Popular Book Series Diary of a Wimpy Kid Hits Theaters as a Live Action Movie in April 2010

As an elementary school librarian I am thrilled to see anything that gets kids excited about reading. I have rarely seen the excitement for reading that is created by the Diary of a Wimpy Kid book series by Jeff Kinney. Two years in a row, the fall Scholastic Book Fair has featured a new installment in the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. Each time, the excitement surrounding the purchase of these incredibly popular books is unbelievable. Students in grades 2-5 all rush to the Book Fair dying to get their hands on the latest Diary of a Wimpy Kid book. Students just getting old enough to read the series are beginning with the first, whereas other students who have been reading the series for a while, just want the newest edition.

So that is why I have mixed emotions hearing that Diary of a Wimpy Kid is being made into a movie. The Diary of a Wimpy Kid movie, in fact, releases in April 2010. From someone who has read Diary of Wimpy Kid, a live action movie seems, well, a little impossible to pull off.

Kinney's Diary of a Wimpy Kid series is excellent for many reasons, but one of the biggest is the wonderful mix of "diary" entries and simplistic cartoons that fill the pages. This unique way of writing and illustrating these books gives them a broader appeal than just about any series I have ever seen. This uniqueness simply can't live in movie form.

Now I can't say I am surprised that producers want to try and create Diary of a Wimpy Kid for the big screen. After all not only are the Diary of a Wimpy Kid books incredibly popular among kids, they are also actually a really great read too (for kids and adults). Author Jeff Kinney has an amazing way of transforming himself into the title character, Greg Heffley, and telling it like it is from the perspective of a . . . well, a wimpy, middle schooler. The results are a hilarious, completely realistic, though sometimes enjoyably a little over-the-top account of practically everyone's middle school journey.

So what will the big screen movie version of Diary of a Wimpy Kid be like? I suppose we will all have to wait until the movie releases in April 2010. Regardless of how well done the movie is, it can't top the book. While I have rarely met a movie that I enjoyed more than the book version (it has happened----don't tell any other librarians), I can't imagine that Diary of a Wimpy Kid will top the book. And on the bright side, there is only one movie being made, and there are four books in the series. If nothing else, the new Diary of a Wimpy Kid movie might spark even more interest in the hilarious book series.

So if you have kids in your life that are as obsessed with Diary of a Wimpy Kid as the ones at my school, be prepared to visit the movies come April when Diary of a Wimpy Kid, the movie, hits theaters.