Diary of a Wimpy Kid

Fantasy Book Review
LS 5603.20/Spring 2010
S. Vardell

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Kinney, Jeff. The Diary of a Wimpy Kid. New York: Amulet Books, 2007.

PLOT SUMMARY:
Middle school student, Greg Heffley chronicles his year in a diary. He is trust into a new school where size is intimidating, especially if you are a "undersized weakling" like Greg Heffley. Kids lives are tough and Greg cannot seem to get a break. He deals with serious middle school social issues and his attempts; to be popular, continually backfire resulting in a long year.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS:

Jeff Kinney's Diary of a Wimpy Kid is a realistic depiction of the fear and insecurity felt by kids, all over the world on their first day in a new school. Humour draws young readers in. Kids find Greg's random situations "funny". He lives with his parents, overbearing big bother Rodrick and little brother Manny who can do no wrong. Greg is the quintessential middle child. His character, actions and challenges are relatable. He is stuck between the dopiest unpopular boys, has to wrestle with the kid who made up his own language, cannot get any attention from the girls and ends up with the dreaded "cheese touch" (known as the cooties). The diary is a place he can write things that must go unsaid, when you are a "wimpy" and trying to survive middle school. He torments his "best friend" Rowley by lying and playing cruel tricks. Despite all his attempts "to be somebody" he finds himself on the bottom rung of the social ladder. Greg's contrived efforts for attention backfire. Rowley, on the other hand, gets noticed and makes new friends being who he is. The "good" defeats the conniving and still Greg can not pinpoint the cause of his trouble. The author has created a low fantasy environment for this zany character and readers are with him, laughing, every step of the way.

Author Kinney is responsible for the format and illustration. He bridges the gap between the popular trend of graphic models and appropriate content for kids. His primitive cartoons paired with hand written script contribute to the whimsical story. Mr. Kinney is very clever and as a result creates a character and story that children want to visit again and again. With three more books in the "Wimpy Kid" series combined with the upcoming movie version, Greg, the "Wimpy Kid", has found a permanent place in children's literature.



AWARDS WON AND REVIEW EXCERPTS:
3 Apples Book Award, 2009 Winner Children New York
Borders Original Voices Award, 2007 Winner Young Adult/Independent Reader United States
Buckeye Children's Book Award, 2008 Winner Grades 3-5 Ohio
Children's Choice Book Award, 2008 Finalist Author of the Year United States
Colorado Children's Book Award, 2009 Winner Junior Books Colorado
Cuffies: Children's Booksellers Choose Their Favorite (and not-so-favorite) Books of the Year, 2007 Honorable Mention Hottest Selling Book to Go Out of Stock United States
Cuffies: Children's Booksellers Choose Their Favorite (and not-so-favorite) Books of the Year, 2007 Winner Best Book Title United States
Cuffies: Children's Booksellers Choose Their Favorite (and not-so-favorite) Books of the Year, 2007 Winner Funniest Book United States
Cuffies: Children's Booksellers Choose Their Favorite (and not-so-favorite) Books of the Year, 2008 Winner Favorite Series United States
Dorothy Canfield Fisher Children's Book Award, 2009 Winner Vermont
Golden Archer Award, 2008-2009 Winner Middle/Junior High Wisconsin
Indian Paintbrush Book Award, 2009 Winner Grades 4-6 Wyoming
Kentucky Bluegrass Award, 2009 Winner Grades 3-5
Kentucky Maine Student Book Award, 2009 Winner Maine
National Parenting Publications Award, 2007 Gold Book Ages 9 & Up United States
North Carolina Children's Book Award, 2009 Winner Junior Book North Carolina
Quill Awards, 2007 Nominee Children's Chapter/Middle Grade United

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, March 1, 2007 (Vol. 75, No. 5))
First volume of a planned three, this edited version of an ongoing online serial records a middle-school everykid’s triumphs and (more often) tribulations through the course of a school year. Largely through his own fault, mishaps seem to plague Greg at every turn, from the minor freak-outs of finding himself permanently seated in class between two pierced stoners and then being saddled with his mom for a substitute teacher, to being forced to wrestle in gym with a weird classmate who has invited him to view his “secret freckle.” Presented in a mix of legible “hand-lettered” text and lots of simple cartoon illustrations with the punch lines often in dialogue balloons, Greg’s escapades, unwavering self-interest and sardonic commentary are a hoot and a half—certain to elicit both gales of giggles and winces of sympathy (not to mention recognition) from young readers. 2007, Amulet/Abrams, 224p, $14.95. Category: Fiction. Ages 9 to 11. © 2007 Kirkus Reviews/VNU eMedia, Inc. All rights reserved.

