Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Customer Reviews

• Is that GREAT or what?   Aug 25, 2008 (18 of 20 found this helpful)

  I think Jeff Kinney hit the BullsEye with the Diary of a Wimpy Kid. I first read some of it at the internet. However it did not take me long to figure out that I had to have a hard copy of this book. Once I got it, I read it from start to finish and was unable to put it down until the end. It is THAT hilarious! The writing by itself is good and the cartoons make all that even better! And I am not the only one to love it. Since the time I got it, my book is being borrowed again and again by all my friends. In fact, I haven't seen it myself for long. It is just being passed from one friend to another. And we are all waiting for the next book in the Wimpy Kid series. I don't have an older brother. But although Greg seems to be complaining a lot about his brother Roderick, I wish I could get all this kind of troubles that Greg gets with Roderick. Life would be that much more interesting!!!!
  
  Another series that we all cannot get enough of is Why Some Cats are Rascals ( Book 3). We are all looking forward to book 4 in the series, It is actually a diary of a naughty cat, believe or not.
  

• Jeff Kinney Strikes Again! PYP Funny!  Jan 17, 2008 (78 of 99 found this helpful)

  In his latest book, DIARY OF A WIMPY KID: RODRICK RULES, Jeff Kinney nearly put me into the hospital. That man is going to have serious medical bills to pay if this keeps up. I almost busted a gut laughing out loud and almost aspirated my Diet Dr Pepper on a few occasions. And, yes, I hold him completely responsible.
  
  If not for Kinney's dry wit, keen insight into the lives of elementary school boys (especially their rationalization for EVERYTHING), and fantastic line drawing on nearly every page, I wouldn't have had so many close brushes with death in his latest book. But he put me there time and time again. Even when I thought I had things figured out (because I was once an elementary school boy with a wild imagination without a governor), Jeff would throw a wrinkle at me that I didn't see coming. He ambushed me with regularity throughout the pages.
  
  But it's not just me that Jeff has his merciless sights on. He's taking out EVERYBODY. My wife teaches elementary school and Jeff's books are all the rage among the students. I have to admit to adding to that bonfire because I talk about his books all the time (and I have to admit that I haven't quite become the responsible adult either, because I'll rile my wife's fourth grade class up and take my leave--taking her out to dinner usually gets me off the hook and my cool points go up with the kids).
  
  Parents have become interested in the books and I've told them they need to keep up with what their kids are reading. After all, they're supposed to be responsible parents. (I, myself, have been known to buy extra copies of Jeff's books and give out as gifts - some parents have accused me of inciting subversion, but I point out that Jeff's first book was a NEW YORK TIMES bestseller and that is a far better recommendation than I could ever make. Except the TIMES doesn't give away Jeff's books as gifts that I know of. That's why they hold me more accountable.)
  
  But when I recommend the books to parents, I issue a stern warning. I call it the PYP warning. I especially give it to pregnant mothers and people with weak bladders who read in public places. PYP is Pee Your Pants. The books are just that funny. You're reading along, and the next thing you know, WHAM! -- you're laughing so hard you're peeing your pants.
  
  The funniest thing about Jeff's humor, and the life of his main character, Greg Heffley, is that everything in the book COULD BE COMPLETELY TRUE. Speaking from experience, a lot of what's between those pages has been true. But I'm not going to incriminate myself now when I got away with those things all those years ago. And there should be some kind of time statute on most of them. I still don't want my mom to know, however.
  
  Greg is THE man when it comes to taking a boring day and turning it upside down. People who underestimate the creativity of a bored child are simply asking for trouble. Nuclear war pales by comparison.
  
  And Greg has an excuse - or a rationalization - for everything he does. Worse than that, half the time I get sucked in and totally buy into his point of view. Because, upon occasion, that point of view has been mine as well (or at least my defense). That's where Jeff's magic truly lies: he's never lost touch with his inner child. And boy, his wife must be mad and his kids must be terrified!
  
  In this second book, I was totally blown away yet again. Greg is a middle kid, which means that his life is made miserable from both ends of the spectrum - from his older brother Rodrick and his younger brother Manny. Rodrick is the sulky teen with a band called Loded Diper. And their music stinks, so they're appropriately named. Manny is three and gets into all of Greg's stuff.
  
  I love how Jeff sets something up in the books and continues to play off of it at appropriate times. His sense of pacing is fantastic. The work of "art

• Amazing  Feb 13, 2008 (4 of 5 found this helpful)

  I bought the first book for my son, he couldn't put it down, he read the first book in a couple of hours and he laughed and laughed and laughed. He's going to be so surprised when I give him this one.

• Diary of a wimpy kid: Roderick Rules  Feb 8, 2008 (8 of 11 found this helpful)

  Absolutely delightful. All our kids, especially the 9 year old just love this 'series'. It is just so funny. Great to encourage kids to read!

• Review from a 3rd Grader  Jan 30, 2009 (1 of 1 found this helpful)

  (Reviewed by 8 year old and typed by Dad)
  This is a great book. I read it an it was so funny. It was so funny that I knew I had to buy it. Greg is not really wimpy, he is just a kid who is not very popular in school. I have read all the Diary of a Wimpy kid books and I think they are all really funny. This was not like the first one except the thing that is the same is that Rodrick is still pushing Greg around. There are a lot of funny details. That is why I really like this book. It is a great book. You should really try it.