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3.53 AVERAGE
3.53 AVERAGE
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I appreciate I am not the target audience for this book. It was recommended to me by one of my 11 year old pupils, Salome. There are a half dozen of these books, it seems something of a publishing phenomenon in children’s literature.
This is the first book about the Wimpy Kid (my copy tells me it was first published in the “English language” in 2007…what was it published in before ? Vogon?).
The Wimpy Kid is a self centred, lazy but bright middle school slacker, who goes by the name of Greg Heffley. He reminds me of Calvin from the comic strip “Calvin and Hobbes”, as do his parents, the clueless dad and the dominant mum.
The book is part written and part comic book, and it is “definitely not a diary” according to the first page but a JOURNAL. There is humour of a rather juvenile kind and it brings back some memories of how bad school actually was.
This is the first book about the Wimpy Kid (my copy tells me it was first published in the “English language” in 2007…what was it published in before ? Vogon?).
The Wimpy Kid is a self centred, lazy but bright middle school slacker, who goes by the name of Greg Heffley. He reminds me of Calvin from the comic strip “Calvin and Hobbes”, as do his parents, the clueless dad and the dominant mum.
The book is part written and part comic book, and it is “definitely not a diary” according to the first page but a JOURNAL. There is humour of a rather juvenile kind and it brings back some memories of how bad school actually was.
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
I read this as part of a middle grade book club I was heading where the kids voted on titles I thought they might like. This was definitely not made for me as an adult but I can see why the kids loved it. Yes Greg was not the best but I still saw the humor in the book and I did like the drawings.
Not much for plot and Greg was pretty whiney. Not for me, but i know kids love these
funny
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I was very curious how this would go reading for the first time as an adult. My cousin read it as a kid and I remember flipping through and finding it really funny, so I wanted to give it a go.
I can clearly see why this is such a hit. It feels like reading a comic strip with the frequent punchlines and episodic structure. Greg’s voice is established really clearly. And I’m obsessed with the art style that makes most everyone look like a little freak.
I really hope they’ve been teaching kids about unreliable narrators cause OOOF GREG!! He’s so Machiavellian! When he exhibits character growth he just shrugs it off and gets back on his bullshit loooooool. He so often presents himself as the victim, as this loser kid, even when he’s being so mean and I’m like……my guy……..
In short I really hope the kids know not to model themselves after this guy.
There was some interesting commentary on masculinity in here surprisingly! With Greg coming up against gender roles and what he is and isn’t permitted to do. Lowkey curious if this continues in the series. But also Greg is such a little misogynist and that isn’t challenged! So some negative points there.
My main negative here is that this wasn’t quite a satisfying adult reading experience - which makes sense! Its structure makes it a fun read but less so a satisfying plot when taken as a whole. Especially with Greg barely acknowledging his growth 😭 So that’s the reason this gets a middling rating.
I’m not rushing to pick up book 2 but I’m definitely curious - so might be the play next time I’m in a total reading slump and need something easy.
I can clearly see why this is such a hit. It feels like reading a comic strip with the frequent punchlines and episodic structure. Greg’s voice is established really clearly. And I’m obsessed with the art style that makes most everyone look like a little freak.
I really hope they’ve been teaching kids about unreliable narrators cause OOOF GREG!! He’s so Machiavellian! When he exhibits character growth he just shrugs it off and gets back on his bullshit loooooool. He so often presents himself as the victim, as this loser kid, even when he’s being so mean and I’m like……my guy……..
In short I really hope the kids know not to model themselves after this guy.
There was some interesting commentary on masculinity in here surprisingly! With Greg coming up against gender roles and what he is and isn’t permitted to do. Lowkey curious if this continues in the series. But also Greg is such a little misogynist and that isn’t challenged! So some negative points there.
My main negative here is that this wasn’t quite a satisfying adult reading experience - which makes sense! Its structure makes it a fun read but less so a satisfying plot when taken as a whole.
I’m not rushing to pick up book 2 but I’m definitely curious - so might be the play next time I’m in a total reading slump and need something easy.
I read these books as a kid all the time so I wanted to see if they still held up. The jokes are still funny but I didn’t realize that Greg is honestly a bad influence on kids maybe he taught me what not to do
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
