Blog Post of a Wimpy Kid

My series book of choice is The Diary of a Wimpy Kid and I am thoroughly enjoying reading it. I remember getting these books when I was younger because they were the “in” books at the time but I do not totally remember sitting down and reading them, because like stated before, I was never truly a “reader.” I think the way it is written and the layout of the book is so inviting and fun for kids of all ages but definitely at an elementary age. Like talked about in class, I think that second graders can easily read this series and enjoy it, but it is about middle school life. Greg is the main character, and he is speaking in first person throughout the novel since it is his diary. He talk about the trials and tribulations of middle school life, being a teenager, and being a middle child. Everything is played out as if he has the roughest life, but in the funniest way. He deals with bullies, talking to girls, best friends turned popular, and nagging parents… and everyone can relate to that awkward middle school life because we had to go through that crap too! A theme that does stand out to make teenage years seem dreadful is the fact that Greg is always getting into trouble at home, and his parents are always making him do things he doesn’t want to. He plays the part of being a tree in The Wizard of Oz at one point, and then is trying to become a body builder at a different point. He is truly trying to find himself throughout this series and illustrates that not only through his diary entries, but in the pictures or comics he adds also. I like the idea of adding in little sketches into the books, because for me, as a visual learner, it keeps my interest and I want to not only read what happens next, but see what happens next. This aspect definitely would stand out to me, and still does obviously, if I was an elementary school student right now. I also think it is cool how popular this series has become and how it has turned into a movie and the series is still continuing. I even found that the book has it’s own website (check it out yo!) http://www.wimpykid.com and you can even follow the author John Kinney on Twitter @wimpykid so that students and fans can interact with him. I also found this really badass lesson plan/guide for your students to create their own diary and it’s super cute http://www.wimpykid.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/WimpyKid-SeriesTeachingGuide.pdf! It also corrected my idea of the age group I thought this series would be appropriate for, and it said age 8-12 (grades 3-7). Overall, as a “nonreader” I am really impressed with this series, and definitely would recommend it to my future students and maybe even use it in my lesson planning.