Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Title: Diary of a Wimpy Kid
Genre: Graphic Novel
Author: Jeff Kinney
Major Awards: #1 New York Times Bestseller, ALA Notable Book
Age Group: 3rd-8th grade

Diary of a Wimpy Kid chronicles the life of middle-schooler, Greg Heffley in comic form. The book is told from his point of view, as he is the one writing his daily life in his journal. Greg deals with his fair share of unfortunate circumstances throughout the story that many  middle schoolers deal with, as well. For one, he is one of the smallest boys in his class, so that alone is a big deal to a middle school boy. He also is struggling to fit in, and wants nothing more than to be popular (especially among the girls!). It doesn't help that his neighbor, Rowley always asks him if he wants to go "play" after school, which sets Greg off because what middle schooler asks to "play?" The correct term in middle school would be "hang out", according to Greg. In his desire to fit in, he has a failed attempt at running for class Treasurer, failed attempt at becoming muscular and strong, and thinks he has finally found what could make him popular when he auditions for a role in the class play. Well, he gets assigned the role of a tree but completely humiliates himself on stage when performing. He thinks that maybe the key to becoming popular is by being in safety patrol. He and Rowley join and things seem to be going so well for the first time. Things take a turn when Rowley is wrongly accused of harassing the students they help. Greg is really the one that did it, but would not admit to the principal that he was at fault. Rowley goes behind Greg's back and tells the truth of what happened, thus getting Greg kicked off of safety patrol and in big trouble. This pretty much ends their friendship, and from then on Rowley seems to be getting a ton of attention at school. The comics that Rowley and Greg made get published under Rowley's name only, sending Greg into anger. Greg goes to confront Rowley, and they almost get into a fist fight when a group of teenage boys come to taunt the two of them. The boys make Rowley eat the cheese on the playground that has been known as the "cheese touch" cheese, and this makes Greg happy. Rowley runs away, not wanting anyone to know that he now has the "cheese touch" for eternity. This leaves Greg by himself, standing near where the cheese had been lying for years, making it look like he was the one who ate it. In the end, Rowley gets nominated as Class Clown, which is what Greg wanted. Greg doesn't let this bother him too much, though because at least he wasn't the one who ate the cheese. 

Though this book is a bit silly at times, I would still use it in my future classroom because of the fact that it is so relatable to students. I remember reading this series in middle school and really enjoying them and relating to things Greg went through, which is why so many students this age enjoy them. I think it is so important to give students books that relate to things in their life, and it also encourages them to read so it's a win-win! 

I think that this book would best suit grades three through eight. Though the setting is middle school, I think that later elementary-aged students would still be able to relate to topics in the book and find it interesting. It also is an incredibly easy read, and only took me about two hours to finish! I also think that students these ages would find it super easy and fun to read because it is told in comic and journal form and from Greg's point of view. 

In my classroom, we could talk about problems Greg encountered in the book, and how/if they got resolved. I could also give them a worksheet with different characters from the book, and they would write the traits that each one exhibited throughout the story. I also think it would be fun to have the students create their own story out of comics and share with the class!