A Guide to Diary of a Wimpy Kid

One of the books that libraries can't keep off the shelf currently is the Diary of a Wimpy Kid. If you're a parent you might recognize these books by the pencil drawings on the cover of a frail looking kid with three hairs sticking up. The series is written by Jeff Kinney and follows the adventures of Greg Heffely as he goes through middle school. There are five books planned and while the series is not as epic as some books kids can get lost in there is still a lot going on. A parent might get lost when their kid starts talking about moldy cheese and jellybeans that drive children mad.

This is a guide to the five books planned and the main characters involved. The basic format to each book is pretty much the same. The books are a mixture of novel and comic taking on the narrative style of a journal written by the lead character Greg. Often comics will share space on the same page with written journal entries giving these novels a unique feel. Each book is about 225 pages long but because they have pictures in them they end up being pretty quick reads.

The Main Characters

Greg: He is the wimpy kid that the book takes its title from. He is not great at sports but he can be clever. He is somewhat of an anti-hero in the sense that he can be quite selfish at times and lazy. Still you find yourself hoping he at least survives middle school and maybe learn a thing or two during that time.

Rowley: Rowley is Greg's best friend. He is not the brightest bulb in the bunch and often goes along with Greg's schemes even if they are not that smart. On occasion he also takes the blame for Greg's plans. Despite all of this Rowley ends up having pretty good luck in the stories often turning misfortune caused by Greg into opportunity.

Rodrick: The heavy metal loving older brother of Greg who plays in the band Loded Diper. He is in general a bully who likes to torment his brother.

Manny: The cute younger brother of Greg who gets away with everything because he is only three.

Susan and Frank: Greg's parents. She is overprotective and slightly embarrassing. He is big fan of sports and civil war history that is always pressuring his son to be more "manly".

The Books

Diary of a Wimpy Kid (Released April 1st 2007): This book follows Greg during his sixth grade year at middle school. The book covers many events like Halloween and Greg trying to get on the wrestling team. The main story arc though is about Greg and his friend Rowley, who through a series of typical middle school dramas have a huge falling out during the middle of the year and then slowly rebuild their friendship. There is a piece of moldy cheese in back lot that plays a big role in the story as it is used for a bizarre game of tag and is also used by a group of older kids to torment Greg later in the book.

Rodrick Rules (Released February 1st 2008): Greg's adventures pick up at the beginning of 7th Grade and this book follows half of the year. Again there are many sub plots in this book, some involving the adventures of the summer between the first and second book. The book focus a lot more on Rodrick than the first book as Greg's older brother throws a huge party at the house when the parents are away getting Greg in trouble in the process. There is also a big talent show going on in the High School where Rodrick's band is mocked because of a music video shot by Susan with her motherly and embarrassing commentary. Greg ends up crashing into the High School girl's room by accident and ends up popular for a while at least with all the boys for the accident.

The Last Straw (Released January 13th 2009): The latest book to be released continues the story of Greg during 7th grade. Greg has many more misadventures like ruining his schools soccer teams perfect record. Greg's father is pressuring him to start acting more like a man or he will be sent to military school. Still it will take more than idle threats to change this wimpy and tricky kid. In the end an embarrassing situation involving Wonder Woman underwear helps his father out of a jam and keeps Greg from spending his last year of middle school at Military school.

Bummer Summer (Releases October 12th): This book will follow the summer between 7th Grade and 8th Grade.

My Last Year (Releases sometime in 2010): Not to surprisingly this will follow Greg as he tries to survive his 8th Grade Year.

Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Do it Yourself Book: A fun addition that has some new material but is mostly an activity book where kids can try to make their own journal just like their hero Greg.

The Bottom Line

These books are not amazing pieces of fiction but they are not meant to be. They are well written comedies about the trials of middle school and they seem to really connect with a lot of kids. The books have a very unique style and the character of Greg stands almost along in the realm of youth fiction as a character that does not learn great moral lessons. He is a real kid with real faults that have so far followed him through the series. This might make some parents nervous but it is the reason why so many kids have been able to relate to all that happens to Greg and his friends.

Sources
Diary of a Wimpy Kid by Jeff Kinney