Diary of a Wimpy Kid

More like diary of a mean kid! I couldn’t believe all the mean and selfish things Greg does. He uses his best friend, dumps him because he’s not cool, pretends to be injured to get attention, throws apples at a girl...the list goes on and on. The only times where Greg could be considered as wimpy (for example when he hides at his grandmother’s house on Halloween), he was more of a coward than anything. And yet, he is still likeable (to a point) and I can totally identify with him. I would like to think that I was nicer than Greg when I was younger, but truth be told, I probably wasn’t. I can remember things I did in middle school to my friends that I still turn my stomach in guilt. I remember wanting to be voted “best” in something in the yearbook or to appear to be “cooler” than I actually was. The author paints a very realistic adolescent and captures the self-centered nature and limited forethought given to the actions.

For those of you who don’t know, I read the book while I was away performing some military training. SPC Stout, another female soldier in the barracks, saw me reading the book and laughing at parts. I talked to her about the book and she began to read it after I finished. When talking to her nine-year-old daughter on the phone, SPC Stout told her that she was reading Diary of a Wimpy Kid and her daughter got excited because she had just read it. The book and Greg’s actions became a topic of conversation for a few phone calls between the two. They enjoyed bonding over the book so much that SPC Stout’s daughter ordered the second book. They have plans to read it together after SPC Stout gets home. SPC Stout is excited about this new opportunity to connect with her daughter and has request that I recommend other books for them to share. If anyone has recommendations of their own, please let me know.