“First of all, let me get something straight: This is a JOURNAL, not a diary.”

From Jeff Kinney’s Diary of a Wimpy Kid.

Facing the challenges of starting middle school are hard enough to begin with, but when your mother forces you to start writing a diary, excuse me… a journal, it becomes almost unbearable.  Greg Heffley leads a pretty average life; he has an older brother (Rodrick) who torments him, a younger brother (Manny) who gets away with everything, a best friend (Rowley), and a school full of people who don’t really like him.  We are allowed to read through Greg’s journal as he writes down the happenings of his life.  We are allowed a front row seat to Greg and Rowley’s crazy plans and misadventures as they try to move up the social ladder at school, and what a wild ride it is!

The book is a mix between a graphic novel and a traditional book; Greg “illustrates” his life for the reader, both in word and image.  The story is very easy to follow and it moves at a quick pace (probably too quickly for those who fall in love with the book, but the good news is that there are many other books in the series).  Let me clearly say, Greg does not always make good decisions, some of his choices are flat out stupid, but he always seems to figure that out by the end of the book.  The characters are fun and open, which helps carry the story from start to finish.  Diary of a Wimpy Kid can definitely provide hours of entertainment if you give it the chance.