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Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Review:
Using a blend of hand drawings and diary entries, Jeff Kinney has created a witty romp through the life of middle school student and 52nd or 53rd most popular guy in his class, Greg Heffley. The diary chronicles Greg's adventures as he schemes a way to become more popular and inevitably gets held back from his goal by his parents, friends, his own actions, and an old piece of cheese. It can be sometimes difficult when writing a novel in the first person to show the reader how other characters are reacting and feeling, but Kinney does a very good job of giving the reader this information through Greg's observations; even though Greg is oblivious to most of them. The book is over 200 pages, which may discourage a reluctant reader, but the illustrations help to break up the text and illuminate the action on the page. The character of Greg Heffley is hardly an upstanding moralist given the treatment of his friend Rowley and a healthy dose of self-centeredness, but perhaps this only makes the character more believable. Over all a fun read that kids obviously love and recommended for kids 4th grade and up.
Reviews/Awards:
Quill Awards (NOMINATED FOR AN AWARD) 2007
Original Voices Award (WON AWARD) 2007
Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award (WON AWARD) 2009
Garden State Children's Book Awards (NOMINATED FOR AN AWARD) 2010
Booklist: "The simple line drawings perfectly capture archetypes of growing up, such as a preschool-age little brother, out-of-touch teachers, and an assortment of class nerds. Lots of fun throughout."
School Library Journal: "Kinney does a masterful job of making the mundane life of boys on the brink of adolescence hilarious."
Voice of Youth Advocates: "Kinney provides readers with a realistic view of middle school life as seen through the eyes of the entertaining but not very bright class clown."
Publisher's Weekly: "Kinney ably skewers familiar aspects of junior high life, from dealing with the mysteries of what makes someone popular to the trauma of a "wrestling unit" in gym class."
Connections:
*Invite readers to start their own diaries.
*For readers not yet in middle school, discuss what they think middle school will be like.
*Compare Greg's siblings to each reader's own family situation.
Further Reading
Continue the series with:
Kinney, Greg. Rodrick Rules. ISBN 9780810994737
Kinney, Greg. The Last Straw. ISBN 9780810970687
Kinney, Greg. Dog Days. ISBN 978-0810983915
Image credit: www.spinebreakers.com
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