my 9 year old son, who had begged me for it relentlessly for over a month. After i got it, i would hear him giggling and laughing in his room, and when i would peek in, he was always reading this book. So when he was done, i picked it up and started reading it myself.... and it really is funny! The voice of the main character is very authentic - a thing which is hard to find. I wish that people had been writing material like this when i was a preteen.
Edited to add:
I'm reading a lot of reviews that downgrade the book for the fact that Greg doesn't learn any lessons or redeeming values... Seriously?!?! One thing that i remember HATING as a kid in school was when lit teachers used to make us analyze every thing a character did to see the symbolism the author was trying to portray. Now while i believe that a lot of books DO have symbolism, can't there be some books that are just entertaining and not anything more? Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar, you know?
Middle school kids are often all the things in this book, shy, awkward, selfish, lazy, and ruthless. Its a tough time in their life, trying to fit in, adjusting to new rules and changes in themselves. Its refreshing to me that an author takes the stance of writing a character that represents these kids, warts and all. Nothing is more alienating than reading about a kid your age who always has the lesson learned and the happy ending. Some folks need to look at these not through the eyes of an adult reader, but of an awkward pre teen.
Rating: really liked it
The only thing I liked in this book was Greg's handwriting.
Rating: really liked it
I don’t think we can judge this graphic novel along traditionalist lines. The world is changing so dramatically that - admit it - it is impossible to say wherein our identities really lie.
In a bank account? In our good names? Those things are in constant flux. And advertising misinformation and newspeak have pretty well cleaned us out of our selfhood. Admit it.
Oh, sure, I know we adults tend to use a kind of tunnel vision to negotiate the world. We have to. If we don’t we’d be like the Kid’s creator, Jeff, who admits he’s still back with these kids in freshman year, outclassed by all the big boys. Personally, I see nothing wrong with that!
I for one believe our identities are as variable as our moods. I, too, am with these kids. Sure, we may have fixed beliefs, but so do these kids. And I think the reason we all dig this book to some extent is… because these kids are our Authentic Selves. They haven’t grown outer armour.
It seems scary, but it’s as if Jeff is exposing ourselves to ourselves.
The chuckling release we feel in reading this series is, as Freud says, a cathartic release from our self-imposed adult repression of our real, insecure self. We all goof up all the time like these kids. But Freud says our superegos repress that fact.
Comedy - and these comedies of the wimpy kid - take that lid off.
And suddenly we’re young again.
We can BREATHE.
Isn’t that GREAT?
And so, fellow wimpy kids, why continue forever in overdrive when your foot is tapping that Brake Pedal?
Grow DOWN, for a change!
Rating: really liked it
While attending open house this year at my 10 year old sons school, he found this book for sale at the book fair. We thumbed through it, and thought it looked cute, so we purchased it, and read it together.
Its narrated by this middle-school aged kid in the form of a diary, with sketches and doodles included on every page, and basically follows his days from the begining of the school year to the end. He is a bit of a loser, and trys to create a better image for himself through attempts at being class treasurer, a cartoonist for the school paper, a saftey patrol member....
We were both cracking up most of the way through the book. But there were times we also both looked at each other and shook our heads.. as the wimpy kid in question did some very mean and backhanded things as well....
Very cute, very interesting, and well worth the read for any school age kid and his parents....
We are going to run out to buy the new sequel....
Rating: really liked it
“I'll be famous one day, but for now I'm stuck in middle school with a bunch of morons."
~ Rating- 0.5 stars ~
Content / Trigger Warnings- Sexism, Misogyny, Discussions on gender roles and things 'appropriate' for each gender, Bullying, Mentions of smoking, Parents arguing (on page), Toxic friendships, Toxic parents, Unhealthy sibling relationships
Note- I have tried to include all the content warnings that I noticed, but there is no guarantee that I haven’t missed something.-Mention of some of these in the review-The Diary of a Wimpy Kid, by Jeff Kinney is a book I remember flashing around a lot in my early childhood. It was the book practically
everyone had read, and not reading it meant you were 'uncool' and 'boring'. For some reason, I didn't want to pick this book up, so of course
I was considered the 'uncool' and 'boring' kid.
Something about
The Diary of a Wimpy Kid always sounded unappealing to me. Maybe it was because I was someone who liked long novels and graphic novels weren't my cup of tea (at that time, I love them now), or maybe it was because everyone was reading them and I wanted to step away from the hype. Or maybe, even at that time, I knew it was a book I wouldn't like.
The reason I decided to finally read
The Diary of a Wimpy Kid, was because my cousin and uncle loved the book, and they lent me their copy for a while. Since they liked it so much, I decided it was about time I read
The Diary of a Wimpy Kid and formed an opinion on it. I hadn't expected to be so utterly disappointed.
“Be yourself and people will like you.”
The main problem I had with
The Diary of a Wimpy Kid, is the main character Greg Heffley. I have never read about such an awful character before. He is rude, obnoxious and insufferable. Before people come at me with pitchforks saying he is a kid, let me explain. The reason I hate his character so much is because he is meant to be a 'good' character. We are suppose to root for him. But I couldn't bring myself to do so.
Greg is a
terrible role model. He is a bully, and treats people horribly. He never matures or learns, and none of the adults in his life tell him off or teach him better. He is never given room to grow as a person. The tone of the book promotes all of his actions, as its his diary, and all the people in his life are painted as 'bad', when in reality its the opposite! Greg does not face any consequences for his actions whatsoever, and his behavior is always excused. Its ridiculous.
