children's book review: Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney

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After hearing all of the positive buzz about Jeff Kinney's Diary of a Wimpy Kid series reach a crescendo this month when the fourth book in the series was released, I finally decided to see just how good they were. I'm so glad I did.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid was the first book I read for the readathon, and it was a wonderful way to start the day. It's written in actual diary form, and the delightful middle school boy, Gregory, who narrates loves to draw cartoons. The end result is something in the graphic novel family, but text dominates the graphics. For a taste of what the book looks like, visit Amazon's look inside.

As someone who read Captain Underpants, I had relatively low expectations. There is often quite a disconnect between things kids find funny (Captain Underpants, for example) and things adults find funny (are there kids who laugh at 30 Rock as hard as I do?) Diary of a Wimpy Kid is one of the rare books both kids and adults can enjoy. It's certainly a kids book, but I laughed out loud numerous times. It's hilarity is often clever, but there are also a few well-placed low-brow moments.

I thoroughly enjoyed Diary of a Wimpy Kid, and I have already requested the next three in the series from the library. If there are young, reluctant readers in your life, please hand them this book. If there are kids who love to read, please hand them this book. Before you do, read it yourself, and laugh.

Entertainment Weekly also has a first look at shots from the film adaptation.

Rating: 5 stars (out of 5 stars) - universally recommended
Pages: 224
Publication date: April 2007
Source: my local public library 

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