Matt Oldenburg (The ALAN Review, Spring/Summer 2007 (Vol. 34, No. 3))
Diary of a Wimpy Kid is immediately described as a “novel in cartoons,” and that it is. Jeff Kinney transforms his popular web comic of the same name, into a great young adult novel. Greg Heffley, the wimpy kid, begins by telling us that by no means is what we are about to read a diary; it is a journal. He gives us insight into an entire year of his life including everything from wrestling class to trick or treating with his little brother, and of course hilarity ensues. This book is definitely meant to tickle the funny bones inside all of us. Themes include friendship, loyalty, and family, which are all relevant young adult topics. This book is great because it takes these themes and gives them a twist of humor that any young reader is sure to enjoy. Category: Loyalty/Family/Humor. YA--Young Adult. 2007, Abrams/Amulet Books, 224 pp., $14.95. Ages young adult.Muncie, IN

CONNECTIONS:
Jeff Kinney Website

Diary of a Wimpy Kid series
Rodrick Rules
The Last Straw
Dog Days


Images Credited to: Time.com, Jeff Kinney's Website  and Barnes & Noble

how i live now

Fantasy
LS 5603.21/Spring 2010
S. Vardell

BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Rosoff, Meg. how i live now. New York: Wendy Lamb Books, Trademark of Random House Books, Inc., 2004.

 PLOT SUMMARY:

New York native Elizabeth, aka "Daisy", visits her unknown maternal English Aunt and cousins unaware of the internal and external consequences she will face.

  CRITICAL ANALYSIS:

Meg Rosoff turns Daisy's life upside down from the moment she steps off a plane in London. She is greeted by cousin Edmond, an under aged driver, and is transported to an unfamiliar place without presence of reliable adult supervision. Daisy's cousins, whom she has never met, welcome her into their dilapidated country home and lives. The authentic setting creates a believable reality for Osbert, Edmond, Isaac, Piper and Daisy. The fictional atmosphere becomes a place of peace and healing for Daisy only to be interrupted by the horrors of war. Ms. Rosoff's how i live now, is written with great depth and emotion. Each character is complex and believable. Adolescent challenges experienced by Daisy are possible and believable. Daisy's imposed controlled self torment becomes altered when her continued existence is at stake . Only a gifted writer can relate this many complex feelings with clear understanding. Ms. Rosoff leads the reader through the journey with her characters as they are changed forever by uncontrollable, yet possible, events. Above all the tale is a love story. Daisy's voyage permits her to feel love for others while discovering love for herself. This first novel is about love, tragedy, loss and redemption. how i live now is written with truth. The chronicle of Daisy's journey deals with mature subjects. Beautifully written words make the most uncomfortable moments of life readable. how i live now, targeted to young adults, is not condescending, it is compelling, and treats young readers with respect. Author Meg Rosoff recognizes the intensity of a young person's feelings, sentiments and passions. Daisy's first love is her reality and is not diminished by her "age". Through growth and perseverance Daisy finds the truth behind her facade.

AWARDS WON AND REVIEW EXCERPTS:
Guardian Children's Fiction Prize, 2004 Winner United Kingdom
Los Angeles Times Book Prize, 2004 Finalist Young Adult Fiction United States
Michael L. Printz Award, 2005 Winner United States
Quill Awards, 2005 Nominee Young Adult/Teen United States
Whitbread Children's Book Award, 2004 Shortlist United Kingdom

CCBC (Cooperative Children’s Book Center Choices, 2005)
Fifteen-year-old Daisy is sent to live with her cousins in England while her father and new stepmother move on with their lives in New York City. Almost immediately, Daisy’s aunt leaves for business, and terrorists from an unknown country invade England. With no adults around, Daisy and her cousins, Osbert, Edmond, Isaac, and Piper, have only a vague notion of what is happening. They live in a rural area far removed from the initial points of attack in the cities, and events are not close enough to penetrate their sheltered and self-involved lives.

Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, July 15, 2004 (Vol. 72, No. 14))
Manhattanite Daisy, 15, moves to London to stay with an aunt and cousins she's never met. Without preamble or fanfare, an unidentified enemy attacks and war ensues. Her aunt is abroad on a peace mission, meaning that Daisy and her three cousins, with whom she forges a remarkable relationship, must survive almost entirely on their own. This is a very relatable contemporary story, told in honest, raw first-person and filled with humor, love, pathos, and carnage. War, as it will, changes these young people irrevocably, not necessarily for the worse. They and readers know that no one will ever be the same.

CONNECTIONS:
Meg Rosoff Blog
Books by this author at BookBrowse:
The Bride's Farewell
What I Was
Just In Case
Meet Wild Boars
How I Live Now

 Related Subjects from Children's Literature Comprehensive Database (CLCD)

• War Fiction.
• Cousins Fiction.
• Family life--England Fiction.
• Farm life--England Fiction.
• Eating disorders Fiction.
• England Fiction.