Overall, I did not enjoy this at all, but I liked the art style. I wouldn't recommend this book for its target audience, that is kids, because this book just sends all kinds of wrong messages.
“If there's one thing I learned from Rodrick, it's to set people's expectations real low so you end up surprising them by practically doing nothing at all.”
Review written on 21st January, 2022. DISCLAIMER-All opinions on books I’ve read and reviewed are my own, and are with no intention to offend anyone. If you feel offended by my reviews, let me know how I can fix it.
How I Rate-1 star- Hardly liked anything/was disappointed
2 star- Had potential but did not deliver/was disappointed
3 stars- Was ok but could have been better/was average/Enjoyed a lot but something was missing
4 stars- Loved a lot but something was missing
5 stars- Loved it/new favourite
...............................
The MC needs to become more self-aware. Review to come.
Rating: really liked it
it was an awsome and very funny book it got the laughes right out of me
Rating: really liked it
When I told my friend I was reading 'Diary of a Wimpy Kid', she said only one thing "What are you... 12"? If enjoying reading this book makes me 12, so be it. I liked this book. Its funny, a very quick read, unique and very cute. Worth a read for anyone who has a child living inside them.
Rating: really liked it
I seldom give five-star ratings, but I feel the need to balance some of the negative reviews. First of all, this book is intended for slightly older readers--say, 9 and up. Second, anyone looking for profound wisdom will be disappointed. It's just a funny book, a very funny book. I'm not sure I'd go as far as to call is a graphic novel, either. The doodly illustrations enhance the "story" (such as it is), but they don't tell it. Jeff Kinney is an obvious disciple of Matt Groening (not Simpsons-Groening, but rather Life-In-Hell-Groening). This book doesn't tackle any issues, nor does it try to make the reader a better person; it's just fun.
Rating: really liked it
Due to a Jeff Kinney visit to my local book store, I read Diary of A Wimpy Kid Hard Luck--and found it delightful. When a respected children's librarian, however, reported her dislike of the series, I was puzzled. After reading this book, the first of the series, I understood.
Greg Heffley of Hard Luck says, on the first page, "I love my family..." he then goes on to befriend the nerdy Fregley and act as a wise, compassionate observer when describing his extnded family and their interactions.
This first book of the series, in contrast, could be called Diary of a Sociopathic Kid. The Greg Heffley of this book exhibits, frequently, sociopathic or antisocial personality disorder, behavior.
According to the National Library of Medicine, Antisocial Personality Disorder "is a mental condition in which a person has a long-term pattern of manipulating, exploiting or violating the rights of others." Other attributes of a sociopath include; an inability of feeling shame, guilt, remorse or empathy.
In the first Diary book:
1. Greg happily kicks his little brother's toys;
2. begins with attack ads against his opponent when running for treasurer;
3. advertises his "haunted mansion" for $.50 then charges $2 to the first kid to whom, after the child is callously terrified at the start (so that Rowley's dad stops the thing) he doesn't return the child's money;
4. when Rowley is punished for the Haunted House with a week without tv and no Greg over, Greg sees it as unfair that he, in effect, is being punished as well;
5. Does not see the callousness of giving Rowley a "play by play" of the tv shows that Rowley can't watch;
6. makes Rowley wait 45 minutes to take a potty break Halloween night;
7. his grandmother 's house is tp'd because he yelled at some teenagers and then took refuge there, but feels no compulsion to help clean it up;
8. designs a bench press for himself but, rather than use it, forces Rowley to use it, scares Rowley so that he drops the barbell and traps himself and Greg delays helping until Rowley is in serious distress;
9. feels a need to revenge himself on Patty because she screws up a plan he had to cheat;
10. Bops Patty with an Apple during the school play that starts an apple fight that shuts down the play;
11. calls a fellow tree Bubby so he is not associated with the nickname and his classmate is;
12. uses the gift Rowley gives him of a Big Wheel to have Rowley repeatedly ride down a street Greg is too scared to ride down so Greg can throw a football at Rowley to try and knock him off--until Rowley breaks his hand;
13. causes his little brother to swallow a small clump of thread which he says is a scary spider;
14. sees no problem in rolling up the turf with his giant snowball;
15. allows Rowley to take the punishment for Greg's terrorizing of the kindergarteners AND takes the ice cream date his mom gives him as a reward for "doing the right thing" ;
16. considers Rowley a "back stabber" after assuming Rowley was the anonymous tipper to report Greg was really the one terrorizing the kindergarteners;
17. when Rowley gives Greg a "cold shoulder, tries to get back with Rowley by throwing a snowball to Rowley's head;
18. excited about a substitute coming to class because "you can say just about anything you want" to them without getting into trouble; and, finally,
19. considers he did the greater sacrifice by saying he touched the cheese than actually eating the cheese--which Rowley had to do twice since Greg claimed to have a problem with dairy, when the mean teenagers Greg had angered on halloween night, return.
Of course life does get a few whacks in on Greg--e.g. he ends up being outed as the kindergarten terrorizer, Rowley gets all the girls to baby him when he has a broken hand and Rowley is elected class clown--but this doesn't change the heartlessness of the actions.
What is really disturbing is that this book--as a #1 New York Times best seller--clearly speaks to many kids; what does that say about our society?
