 | ON: Content is age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | PAUSE: Know your child; some content may not be right for some kids. |
 | OFF: Not age-appropriate for kids this age. |
 | NOT FOR KIDS: Not appropriate for kids any age. |
Diary of a Wimpy Kid
- By Jeff Kinney
- Genre: School
Common Sense Media says
Laugh-out-loud funny school stories with lessons.
Parents say
QUALITY
Kids say
QUALITY
What parents need to know
Parents need to know that main character Greg usually doesn't do the right thing the first time around. His cluelessness about what would keep him out of trouble and why parents, teachers, and friends are upset with him is part of the book's humor, which leads the reader to any lesson Greg should be learning. Parents will appreciate that Rowley's dad researches video games on a parent Web site to see if they have too much violence. Also, it is clear that Greg's mom is working hard to raise respectful sons.
What's the story?
Greg Heffley gets a journal from his mom ("a JOURNAL, not a diary") and records a middle school year's worth of crazy kid schemes, brushes with bullies, bad units in gym class, bids for student government, school play humiliation, and more.
Is it any good?
Begun in 2004 by a game developer as comics on the site www.funbrain.com, this "novel in cartoons" translates well to book form. DIARY OF A WIMPY KID reads like little episodes in clueless middle schooler Greg Heffley's life, with a great sense of humor throughout. Many kids have been there before, so they'll laugh heartily at Greg's mishaps.
Greg's grand schemes -- to become popular (running for treasurer, writing the comic for the school newspaper), get the most candy on Halloween, or build a robot that won't repeat swear words -- are all destined for failure. The reader knows where the flaws are in Greg's half-baked plans, as well as the lesson he doesn't quite get in the end. Writing down your thoughts on actual paper may be old-school in the Facebook age, sure, but it still has many benefits -- including privacy.
What families can talk about
Families can talk about Greg's journal. Would you or have you ever kept a journal? Would you include art and humor in your journal? How would yours be unique?
Also, what do you think of Greg's friendship with Rowley? Have you had friendships like that? What would make Greg a better friend?
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AGE
Great for someone older than 9.
You can call me an over-protective parent anytime and that's fine. I prefer to limit what my kids are exposed to at this age. There is so much great literature out there that does not humiliate or include messages about bullying. While I think this book is amusing on a pre-teen kid scale, it is not appropriate for someone under the age of at least 10. Older children have a better ability to distinguish between what is funny in fiction and what it appropriate in real-life. Just because it's on the NYT bestseller list does not mean it's okay for younger kids. If a child thinks that it's funny when someone is bullied or humiliated, fiction or not, I think that's a problem.
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Kid, 11 years old
October 9, 2009
AGE
A must read!
Sweet! I Love This Book! :)
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AGE
My opinion on Diary of a wimpy kid
I thought this book was a great read and a very well written book i don't think there was anything to rude in the book itself just a good book
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AGE
Some of the stuff in this book BUGGED me..
Ok, I only read the first 10 pages in the book store, I admit. But in the first 10 pages the main character talks about sitting between "two HOT GIRLS" in school and then speaks of one of them possibly liking him because he has a "cute butt". I had this book recommened to me in the book store for my 7 year old son. I paged through and thought it was cute until I hit those passages and that was it for me. My son is going to get enough sexualization through today's media as he grows, I don't need to introduce it to him at age 7. It really BUGGED me that this stuff was in there as I think he'd like the book style otherwise.
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AGE
diary of a wimpy kid
I think diary of a wimpy kid is the best book ever made
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AGE
Perfect for middle schoolers, but not for grade schoolers
I think this book is a good read for boys going into middle school. I made my son wait to read this book, but I hope by reading this he learns what not to do to get attention in school next year. The parents are good role models. As for the idea that the only parents who let their children read this book are the ones whose children won't read. This is not true. My son is ten and has already read and appreciated several classics, i.e. The Secret Garden, the complete Chronicles of Narnia set, The Bronze Bow, a variety of Sherlock Holmes stories, etc. Due to the bullying/dangerous stunts and references to smoking that I really don't think are appropriate for younger children to be exposed to I wouldn't give this to a younger child to read.
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AGE
If it gets your reluctant reader reading, go for it, but be ready to talk about some things.
I'm thrilled for my son to be wanting to read anything, so I don't censor these titles, but I don't think Greg Heffley is a good role model. Unlike the reviewer above, I dont feel like the message that Greg needs to learn to be a better friend comes through clearly enough. My son reads one, then I read it, and then we talk about Greg Heffley's missteps. Parents should talk about how they think people should be treated.
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AGE
Why bother?
Why read it when there are so many other more positive books. The children who do read a lot of this series pick up quickly to the bad humor and unacceptable language. It is a quick read (no real challenge) and you come away with nothing positive. If you like bad humor, unloyal friendships, lacking of respect between the sexes - go ahead spend your time on it. Inappropriate middle school behaviors and poor humor are being marketed to young readers in this book.
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AGE
sneaky book
Got this book for my 7 year old who was "dying" to have because everybody else did. When he started reding some of the Disrespectful material in the book I took a look and Threw it away! One example is, when the boys are bullying and calling him ugly then hea says your mama thinks you're ugly then he calls his mom and she tells him he's Ugly!??????? Not something I want my child to model or think that's acceptable. Whatever happened to values? and respect? not popular in today's world, but I won't let my child read it because of this kind of content thrown in, with other things that are crude but Seem harmless.
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AGE
Negative all around
This young boy is already feeling oppressed by life's frustrations and trials. He is facing struggles you'd expect a middle-aged person to be coping with. He is buffeted by negative peers, inept and nasty adults and a variety of unpleasant life situations. That is a lot for a 12 year old (main character) to handle.
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| Author: | Jeff Kinney |
| Book type: | Fiction |
| Genre: | School |
| Publisher: | Abrams Books for Young Readers |
| Publication date: | April 1, 2007 |
| Number of pages: | 224 |
| Hardcover price: | $12.95 |
| Publisher's recommended age(s): | 9 - 12 |
| Read aloud: | 9 |
| Read alone: | 9 |
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